LATITUDE
CCL Secure (Australia)
Type: Substrate-integrated diffractive OVD — double-sided holographic image formed within the clear window of Guardian™ polymer banknote substrate during manufacture
Overview
Latitude is a CCL Secure proprietary security feature, developed under the company's former name Innovia Security, and exclusive to the Guardian™ polymer banknote platform. It is one of the family of substrate-integrated security elements that exploit the transparent window of Guardian™ polymer as a medium for embedding optically variable effects during the substrate manufacturing process itself — before the banknote is printed. This substrate-stage integration is the defining characteristic that separates Latitude from applied foil-based OVDs, which are affixed to the substrate at the printing stage.
Technology & Effects
Latitude is a double-sided holographic image, located in the clear window of the polymer banknote. The element is formed during the manufacturing process of the polymer substrate. The changing effect of the image colours appears when looking at the image at different angles of view.
The double-sided nature of Latitude is its most distinctive and security-relevant characteristic. A standard applied holographic foil stripe or patch on a polymer banknote is visible only from the side to which it is applied — it has an adhesive interface and a backing, meaning it appears on one face and presents differently or not at all when the note is viewed from the reverse. Latitude, being integrated within the polymer window during substrate manufacture rather than applied afterwards, is visible from both sides of the banknote simultaneously. Both the front and reverse faces of the window display the holographic colour-change effect, using the transparency of the clear window area and the symmetric optical properties of the embedded diffractive structure.
The colour-change effect is produced by diffractive microstructure within the OVD — microscopic grating patterns that selectively diffract different wavelengths of light at different viewing angles, producing vivid colour shifts as the note is tilted or rotated. Being substrate-integrated, the diffractive structure is fully encapsulated within the polymer layer system and is therefore highly resistant to chemical attack, abrasion, and deliberate separation attempts — it cannot be peeled away or lifted without destroying the window and therefore the note itself.
Form Factors & Application
Latitude is integrated within the clear window area of Guardian™ polymer banknotes during the substrate manufacturing process at CCL Secure's production facilities. It is exclusive to Guardian™ polymer and cannot be specified for paper banknotes or competitor polymer substrates. The feature is positioned within the transparent window, making it visible to the naked eye from both sides without requiring the note to be held to the light or any other tool. The window itself simultaneously serves as the frame and as the medium for the diffractive element, with the clear polymer on both sides of the OVD enabling full bilateral visibility.
Security Levels
Latitude operates at Level 1 (public). The holographic colour change is immediately visible in normal ambient lighting without tools, and its double-sided behaviour provides a highly distinctive and unambiguous authentication cue — holding the note up and viewing from both sides shows the same vivid colour-shifting effect, which no applied foil can replicate. The substrate-stage integration means the feature cannot be simulated by a counterfeiter using commercially available holographic foil or adhesive application techniques, as the embedded structure requires access to CCL Secure's proprietary Guardian™ substrate production process.
Notable Deployments
The Poland 20 Złotych (2014 series) features Latitude, with the double-sided holographic colour-change effect visible in the clear window at different angles of illumination and observation. Poland's Guardian™ polymer commemorative banknote programme, produced by PWPW, represents one of the earliest documented deployments of Latitude on a circulating note.
- Name
- LATITUDE
- Category
- Security Feature
- Effect Types
- Diffractive
- Company
- Linked Features
- 1 security feature