What is Invisible Fluorescent Ink?
Invisible fluorescent ink is transparent and colorless under natural light. However, when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, such as a banknote verification lamp, it reveals specific colors and printed patterns. The advantages of using this ink for anti-counterfeiting purposes include:
Difficult to detect under natural light, providing a hidden effect
Prevents scanning and photocopying
Easy to verify authenticity
Color-Changing Effects of Invisible Fluorescent Ink
Visible fluorescent inks display specific colors under natural light, such as fluorescent yellow or fluorescent green. In contrast, invisible fluorescent ink remains transparent and colorless under natural light and only reveals its specific color under UV light.
Black-to-Color Fluorescent Ink
This type of fluorescent ink appears black under natural light but reveals a specific color when exposed to UV light. It is relatively rare and can mislead counterfeiters into thinking it is standard black ink printing.
Anti-Counterfeiting Applications of Invisible Fluorescent Ink
Printing invisible patterns onto printed materials allows for easy authentication using a handheld UV lamp. Since the ink remains invisible under natural light, it possesses anti-copy and anti-scan properties.
Printing “serial numbers” can help prevent unauthorized product resale. Invisible numbering can be hidden in locations unknown to distributors. If a distributor lowers prices for clearance sales or engages in cross-regional sales that disrupt market order, the issue can be easily traced back to the responsible distribution chain.
Applications of Invisible Fluorescent Ink in Creative Products
Kazama Yakiniku – The Invisible Magic Menu
A restaurant used invisible fluorescent ink to print its menu for a Halloween-themed event, allowing diners to experience the thrill of uncovering a "book of secrets" during their meal.
Ming Chi University’s Exploration Team – Discovering Taiwan’s Natural Beauty
A poster design incorporating dual-color invisible fluorescent ink provides an interactive "exploration" experience for viewers.
Can Invisible Fluorescent Ink Be Used for Color Printing?
Most standard prints achieve color effects using CMYK four-color process printing. But can invisible fluorescent ink also create color images? The answer is yes!
Invisible fluorescent ink utilizes RGB overprinting to create color images, which follows a different logic from CMYK color separation and overprinting.
Although color images can be printed, factors such as light sources and materials make it challenging to maintain precise color consistency.
The more vibrant the colors, the closer they are to pure RGB hues, resulting in better brightness and clarity.
Darker colors or those with low contrast may be harder to recognize.
Since the glossiness of ink differs from that of paper, large areas of fluorescent ink printing may still reveal traces of printing under natural light. This is an important consideration when using invisible fluorescent ink. Although termed "invisible," achieving complete invisibility under natural light requires perfect coordination of multiple factors, making it a highly complex process.
"Blurred in the Mirror" — Xing Yun Image Creation Exhibition
This project, in collaboration with an artist, utilized RGB three-color invisible fluorescent ink overprinting to create hidden images with excellent visibility under UV light.
However, the final result did not fully meet expectations due to color discrepancies—the original artwork leaned toward dark red, but the printed version appeared slightly purple. Additionally, the color scheme was relatively monochromatic, making it difficult to highlight the effect of multi-color overprinting. If the color contrast were increased, the outcome would have been more striking.
About the Artist – DreamHolic Xing Yun
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