Secure-Skin was launched at last month’s Pan European High Security Paper Conference in Prague, Favini’s debut appearance at the 10th annual show.

The uncoated paper, available in sheet- and reel-fed format at 90gsm and above, took Favini’s research and development team six months to develop from conception to retail.

Favini’s in-house graphic design team will work with clients to develop suitable messages, logos and patterns, which are then micro-embossed onto the paper by an undisclosed European partner using a patented process.

The micro-embossed text can reach up to 280microns in height but is not detectable to the naked eye, requiring at least a 15x magnification lens to see the intricate patterns. Favini’s samples, which are available to order, are embedded with the word "security", measuring just 2mm long.

Secure-Skin is aimed at the packaging sector to heighten brand security by micro-embossing boxes, labels and product certification leaflets, and for anti-counterfeit protection uses for bank and identification documents, tickets and certificates.

Favini, which has mills in Crusinallo and Rossano Veneto near Venice, returned to watermarking in 2008 after closing its Dutch mills. And over the past two years, the company has begun developing papers compliant with security specifications building on this expertise.

Favini sales and marketing director for central Europe Chris Brown said that the company had received a number of orders for its samples at the Prague show.

He expects that the new brand will move Favini into the European anti-counterfeiting arena, expanding its presence from the middle East and Africa, which have typically been the biggest customers for Favini’s security papers.

Brown added that the price of the papers would be in line with that of Favini’s top-end metallic papers, but could not be pushed on a rough estimation due to the greatly different applications of the brand.