Home Contact Us About API News Topics & Developments Products Laminate Board and Paper Decorative Foils Security Holographics Design and Origination Stamping Foils Holographic Overlays Tamper-Evident Labels / Security Seals Scratch-Off Foil Security Embossing Base Covert Authentication, Track & Trace Coding Foils Lamination Film Products Finishes & Effects Sectors & Applications Design and Origination Prev Next Security Holographics Authentication of products and documents has never been more important. Every year, the worldwide trade in counterfeit goods increases and the threat from international terrorism and organised crime is at an all-time high. Identity theft and falsification of official documents combine with illegal trade to displace the legitimate revenue rights of brand owners and governments, compromise the safety of citizens, put the health of consumers at risk and feed a growing network of crime. Since they were first introduced on credit cards in the early 1980s, holograms have become the most common overt security features on valuable documents and branded goods; providing a recognisable mark of authenticity, a ‘carrier’ for other covert authentication technologies and a powerful deterrent to tampering and counterfeiting. No well-produced hologram can be accurately replicated so as to escape the scrutiny of a trained and expert eye. Even poor copies require a level of skill, technology and investment which is inaccessible to all but the most determined counterfeiters. Holograms cannot be copied by electronic scanning or reproduced by any printing technique. Holograms are principally an overt authentication device but can also incorporate covert and forensic security features such as nano-text, taggants and markers. In foil, film or label format, they can be cost-effectively applied to a wide range of materials and substrates as part of the printing, conversion or packaging process. Today, holograms are used extensively in high security applications such as banknotes, passports, ID cards, financial cards and fiscal stamps as well as on tickets, vouchers, cheques and certificates. In addition, they help to protect many of the world's leading brands from counterfeiting, substitution and parallel trading. With a heritage going back to the original development of industrial holograms at the UK's Loughborough University in the mid 1970s, API is today one of the industry's largest manufacturers of holographic products, combining design, origination and micro-embossing expertise with the know-how in coatings and adhesive technology derived from our extensive foil making activities. From our security and quality accredited site in Salford, England, we supply a full range of holographic security foils, films and labels plus a range of complementary products and services for use on currency, financial cards, licences, certificates, passports & id cards, tax stamps, vouchers & tickets, branded goods; pharmaceuticals and vehicle parts. Our in-house design and origination service offers a range of technologies and solutions to meet the requirements of different segments within the brand and document security market. We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach; working with specifiers, security printers and other partners in the supply chain to develop cost effective and enduring authentication solutions. API Holographics is accredited to ISO 9001:2000 and an approved member of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association. Accreditations International Hologram Manufacturers Association ISO14298:2013 Security Management System for Security Printing (Governmental level) ISO9001:2008 Quality Management System Products © API 2013 | Sitemap | Terms & Conditions | Website design by The Factory