Secure on-demand printing solutions specialist Troy Group announced
a security toner that uses a patent pending, solvent-reactive toner
technology developed by the company’s research scientists, which is to
be employed on select Hewlett-Packard printers. The technology consists
of a high-adhesion toner with a hidden red dye; when a solvent is used
to attempt alteration on a document protected with the company’s
Security Toner, the dye is released, creating a “highly visible and
permanent red stain” on the paper.
The company said the toner can also be used on existing security papers
and pre-printed forms to provide an even higher level of fraud
protection, allowing a wide range of businesses, government agencies,
schools and other industries to add a new layer of security to their
sensitive documents. Applications for the use of the company’s Security
Toner include educational transcripts and grade reports, certificates
of ownership, vital records, legal documents, medical prescriptions,
checks, titles and other types of documents containing sensitive
information, a Troy release noted.
The security toner is currently offered in cartridges compatible with
many HP’s LaserJet printers and Troy Security printers, the company
said, noting the security toner can only be obtained from a select
group of authorized Troy resellers. The company also offers Magnetic
Ink Character Recognitio (MICR), a technology that uses magnetically
chargeable ink or toner to print the numbers and special characters on
the bottom of checks or other financial transaction
documents.
Troy’s vice president of marketing, John Hodgson, said the growing
financial losses and other business risks associated with fraud makes
document security more important than ever. “Financial institutions
particularly like the way it allows them to easily add security to
cashiers checks, foreign drafts, money orders and other negotiable
documents,” he said. “We believe that Troy Security Toner will become
an important new layer of security used at banks and other printing
operations.”
Hodgson said throughout the world, fraudulent alteration continues to
be a significant threat to documents that contain sensitive
information. He said while many businesses and organizations use
specialty papers with special coatings and solvent reactive properties
to help protect these documents, many important documents continue to
be printed on standard printing paper. “When criminals attempt to alter
an important printed document with a chemical, the dye in the toner is
released, ruining the document, which prevents criminals from using it
for their benefit,” he explained.