ADVERTORIALIs your business ready to take on counterfeiters? The issue of brand counterfeiting has grown to That’s why more and more print service providers 1account for 3.3% of all global trade and efforts to fght (PSPs) around the world are relying on HP to enable against fakes have escalated in tandem, with the print and power their activities in the high-growth, industry working tirelessly and collaboratively to high-revenue secure digital printing market. In 2021, remain one step ahead of counterfeiting activity. for instance, world leader in security and brand protection printing OpSec Security announced that Brands and organizations have begun addressing it was installing Europe's frst HP Indigo 6K Secure these challenges publicly, pledging commitment to Digital Press to increase effciencies and incorporate adapt in line with increasing threats. They are also high security features in single pass productivity working more closely with print service providers, as to clients across the world. As part of its offering, well as technology suppliers, to continually improve OpSec incorporates on-product and online protection security solutions. solutions to form the most complete, fully integrated brand protection and authentication solutions In 2021, the value of global e-commerce grew by available today. These include highly personalised 216%, propelled by the impact of COVID-19 on retail. solutions that ensure complete transparency to their The raise in global ecommerce and the impact on supply chain, such as unique identifers, track & trace the global supply chain and has led to an increase options and serialisation.in counterfeiting. In fact, a recent study found that counterfeit pharmaceuticals traded worldwide The most common threats brands currently face3reached €4.03 billion since the start of the pandemic. All of this change is great for e-commerce merchants. And it’s often good for consumers, who are As part of the collaborative effort of the print industry discovering new brands and new ways to shop. But it to stay one step ahead, digital security printing has can also be good for counterfeiters. With people trying become an instrumental tool against this reality. new and unfamiliar channels, retailers and brands Even the most sophisticated counterfeiters fnd it can be easier to deceive. extremely diffcult – often impossible- to replicate these features, and counterfeit goods are easier to Brands in this situation face not just lost revenue, but spot, which helps authorities track them down and also the concern that consumers will be harmed by stop them from travelling any further. fake versions of their products. This is particularly worrying in sectors such as pharma as well as for 5Security Printing as an emerging trend health and wellness brands. Applying multiple layers By 2026, the value of the global market for security of security to documents, labels and packaging can 4printing is expected to grow to $35 billion. As help create safer pharmaceutical packaging and it expands, the industry is also diversifying to labelling. Nosco Inc., for example, prints variable incorporate an ever-wider range of features to serve barcodes invisibly so that customers can scan and the needs of different actors and accommodate trace the barcodes across any country to ensure different use cases. they’re legitimate. One of the main applications is advanced brand If they can’t prevent the passing off of fake goods protection. Enterprises use secure-printing features as their own, brands face a tough time in many to demonstrate the authenticity of a product. This markets. Consumers’ poor experience with fake helps to keep low-quality, often dangerous, counterfeit goods damages the brand equity of the real thing. goods out of the supply chain, and in turn, will not If they cannot be sure of the authenticity of goods, only keep consumers safe but also protect brand particularly sensitive goods such as medicines, revenue streams and reputations. consumers and authorities may simply refuse to accept them altogether. Another use case is security printing. This is used by governments, regulators and other institutions For brands faced with these problems, secure digital which produce printed materials, such as forms and printing features such as invisible and color-shift documents, which they and their partners must inks or visible security and authentication features, be able to track, authenticate and often identify at can help keep fakes out of the supply chain. By different points in a workfow. For instance, the using HP Indigo printing presses which support state needs to identify a passport not merely as secure digital printing, print service providers a valid document of its type, properly issued, (PSPs) will be able to help their customers to protect but also as belonging to, and unique to, a single and verify product authenticity at every point in the named individual. supply chain. HP Indigo digital presses support the widest range Find out more about HP Secure Digital Printing of features and technologies for both applications. solutions at reinvent.hp.com/IndigoDigitalSecurity