Partnership between SCRIBOS and HP Indigo launches with ValiGate®: Direct Print Plug-in for HP Indigo Digital Presses

Fürth/Germany, March 01, 2023: Year after year, brand owners have to go to ever greater lengths to protect their products from misuse: Counterfeit goods worth around 120 billion euros are imported into the EU alone every year, which corresponds to around 6 percent of all imports. Digitalization offers new opportunities in the fight against counterfeiting. One example of this is the copy-protected, serialized ValiGate® Direct-Print QR code from SCRIBOS, which can be printed directly on labels or onto product packaging using the standard printing process. Through SCRIBOS' partnership with HP Indigo, this innovative technology can now easily be used on HP digital presses worldwide.

Bleak Prospects: Counterfeiting and piracy in the EU

The latest Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment1, issued jointly by Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), sounds worrying, showing the extent of counterfeiting and piracy in the EU. More than ever, there is a serious threat to consumer health and safety, as well as to the entire European economy, as it seeks to recover from the COVID 19 pandemic. The report concludes that online and offline distribution of counterfeit and substandard goods was one of the main activities of criminals during COVID.

All this shows how important it is today to protect oneself and one's products from counterfeiting and misuse. But there is also good news: Technical progress and developments in recent years make new measures in the fight against counterfeiting possible. For instance, the counterfeit proof ValiGate® Direct Print markings from SCRIBOS, which can be printed directly onto labels or the product packaging using a standard printing process.

Light on the Horizon: About SCRIBOS ValiGate® - a unique, copy-protected QR code with superpowers

The use of QR codes has become established in recent years as a quick and easy way of linking analog products and publications to the digital world. This was also demonstrated by the Corona pandemic, in which the acceptance of practical codes grew by another 40 percent.2 However, such QR codes can easily be copied and are usually used as static links to individual websites or product information, for example in restaurants to display digital menus.

The evolution, so-called serialized QR codes, open up new possibilities such as track & trace or recalls, by being equipped with unique serial numbers. However, protection against counterfeiting is still not possible with this kind of QR code.

Only the forgery-proof, serialized ValiGate® QR codes from SCRIBOS, which can be easily scanned without an app, fulfil all the requirements to reliably identify originals at all times. In addition, digital twins, as well as having protected serial numbers, prevents counterfeiting, enables individual recall actions, and allows personalized communication with consumers.

ValiGate® makes all of this possible without the use of random patterns or fingerprint technology, using the entire QR code to embed the patented copy-protection pattern, which SCRIBOS developed with the knowledge from its holographic security features. ValiGate® is not limited to QR codes but can also be combined with other 2D and 1D codes or it can even be used as a freeform shape, integrated into the packaging design.

The ValiGate® solution not only provides extensive track & trace possibilities and offers the highest possible security, it also opens a gateway to the brand world of the customer - with further links to product information (ingredients / nutrition / usage), videos, tutorials and websites. The possibility of full personalization and consumer marketing also strengthens trust in the brand and customer loyalty.

ValiGate® also opens up new business areas for printers: They can expand their portfolio to include counterfeit protection, conquer new markets, and gain additional revenue.

With combined forces: SCRIBOS x HP Indigo

SCRIBOS has joined forces with HP Indigo, a leading provider of digital printing solutions and presses, to strengthen the front against criminal counterfeiting activities, counterfeiting networks, and advance the use of highly secure QR codes. The HP Indigo Division is a division of the Graphic Solutions Business Unit of HP Inc.

HP Indigo Secure is a set of solutions including hardware, software, media and inks for security printing and brand protection, based on proprietary HP Indigo LEP technology, and reinforced by industry-leading partner solutions such as SCRIBOS. Brand protection capabilities solutions are designed for brands that are increasingly forced to confront counterfeiting issues, particularly in the nutraceuticals and wellness, cosmetics and personal care, agrochemical, automotive, and food and beverage industries.

SCRIBOS now offers a plug-in for the HP Indigo software and print presses, which allows the controlled printing of forgery-proof codes on thousands of HP print presses world-wide. A test version, including a quick start guide to create and print 1,000 copy-protected ValiGate® QR codes, is available on demand – free of charge. The codes can be quality-checked with an app and verified on a SCRIBOS 360 demo cloud authentication platform. This allows a print-shop experience how easy it is to create, print, and deliver copy-protected QR codes. The HP Indigo print presses, with their electrostatic toner, their high resolution and their perfect color precision are the perfect base for printing a copy protected QR code.

"Imagine a world where every QR code is copy-protected and your customers can rely 100 percent on the stored information they receive when they scan it. This would prevent track and trace data or blockchains from being tricked by copied codes, and consumers from receiving falsified information about illegal products. That's what we're working towards together with HP - full steam ahead!", explicates Dr. Steffen Scheibenstock, Business Development Manager of SCRIBOS.

Event announcement:

SCRIBOS will also be hosting the in-house event “Digital Security Printing Masterclass: How to print SCRIBOS ValiGate® on any HP Indigo”, which will cover all your burning questions you might have about the HP partnership. This exclusive event will include interesting presentations on SCRIBOS ValiGate® and HP, case studies, interactive sessions and even a live demo of ValiGate® being printed on an HP Indigo printing machine.

If you would like to sign up for the event, please send an E-Mail to: hello@scribos.com.

Further Information:

(1) https://euipo.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/ observatory/documents/reports/2021_EUIPO_OECD_Report_Fakes/2021_EUIPO_OECD_Trate_Fakes_Study_FullR_en.pdf
(2) https://www.qrcode-tiger.com/qr-code-statistics-before-and-after-covid-19.