6 JUNE 2005 -- PrintCity members will combine expertise to unveil the “Secure Folding Box” at a special day-long congress at P, the International Trade Fair for Process-Orientated Packaging Production at Messe Stuttgart, in Germany, that runs from June 15-18. Security printing issues have been a key part of the work within PrintCity’s Packaging Activity Group that has been pooling resources to develop and influence technology in packaging manufacture. And now at the congress being held on June 16 as part of the Trade Fair, Packaging Activity Group members will unveil the “Secure Folding Box”, a solution to improve brand protection to help in the fight against counterfeiting. Members will be discussing the results of their work that will show how modern printing methods can protect against product piracy, specifically highlighting the role of packaging in the protection of brand image and product by using special folding boxes as an example. Other discussion topics will include Radio Frequency Identification, corporate brand design, and brand misuse and protection. Sandro Gubinelli, Chairman of PrintCity’s Packaging Activity Group, said: “We are all increasingly aware of falsification and counterfeiting in our everyday lives, not just in the workplace. The importance to the industry of having secure packaging and label printing continues to grow and is an integral component of any brand protection strategy. Having a good strategy in place can make a significant contribution to preventing the loss of value.” As far as the design of the packaging is concerned, specialists from the printing industry now offer printing with special visual features, such as fluorescent inks, overprint varnish, embossing or special collapsible cartons. And security elements such as nanotext and hidden images can be incorporated into virtually any packaging. Different security levels for end-users, retailers and producers of branded goods provide security for your product right down the value-added chain. There is a range of detection methods for distinguishing the original from copies: Filter foils or ultraviolet lamps, laser readers and microscopes. PrintCity’s Packaging Activity Group continuously monitors the market to identify, analyse and interpret economic trends. On the basis of an ongoing dialogue with its customers, the group can provide up-to-date definitions of specific market needs. Analyses of trends in economic, technical, legal and creative marketing are provided to potential and existing customers. This information is used to initiate focused product development and innovation, such as the “Secure Folding Box”. More information from www.printcity.de