The great variety of existing security features can cause difficulty in choosing the adequate set for a particular security document. Considering the cost/benefit aspects with respect to the overall protection performance requested, a choice has to be made, for example, between either few features of high-security value or numerous many, less- resistant features. Another choice is the high versus low complexity of one particular features. A study aimed at providing a decision basis is a challenging matter because it involves human factors. Attention, perception, physiology of seeing and habits - to name some of the factors - are intangibles and are subject to evaluations involving normally a great number of experiments, if they are to be representative. The opportunity was given for a case study with the introduction of new Swiss banknotes between 1995 and 1998, because the new banknotes represent a novelty in the sense of the multiplicity and interplay of its optical security features. We have analyzed 652 articles which appeared in the press media concerning the new banknotes, seeking especially for peoples' reaction towards the security features.

Date Published: 7 April 2000
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 3973, Optical Security and Counterfeit Deterrence Techniques III, (7 April 2000); doi: 10.1117/12.382207

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3973:
Optical Security and Counterfeit Deterrence Techniques III
Rudolf L. van Renesse; Willem A. Vliegenthart, Editor(s)