LEAD®

Type: Optically variable foil stripe — full-height banknote foil combining micromirror technology with holographic structures and colour shift, available in multiple configurations

Overview

LEAD® is Louisenthal's flagship proprietary security foil format, taking its name from its defining proposition: Long-lasting Economical Anticopy Device. It is an applied foil security feature available as a full-height stripe running the complete height of the banknote, distinguishing it from patches or partial-width stripes. LEAD® stands for Long-lasting Economical Anticopy Device and is a foil that covers the whole height of a banknote. It is the foil carrier format for Louisenthal's micromirror technology, and is available in several technology configurations ranging from pure micromirror to hybrid combinations with holographic structures and colour shift effects.

LEAD® sits at the apex of Louisenthal's foil security portfolio and is developed and manufactured exclusively in Louisenthal's European facilities. LEAD foils are optically variable foil strips with holographic and micromirror structures. The name has been extended to a family — including RollingStar® LEAD, LEAD Micromirror, and LEAD Mix configurations — reflecting the progressive evolution of the technology from its origins in holographic-only foils through to the current compound micromirror-plus-hologram variants.

Technology & Effects

The core technology differentiator of LEAD® is Louisenthal's proprietary micromirror engineering. Unlike holograms, which produce their optical effects through light diffraction from microscopic grating structures, micromirrors use precisely shaped and arranged microscopic mirror surfaces that reflect light directionally. RollingStar LEAD® is a special foil based on micromirror technology that produces a dynamic, animated effect on the motif when the note is tilted back and forth. 

Micromirrors produce vivid movement and 3D depth effects that are markedly superior to holograms in terms of brightness and visibility under poor lighting conditions. This is because micromirror reflection is specular and intense — mirror surfaces reflect light efficiently even when ambient illumination is low — whereas diffraction-based holographic effects require adequate light and specific viewing geometries to produce their optimum appearance. The foils offer best visibility in low light. 

The current generation LEAD® combines micromirror and holographic technologies within a single foil stripe: it integrates a traditional hologram with a micromirror feature incorporating dynamics and 3D, representing a complex combination of micro (holographic) and macro (mirror) structures. The micromirror zones generate the strong, bright movement and depth effects, while the holographic zones add colour spectrum variation and additional visual complexity. Optional bi-metallic effects — gold tones complementing aluminium elements — are available, along with ultra-fine precision demetallisation of areas of the foil.

Covert UV-fluorescent properties can be added to LEAD® foils, enabling a Level 2 teller verification dimension in addition to the Level 1 overt micromirror/holographic effects. The RollingStar® LEAD Mix stripe can be placed on a coloured UV area called Sync UV, visible from both sides of the note by transmitting UV light.

Form Factors & Application

LEAD® is applied as a full-height foil stripe — running the full vertical dimension of the banknote — using hot-stamping foil application equipment at the banknote printing works or, in the case of Hybrid ADDvance® substrate, embedded within the cotton/polymer composite substrate during manufacture. The foils are compatible with all kinds of banknote substrates. The RollingStar® LEAD variant is also available as a patch format (RollingStar® Patch), with the same micromirror and colour shift technology applied to a defined area rather than a full-height stripe, offering greater design placement flexibility. The fact that Louisenthal also makes the paper substrate ensures perfect integration of the foil and the substrate, with Louisenthal mastering the entire process from design through to application in their factory or at the customer site. 

Security Levels

LEAD® operates primarily at Level 1 (public). The strong, bright movement effects of the micromirror technology are immediately visible under normal ambient lighting — including in the dim lighting typical of retail environments or night-time cash transactions — without any tools. The combination of dynamic movement, 3D depth, colour shift, and holographic effects creates a multi-element authentication response in a single feature that the public can verify with a simple tilt gesture. Optional UV-fluorescent properties extend coverage to Level 2. The technical barriers to counterfeiting are extremely high: the combination of micro (holographic) and macro (mirror) structures and colour shift posed a significant technical challenge for origination, tool production, embossing and production, making the application extremely difficult to counterfeit. 

Notable Deployments & Awards

Louisenthal won the International Hologram Manufacturers Association award for Best Applied Security Product for the Micromirror LEAD Stripe, prominently displayed on a series of four house notes made of the Hybrid ADDvance substrate. The Green LongLife RollingStar® Hologram Micromirror LEAD Mix from Louisenthal won the Best Applied Security Product category at the IHMA Excellence in Holography Awards 2023, with judges particularly noting the complex combination of micro (holographic) and macro (mirror) structures and colour shift. Louisenthal does not publicly disclose named central bank deployments by product, but states that billions of banknotes include RollingStar® foils globally.

Name

LEAD®

Category

Security Feature

Effect Types

Diffractive Foil Micro-mirrors

Company

Louisenthal
Company Website

Product Page

View on Supplier Site

Linked Features

2 security features