Product description
A master security hologram is the best of what can be produced in hologram production, it is our flagship. Security holograms offer unlimited options in graphic design, high resolution allowing to record the finest lines and texts and, above all, they are very difficult (or virtually impossible) to counterfeit. In the design, you are not limited in the number of layers applied, colour transitions, kinetic (floating) effects and other elements. As a rule, security holograms are found on the top luxury goods and on goods that need to be protected against counterfeit (medicaments, cosmetics). Compared to single- and two-layered labels, security holograms are significantly more expensive due to substantially higher technological and financial requirements on the production of stamping masters.
A hologram master is the template stamped into the metallic foil; it is a polished zinc sheet with countless microscopic embossed peaks and valleys creating the designed pattern during stamping. The price of a master is always defined on a case-by-case basis as it depends on the size of one hologram label and their number in a stamping template.
When producing the master, the final graphic design of a hologram is transformed into 256 shades of grey, not just 1 or 2 as it is the case for single- and two-layered holograms; each shade of grey represents a different hologram layer – a layer that will become visible at a specific observation angle. It is the transition between the shades of grey that will provide the graphic element animation effect. All the texts or logos may be situated at different areas of the label in different shades of grey so they will show or disappear at these areas at different observation angles thus creating the animation effect. The graphic design may be produced in colour; we will convert it to grey in the manufacturing process.
The maximum size of the hologram that can be made is 100x100mm.
Hologram foil colour
Holograms are printed on aluminium foils of various colours. Silver is the basic and most frequently used colour that makes the hologram very noticeable reflecting all colours of the colour spectrum. The second most frequently used foil is golden. The hologram rainbow effect is less pronounced on golden foil as the blue in the reflection is missing; on the other hand, golden colour comes on as more luxurious. These two foil colours are the basic ones and are provided for the same price. A hologram can be produced in any other foil colour for a fee of at least 40 %. The most luxurious but also the most costly is the black foil hologram (extra fee of 160 % plus).
Label shape
We are able to produce hologram labels in any shape. Square, rectangular, round and oval are the basic ones requiring no specific or custom-made stamping dies to be produced. If you want to have a label in your own shape (such as the shape of your logo), expect an extra charge to cover the production of the stamping die. In case of square and rectangular holograms, the corners must be rounded with a radius of at least 0.5 mm for a correct cut-out.
Hologram numbering
Upon request, all labels produced may be numbered providing another level of security. Numbers may be printed by laser or thermal transfer printing. Laser numbering is the most advanced technique as the numbers are virtually burnt into the aluminium foil making the hologram transparent at the area of the number – this process is virtually impossible to counterfeit. There is no difference in price for both options.
Glue
Standard glue is suitable for smooth surfaces such as glass, smooth plastic and metal. Strong glue is stronger, has higher substance density and holds labels on structured and grainy surfaces – such as metallic and plastic vehicle frames.
Security layer (tamper evident)
Holograms may be produced with a security layer that destroys the hologram when tampered with. As a standard, we produce holograms with basic non-controlled destruction option where most of the aluminium hologram layer remains on the surface and the other part of the label remains on the transparent protection foil when the label is peeled off. The hologram without its protection layer is not abrasion-proof and will get rubbed off soon.
Subject to an extra fee, the label tamper-evident destruction option may also be controlled thanks to a selective placement of the glue:
Standard security – non-controlled destruction of the label when tampered with – see above
VOID – destruction of the label leaving a VOID pattern on the surface. The negative image remains on the label.
Honeycomb – a honeycomb pattern remains on the surface while the negative image stays on the label
Squares (chessboard)– a checkered pattern remains on the surface and the negative image stays on the label
No security – see above
For those who prefer peel-off labels, we offer the option of no security which may come handy when labels are used directly on final products and it is desirable that the client removes the hologram without destroying the product.
Hologram printing
For an extra charge, we also offer additional printing on hologram labels with any graphic design. We create a “mask” that covers the hologram which then works in the background.
A hologram master is the template stamped into the metallic foil; it is a polished zinc sheet with countless microscopic embossed peaks and valleys creating the designed pattern during stamping. The price of a master is always defined on a case-by-case basis as it depends on the size of one hologram label and their number in a stamping template.
When producing the master, the final graphic design of a hologram is transformed into 256 shades of grey, not just 1 or 2 as it is the case for single- and two-layered holograms; each shade of grey represents a different hologram layer – a layer that will become visible at a specific observation angle. It is the transition between the shades of grey that will provide the graphic element animation effect. All the texts or logos may be situated at different areas of the label in different shades of grey so they will show or disappear at these areas at different observation angles thus creating the animation effect. The graphic design may be produced in colour; we will convert it to grey in the manufacturing process.
The maximum size of the hologram that can be made is 100x100mm.
Hologram foil colour Holograms are printed on aluminium foils of various colours. Silver is the basic and most frequently used colour that makes the hologram very noticeable reflecting all colours of the colour spectrum. The second most frequently used foil is golden. The hologram rainbow effect is less pronounced on golden foil as the blue in the reflection is missing; on the other hand, golden colour comes on as more luxurious. These two foil colours are the basic ones and are provided for the same price. A hologram can be produced in any other foil colour for a fee of at least 40 %. The most luxurious but also the most costly is the black foil hologram (extra fee of 160 % plus).
Label shape
We are able to produce hologram labels in any shape. Square, rectangular, round and oval are the basic ones requiring no specific or custom-made stamping dies to be produced. If you want to have a label in your own shape (such as the shape of your logo), expect an extra charge to cover the production of the stamping die. In case of square and rectangular holograms, the corners must be rounded with a radius of at least 0.5 mm for a correct cut-out.
Hologram numbering
Upon request, all labels produced may be numbered providing another level of security. Numbers may be printed by laser or thermal transfer printing. Laser numbering is the most advanced technique as the numbers are virtually burnt into the aluminium foil making the hologram transparent at the area of the number – this process is virtually impossible to counterfeit. There is no difference in price for both options.
Glue
Standard glue is suitable for smooth surfaces such as glass, smooth plastic and metal. Strong glue is stronger, has higher substance density and holds labels on structured and grainy surfaces – such as metallic and plastic vehicle frames.
Security layer (tamper evident)
Holograms may be produced with a security layer that destroys the hologram when tampered with. As a standard, we produce holograms with basic non-controlled destruction option where most of the aluminium hologram layer remains on the surface and the other part of the label remains on the transparent protection foil when the label is peeled off. The hologram without its protection layer is not abrasion-proof and will get rubbed off soon.
Subject to an extra fee, the label tamper-evident destruction option may also be controlled thanks to a selective placement of the glue:
Standard security – non-controlled destruction of the label when tampered with – see above
VOID – destruction of the label leaving a VOID pattern on the surface. The negative image remains on the label.
Honeycomb – a honeycomb pattern remains on the surface while the negative image stays on the label
Squares (chessboard)– a checkered pattern remains on the surface and the negative image stays on the label
No security – see above
For those who prefer peel-off labels, we offer the option of no security which may come handy when labels are used directly on final products and it is desirable that the client removes the hologram without destroying the product.
Hologram printing
For an extra charge, we also offer additional printing on hologram labels with any graphic design. We create a “mask” that covers the hologram which then works in the background.
| Colour | Silver, Gold, Transparent, Other (40%+) |
| Glue | Standard, Stronger |
| Add thermal transfer printing (logo, text) to the finished hologram sticker | No, Yes |
| Numbering | None, Thermotransfer numbering, Laser numbering |
| Security (tamper evident) layer | Standard destruction - peel-off destruction, VOID - VOID pattern remains on the surface upon destruction, Squares - chequerboard pattern remains on the surface upon destruction, Honeycomb - a honeycomb pattern remains on the surface upon destruction, No security - integral sticker peels off |
| Shape | Square, Rectangle, Round, Oval, Other |
| Weight | 0.00001 kg |
Graphic design
Do you want to provide your own graphic design for holograms? Not difficult at all. Holograms are manufactured based on vector file data (lines) provided in the following formats - *.ai .cdr .eps .pdf. We prefer data in Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or Corel Draw (.cdr).The master hologram design is virtually unlimited in terms of colours used. Each colour represents one layer of the hologram and data in different colours may overlap. A very interesting rainbow effect on the final hologram is created with colour transitions. The more colours you use in the design, the livelier the master hologram is. You can also create kinetic image effects that make the hologram graphics move when inclined.
The design must be provided with a crop line - pre-defined trim marks (in red or magenta, max. thickness of 0.15 pt); if the graphic data touch the crop line, they must overlap by at least 2 mm (catchment area) as it is impossible to manufacture and cut out a hologram without a minimum deviation. In terms of shapes, holograms cannot be cut with too sharp edges – the corner radius of any square or rectangular stickers must be 0.5 mm at least. Do not create any trim marks (just crop line) and if you use any font in your design, it must be transformed into a curve (non-modifiable font) or it could be substituted.
Master hologram manufacturing chart
A1) Serial numbersIt is possible to number each security hologram for an extra charge, using either laser or thermal transfer print. Laser printed numbers are printed in the aluminium carrier foil as transparent areas so the underlying layer under the sticker remains visible. This process is very difficult to counterfeit. In thermal transfer printing, serial numbers are printed in ink on the top protective foil of the sticker.
A2) Hologram printing
We can also print in colour on hologram stickers (screen or thermal transfer printing). Hence, you can have your logo printed on the protective foil of the hologram covering its part (mask). You can pick any colour, no colour transitions though.
B) Master hologram
Hologram graphic design.
C) Metallic carrier foil
The metallic carrier foil the hologram itself is stamped into can be executed in many colours with the basic ones being silver and gold. The holographic effect is best shown on silver foil; other foil colours (including golden) do not provide such a pronounced holographic effect. The hologram can be produced in virtually any colour – even in colours that are not included in the offer (upon enquiry).
D) security layer - Tamper Evident (VOID)
For an additional fee, the hologram may further be protected with a Tamper Evident Protection. The glue is applied on the label selectively in order to ensure a controlled (pre-defined) destruction if tampered with. You can choose from a standard VOID destruction where the repetitive VOID (or a checkered/honeycomb) pattern of the hologram’s metallic foil remains on the surface. The negative part of the hologram foil remains visible on the top transparent protective layer of the hologram and it is clearly visible that the sticker was tampered with when re-stuck. If you decide not to opt for the VOID layer, your holograms will be equipped with standard non-controlled protection that will keep a part of the hologram (based on its adhesive quality) on the surface while the protective layer is peeled off; in such a case, the remaining part of the hologram without the protective layer is rubbed off easily. We can also produce the labels without any protection at all which is convenient especially for those products where the label should be completely removed before use – glasses, containers, clothes and similar.
E) Glue
We offer two types of glue – a standard glue suitable for all smooth and de-greased surfaces such as paper, glass or flat surfaces or strong glue that holds security holograms even on roughened surfaces such as rough plastic or powder coated (comaxit) surfaces.
Placing an order
I.Follow the instructions and create your own digital graphic design or we can create a graphic design of the hologram master for you based on your specifications. In the latter case, a clearly formulated verbal description of your expectations (including the size and shape of the label) is sufficient, it can also be accompanied by bitmap images of company logos, trademarks or any other images you would want to see on your hologram. Should the design be more complex, you can draw your ideas by hand on a piece of paper to make the visualisation easier and send a scan or photo it to us. We are charging from ca. 8€ for simple vector graphic files prepared according to your ideas to ca. 40€ for more complex graphic designs. Please, do not forget to provide us with the visualisation of all layers if you prefer multi-layer holograms. If you need any advice when creating your label design, we are available for any enquiries at phone numbers and addresses listed in the Contact section.
II.
Once we receive your order, we either validate the received vector design or we create it based on your requirements. If you asked us to prepare the graphic design for you, we will send you by e-mail the graphic design as a bitmap image for assessment. We usually create more versions of the graphic design so you can pick the one that suits your purposes best. Your comments to the design preview or any requirements to add further text or graphic elements are quickly addressed and you will get the design back for re-assessment. This process will be repeated until you are completely happy with the graphic look of the design.
Production price per piece is defined immediately after your design is accepted and after you inform us about the number of pieces to produce. You can select or change the self-adhesive medium at this stage as the base is not linked in any way to the hologram picture design. If you decide to select the "Tamper evident film", i.e. "VOID" base, please inform us about the word you would like to see when the label is tampered with (see the word options). Besides the pre-manufactured films with selective peel-off options, we can produce the base material with any word or symbol based on your request; a custom-made self-destructive film is obviously more costly.
At the end of this stage, a confirmation of the final graphic design of the holographic tag, label, sticker or seal is issued – based on order specifications. The customer explicitly approves the visual design, quantity and price thus creating a firm order to produce the ordered items. A firm order represents a contract for work for the approved graphic design, quantity, materials and price. It may be impossible to change the graphic design, type or quantity of pieces once the order is firm – it always depends on the production process.
III.
Once the acts described in Art. II here above are mutually agreed, we will produce the requested quantity of security self-adhesive items according to the specifications you have approved (design, quantity, properties and price). Unless specified otherwise, the order is usually completed within Day 15 to Day 30 from the firm order date.