Skip to content
Technology & Innovation

Invisible QR Codes Put Printers Ahead Of Counterfeiters

Using a special kind of ink that can only be seen in infrared light, invisible quick-response (QR) codes can now be printed onto regular documents, making them harder for counterfeiters to duplicate.
Sign up for Smart Faster newsletter
The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Article written by guest writer Kecia Lynn


What’s the Latest Development?

You may have seen those odd-looking black and white stamps on an advertisement or similar document. QR codes, as they’re called, are similar to barcodes in that they contain data about the object they’re stamped on. Now a team from two South Dakota universities have come up with a way to put QR codes on documents that are invisible to the naked eye but visible to a smartphone camera or laser-light reader. The key is in the ink: The nanoparticles in it help it to glow bright blue or green when exposed to near-infrared light.

What’s the Big Idea?

Invisible QR codes are just one more way to stop counterfeiters from duplicating sensitive documents. In addition to the code data itself, the researchers figured out a way to embed a microscopic image into the stamp as well, making the document that much more difficult to forge. The ink can be used with a desktop printer to allow printing on ordinary documents, and paper’s not its only medium: “[B]ecause the code can be printed on plastic or even glass, manufacturers could use it to authenticate other items.”

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Sign up for Smart Faster newsletter
The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Related

Up Next
On the second half of my U.K. trip, we spent a few days in the lovely city of Edinburgh, the capitol of Scotland. My wife Elizabeth has written a thorough […]