mouveINK
Gleitsmann Security Inks GmbH (Germany)
Type
Machine Readable Pattern (MR-UV) — single-ink security feature combining UV-fluorescence and persistent phosphorescence in one printed impression, producing a sequenced colour transition under UV illumination that GSI markets as "the world's first traffic light for banknotes".
Overview
mouveINK is a luminescent security ink developed by Gleitsmann Security Inks (GSI) of Berlin, Germany — a 175-year-old specialist ink house — and first commercially deployed on the National Bank of Cambodia's 30,000 riel commemorative banknote in October 2021. The feature is unique in combining two fluorescent colour emissions and one phosphorescent (afterglow) emission within a single ink, applied as a single intaglio impression. When activated by a standard UV lamp, the printed area transitions through three colour states in sequence — red, then yellow, then a persistent green afterglow that remains visible after the UV source is removed — creating a "traffic light" verification cue that is intuitive for the public to understand yet difficult to reproduce. GSI markets the feature as the world's first banknote security ink to integrate fluorescent and phosphorescent emissions in a single ink layer. The product is offered in two variants: mouveINK traffic light (the original red→yellow→green sequence) and mouveINK polar (introduced 2023, with wavelength-dependent rising emission colours inspired by aurora effects).
Technology & Effects
mouveINK is built on a single printed ink impression that contains a combination of fluorescent and phosphorescent luminophore systems engineered to emit at different wavelengths and with different decay times. mouveINK traffic light produces its three-state colour sequence under any standard banknote UV inspection lamp (UV-A 365 nm, UV-B 312 nm or UV-C 254 nm) — the ink first emits red, transitions to yellow, then settles into a persistent green afterglow that remains visible for a period after the UV source is removed. mouveINK polar uses a wavelength-dependent emission system: the rising colour state varies with the UV excitation wavelength used (blue under one wavelength, pink under another), while the fading colour state remains green regardless of which UV wavelength was used to trigger the feature. Both variants are formulated as printable inks compatible with intaglio printing and require no specialist banknote inspection equipment beyond standard UV lamps in cash-handling use. Effect type: MR-UV (covering both the fluorescent and phosphorescent emission components).
Form Factors & Application
mouveINK is supplied as a printable security ink, applied as a single impression during banknote intaglio printing. Because the multi-state effect is delivered by a single ink rather than by overlapping multiple inks or features, integration into a banknote design is straightforward and does not require co-registration of multiple printing stages or specialist press configurations. The feature is compatible with standard banknote substrates and intaglio printing workflows, and GSI positions it as suitable for both banknotes and identity documents. Production of the ink is handled at GSI's Berlin facility.
Security Levels
- Level 1 (public): A clearly perceptible three-state colour sequence (red→yellow→green afterglow for traffic light, or wavelength-dependent rising colour with green afterglow for polar) when the banknote is held under a UV lamp. The sequenced behaviour is intuitive to interpret without training and is easy to verify with any standard UV source, including consumer UV pen-lamps.
- Level 2 (cash handler): The combination of fluorescent and phosphorescent components in a single ink, with controlled emission timing and (for the polar variant) wavelength-selective response, provides characteristics that cannot be replicated using single-emission fluorescent inks available on the open market.
Notable Deployments
- Cambodia — 30,000 riel commemorative banknote (issued October 2021, National Bank of Cambodia): world-first deployment of mouveINK. The note marks the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements and the return of His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk to Cambodia. The mouveINK feature appears on the back of the note, printed in intaglio as a single-ink impression.
- Name
- mouveINK
- Category
- Security Feature
- Effect Types
- Machine readable UV UV
- Company
- Product Page
- View on Supplier Site
- Linked Features
- 1 security feature