Features | Watermarks

Immediately recognisable security

Secure foundations

With an array of substrate feature and component options available,
the watermark is and remains the undisputed king.

Recommended by Interpol for use in high security documents, cylinder mould made paper is recognised as being the most secure paper type available, and, despite developments in scanning, photocopying and digital photography techniques, our three-dimensional multi-tonal cylinder mould made watermark remains virtually impossible to simulate.

With over 300 years of experience and expertise in making high security papers
and watermarks, at Portals we are proud to be one of the only paper manufacturers
in the world dedicated to producing high-security, non-currency paper,
on cylinder mould machines.

Cylinder mould watermark

Acknowledged as the most effective and widely recognised substrate security feature.

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Electrotype watermark

Advanced protection against counterfeiting and alteration

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Textmark™

Advanced counterfeiting protection

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Cornerstone® & Edgestone™

Prevent splitting, curling, folding, creasing & tearing

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Skylight™

Tamper Evidence

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Recommended by Interpol

Cylinder mould watermarks
The most effective and widely recognised substrate security feature.

The Cylinder mould watermark is considered to offer the highest security of any watermark type. It is a three dimensional watermark giving beautiful clarity and high image definition. In cylinder mould papermaking, the watermarks are created as the paper is formed. The resulting watermark has exceptional, security detail because the watermark is formed as an intrinsic part of the paper sheet.

High quality cylinder mould watermarks, such as the one made here at Portals, are virtually impossible to simulate effectively.

Multi-tonal security

With growing access to computers, digital imaging software and scanners, photocopiers and high quality printers, the levels of threat to secure documents is increasing. A high quality cylinder mould watermark remains virtually impossible to simulate because of use and expertise of non commercially available equipment to produce the multi tonal, three dimensional effect.

Personalised design

Bespoke designs make every watermark unique and ownable. Portals have produced many world class designs and this is due to the way we work with our customers to understand the context in which the watermark will be used, combined with an intrinsic knowledge of the paper manufacturing process.

Customisable security

Cylinder mould made watermarks can be further enhanced with electrotypes – creating more depth, highlighting specific elements and building counterfeit resilience. Traditional counterfeiting techniques struggle with replicating the effect of the electrotype watermark because it appears lighter and brighter than its surrounding area.

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Advanced protection against counterfeiting and alteration

Electrotype watermarks
High contrast, watermark that appears lighter and brighter in the sheet than its surrounding area.

A highly effective additional feature to an overall watermark design, easily incorporated alongside a multi-tonal cylinder mould made watermark. Compliant with the recommendations laid out in ICAO document 9303 Part 2.

Highly effective and easy to authenticate

Electrotype watermarks are simple to understand and authenticate and allow additional features and highlights to be incorporated into the bespoke watermark design. Often used for page numbering to help prevent page substitution fraud.

Building counterfeit resilience

Electrotype watermarks are difficult to replicate, and can even include a forensic level element. Traditional counterfeiting techniques struggle with replicating the effect of the electrotype watermark because it appears lighter and brighter than its surrounding area.

Enhanced feature

Can give the appearance of an embossed feature when combined with a thin film holographic laminate as used on a bio-data page.

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Advanced counterfeiting protection

Textmark™
A combinational effect of both light and dark characters.

Textmark™ is an innovative watermark feature that delivers a combinational effect of positive and negative (light and dark) text, numbers and characters within the watermark.

Unique

Each individual Textmark™ design is entirely bespoke to the customer and complementary with the substrate and print process.

Complex security

The Textmark™ feature is achieved by introducing positive and negative variations of text within the watermark design and is manufactured by combining watermarking technologies together. This complex addition to the mould made watermarking feature is highly effective against the threat of counterfeit and fraudulent alteration.

Easy to understand

The beauty of Textmark™ is how easy it is to understand and to explain to both the general public and trained officials, like border control personnel.

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Prevent splitting, curling, folding, creasing & tearing

Cornerstone® & Edgestone™

Two of the most common causes of failure for security document substrate are curling / folded corners and tears along the edges of the security document. Through the use of patented technologies, specialist watermarks can be included during the paper manufacturing process to reinforce areas vulnerable to the additional wear and tear typically endured by the bio-data and observations pages as a result of frequent checking, reading and scanning at border control and other authorities.

Corner protection

Cornerstone® reduces instances of paper corner curling and folding via the addition of high density watermark rods that add structural rigidity to the paper.

Edge protection

Edgestone™ helps to prevent edges from tearing by strategically increasing the thickness of the paper along the edges of the document pages.

Design integration

The design of the Cornerstone™ and Edgestone™ features can be developed and adapted and incorporated with the watermark design.

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Tamper Evidence

Skylight™
Protection against the threat of document dismantling and reassembly

Skylight™ is a complex and unique tamper proof feature where small areas of the paper are specially engineered to be lighter and thinner than the surrounding area and background sheet.

Tamper evidence

In a document that has been personalised, Skylight™ prevents the paper from being split or the lifting of the laminate and reassembling with fraudulent data. In fact, when attempts are made to split the page, Skylight™ immediately causes the sheet to rupture around the interface of the layer making it unusable for any further activity.

Protect the entire passport

Ideal for use as a passport end-page, bio-data page or observation page defence. The security of a passport can be further enhanced through combining Skylight™ with a Continuous Bio-data Page™ and by using Skylight™ on the end page, acting as a deterrent to tamper with or access the stitching and/or chip in the cover.

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Our Solutions

Passports

Passports

World Leading Experts in Passport and Visa Paper Solutions.

Certificates

Certificates

At the heart of any high security document is the paper it is printed and produced on.

Security Documents

Security Documents

At the heart of any high security document is the paper it is printed and produced on.

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