Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; Head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: Naoki Adachi) has developed a new hologram (*1) called the "Crystagram(R)(*2)-EP (Electrostatic Prevention)" that reduces the generation of static electricity.
The Crystagram(R)-EP is a hologram that reduces static electricity, has similar brightness to existing holograms and has been given insulating properties through an original material structure developed by Toppan Printing. By giving the Crystagram insulating properties, it has become possible to prevent the occurrence of static electricity, which can contribute to machinery breakdowns or malfunctions. This means that it is now possible to use a hologram with a metallic gloss on the whole surface of a card without having to worry about the position of the magnetic tape. The Crystagram(R)-EP will be available at a similar price to existing holograms and sales will be targeted at financial institutions that issue credit and cash cards, companies in the distribution industry issuing items such as members cards that require high quality design, and national and local government bodies that issue certificates.

An example of a Crystagram(R)-EP used on the entire surface of a card Copyright 2009 TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.

Background
Holograms are widely used as counterfeit prevention tools in a broad range of fields concentrated mainly on marketable securities such as gift certificates, as well as banknotes, passports and authentication for exported products.
However, holograms with a metallic gloss that use aluminum have conductive properties and therefore when they are used in equipment such as card readers and laser printers, sparks may be caused by static electricity charges and this can be the cause of equipment malfunctions or breakdowns. For this reason, it has not been possible to position holograms close to magnetic tape and the places where holograms could be affixed were limited. While clear holograms that do not use aluminum have insulating properties, compared with metallic gloss holograms they have low brightness and lack attractive design. Therefore there was a need to develop a hologram that had both insulating properties and high brightness.

Features
- Prevention of sparks caused by static electricity charges
The Crystagram(R)-EP is a hologram with insulating properties developed with Toppan Printing’s original composition technologies. With this Crystagram it is possible to avoid the risk of static electricity production when using devices such as reader/writers and printers.
- Improvement in design quality
Due to the insulating properties, holograms with a metallic gloss can be used on the entire surface of cards such as credit and cash cards without concern for the position of the magnetic tape.
The Crystagram(R)-EP has brightness similar to that of holograms with metallic gloss and has an excellent eye-catching effect meaning that an improvement in product images can be anticipated.
- Suitability for processing
As with existing holograms, the Crystagram(R)-EP can be processed into various forms such as transfer foil, labels and films for certificates and cards.

Applications
- Credit cards and cash cards
- Important documents such as marketable securities, certificates and letters of attorney
- Customer acquisition tools such as members cards

Targets for use
Fiscal 2009: 5 companies
Fiscal 2010: 15 companies

Sales targets
Fiscal 2009: 100 million yen
Fiscal 2010: 300 million yen

Future plans
Toppan Printing intends to promote the expansion of use by organizations such as financial institutions and local government bodies whilst verifying compatibility of the Crystagram(R)-EP with various devices.

*1: Hologram
Holograms make use of the interference pattern created when two rays of light overlap to record and reproduce 3D images. They can give a unique luminance or sense of high-quality through images with a 3D effect and rainbow-like color changes, and are security devices which are extremely difficult to counterfeit or forge. Toppan Printing led the industry by starting hologram research and development in 1967. Holograms developed were quickly adopted for use on credit cards and currently the company’s products are employed for a wide range of items such as product coupons, gift tokens, checks, and verification of authenticity for export goods.

*2: Crystagram(R)
The Crystagram(R) is a registered trademark of Toppan Printing. Electron beam technology used in semiconductor component manufacture is applied to create bright, high-definition images and achieve a unique visual effect. Since sales began in 1994, Crystagrams have been used predominantly for security applications such as for credit cards and securities.