WORLD ART DAY
The science of details – Leonardo’s legacy and the modern security printing
On April 15th, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday, we celebrate the arts worldwide. The Renaissance polymath’s life’s work uniquely merged beauty with science, the delicate observation of the human body with technical innovation, and art with engineering precision. Leonardo was not only a master of painting but also an engineer, inventor, and observer. He was the kind of genius whose every line wasn’t just art, but a reflection of deep systems of thought and scientific exploration.
Few people know that Leonardo often wrote in mirror script – a kind of encryption technique to protect his thoughts, to “encode” knowledge. This deliberate coding is still present today – although in a very different form – in the world of ANY Security Printing Company.
For us, graphic design is not just about appearance, but a security system crafted with engineering precision. The smallest patterns, lines, and colors are all consciously designed elements of a complex security structure. Here are a few examples of how art meets protection:
Guilloche Patterns – the art of precision
Guilloche refers to complex, rhythmic line patterns created using mathematical algorithms. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is nearly impossible to replicate precisely by hand or even digitally. Beyond its role as an anti-counterfeiting feature, it also holds strong aesthetic value — its harmony is visually pleasing to the human eye.
Microprinting – „invisible” security
Microprinting refers to extremely small text that is barely readable to the naked eye but can be seen with a magnifying glass or specialized microscope. It serves as a simple anti-copy feature, where negative and/or positive microtext can appear in block form and may be supplemented with deliberate errors.
Deliberate error – the counterfeiters’ trap
One of the most creative tools in security graphics is the deliberate error: subtle “mistakes” or deviations that are uniquely designed but can only be identified by those who know what to look for and where to search. For example, a letter might appear in a slightly different font, size, or mirrored in a specific piece of text. These all serve as verification points when checking for authenticity.
Latent Image – the hidden visual key
A latent image is a security graphic solution that becomes visible when viewed from a specific angle. It is created by combining line patterns moving in different directions — patterns that are not noticeable at first glance, but when the document is slightly tilted, the hidden content appears, which could be an image, text, number, or symbol.
Iris printing – remarkable color gradient
Iris printing uses a single printing plate to apply multiple colors to paper in a gradual transition. The perfectly seamless gradient makes copying or counterfeiting nearly impossible, as separating the printing forms becomes extremely difficult with well-chosen color combinations.
ArtScreen – geometric security
ArtScreen is a security graphic that appears as a uniform image from a distance, but reveals small symbols, geometric shapes, and microtext when examined under magnification. The elements that make up the image vary in size, placement, and fill, ensuring that the final result maintains the right contrast.
Digital security – hybrid solution
While we continue to apply “classic” and advanced print security solutions, we also keep the digital dimension in mind. The continuously evolving technologies open up a whole new realm of possibilities for us. Digital printing enables us to create completely unique items for each product. Based on this logic, our identification development is developed through variable UV graphic patterns.
Variable UV graphics can be created using RGB UV technology or, traditionally, with a single-color ink. These patterns are not pre-made or generated by artificial intelligence, but are procedurally created, meaning that the algorithm can be customized to meet the design needs.
Thanks to variable UV patterns, graphic elements, and serial numbers, we can easily verify through offline checks—using the VLQR code in the application developed by ANY Security Printing Company—that the current UV pattern corresponds to the product with the specified serial number. The hidden data within the special QR code can only be accessed with the proper authorization and application.
As a master of art, engineering, and innovation, Leonardo paved the way for the modern principles of document security and aesthetics. A document also reflects a blend of beauty, engineering precision, and the highest level of technological security solutions.
Since 1851, we have been creating at the intersection of art, science, and security, where the true value lies in the details.