Level 1 Overt

Easily seen by the naked eye, overt features—consisting of images, lines, and/or text— provide a quick means of visual authentication.

ITW Specialty Films offers many types of Level 1 Overt holographic security features including. Achrograms, Achromatic Images, 3D Stereograms, and more. These overt security features are designed to be easily seen by the naked eye and provide a quick means of visual authentication for Immigration officials and security agents.

2 or 3-Channel (Switch) Effect

Two or more distinct images can occupy the same area of a hologram, shifting from one to the other when viewed at diﬀerent angles. This highly-valued feature enables the viewer to authenticate the image by observing the switching images in a deﬁned area.

2D/3D Multi-Plane Effect

2D/3D multi-plane images, lines, and text are composed of elements that exist on diﬀerent planes (surface plane, above the surface plane, and below the surface plane), exhibiting a sense of depth and parallax. Used in combination with dot matrix elements, this feature provides a powerful barrier to counterfeiting because the ability to combine these two types of images requires a very high level of skill.

3D Stereogram

The 3D stereogram is an optical illusion of depth and movement created from one or more ﬂat, two-dimensional images or three- dimensional models. Stereograms require intricate design to perform well in a hologram, though, if successful, provide a signiﬁcant barrier to counterfeiting and a visually powerful authentication device.

Embossed Effect

A highly diﬀractive, surface-oriented grating can be applied to images, text or lines in a hologram, generating the optical illusion of relief or embossing. This highly sophisticated feature is easy to verify, diﬃcult to replicate, and highly eﬀective when applied to national symbols and other well-known images.

Fine Line Guilloche Patterns

Fine line guilloche patterns, common in banknotes, comprise a series of high resolution lines, curves, rosettes, or a combination of these elements generated by highly sophisticated software. Each element can be assigned a predetermined color shift, creating the illusion of synchronous animation. Such designs are impossible to replicate without the original software.

High Resolution Lines with Kinetic Effect

High resolution lines with kinetic eﬀect are ﬁne lines that light up sequentially when viewed at diﬀerent angles, generating the appearance of movement.

Latent Effect

Latent images, lines and characters are designed to refract light at a very acute angle.

90° Switch Effect

90° switch eﬀect text and imagery is invisible when viewed at a normal position and clearly visible when viewed at a 90° angle.

90° Viewable Element

This text and/or imagery is faintly viewable at a normal position and clearly visible when viewed at a 90° angle.

Achrogram

Achrograms are colorless images with positive and negative components that swap when viewed at a 90o angle. Colorless images are not easy to replicate or simulate on standard commercially available origination equipment.

Achromatic Image

Composed of neutral grays, white, or black, achromatic images, lines, and text have no color refraction. When placed within a highly diﬀractive image, this non-diﬀractive element is easily located and veriﬁed by the trained eye. Very few originators are capable of creating achromatic elements, making them extremely diﬃcult to counterfeit.

Letter Lens Effect

Created to resemble characters viewed under a magnifying lens, these letters appear and move when viewed under a point light source.

Matte Finish

An excellent contrast to the surrounding, colorful holography, the semi-opaque, non-diﬀractive matte ﬁnish is easy to identify and authenticate. Its appearance remains unchanged, regardless of the viewing angle.

True Coloring

Images refract their true colors only when viewed at a very speciﬁc angle. Holograms, which refract the seven colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), can be used to display the true colors of an image, such as a national ﬂag (it is not possible to specify Pantone colors). As the viewing angle is tilted, the colors sequence through the color spectrum, making this an easily authenticated device.

Wireframing

Created with highly complex security print software, wireframed (outlined) words and objects can be combined with other eﬀects to create more complex images.

Level 1 Overt