EFFECT CAMEO™

Type: Printed colour-shifting security feature — GSWITCH™ ink combination applied within polymer banknote windows

Overview

Effect Cameo™ is a CCL Secure proprietary security feature exclusive to the Guardian™ polymer banknote platform. It is an enhanced variant of the standard Cameo™ Portrait — where a standard Cameo is a tonal image printed within the transparent window, Effect Cameo goes further by bringing those portraits and window designs to life with dynamic colour-changing inks, creating striking visual effects that captivate the observer. The feature sits at the intersection of security and design, transforming window imagery into an active, angle-dependent authentication cue.

Technology & Effects

Effect Cameo uses state-of-the-art colour-changing GSWITCH™ inks that are carefully embedded into the Guardian™ substrate via an inline production technique. GSWITCH™ is CCL Secure's proprietary colour-shifting ink system, which produces optically variable effects when the banknote is tilted — the ink appears as one colour at one viewing angle and shifts to a distinctly different colour at another. Applied to a window-area image such as a portrait or national motif, the result is a visually compelling feature that behaves differently from any conventionally printed design.

The colour transitions are denomination-specific and can be customised to the note's design palette, allowing each denomination in a series to carry a distinct and identifiable colour pair. On the Mozambique metical series, for example, a feather motif rendered in Effect Cameo™ shifts from gold to purple on the 20 meticais, blue to gold on the 50 meticais, and gold to red on the 100 meticais.

Form Factors & Application

Effect Cameo™ is applied within the transparent window area of Guardian™ polymer banknotes, where it benefits from the clarity and smooth surface of the polymer substrate. GSWITCH™ inks can be applied during production of Guardian™ and printed into a full or half window, with the option for the design to continue under the opacification layers for added complexity. The feature is polymer-substrate-specific and cannot be replicated on paper banknotes.

Security Levels

Effect Cameo™ is a Level 1 security feature designed for authentication by the general public and retailers at the point of transaction, requiring no special tools or devices — the colour shift is immediately visible to the naked eye when the note is tilted. The impossibility of replicating GSWITCH™ inks with conventional offset or screen printing provides meaningful counterfeit resistance, and the inline substrate integration adds a further barrier to reproduction.

Notable Deployments

Effect Cameo™ was used on Banco de Moçambique's Guardian™ polymer banknote series, where it was applied to a feather motif in the window area with denomination-specific colour pairs across the 20, 50, and 100 meticais notes

Name

EFFECT CAMEO™

Category

Security Feature

Effect Types

Colour shift

Company

CCL Secure
Company Website

Product Page

View on Supplier Site

Linked Features

1 security feature