Company Creates Luminescent Paper
Jan. 6, 2004 -- When is a photo not worth a thousand words? When it's in a dark room and can't be seen.
But a small paper-producer has now developed a way to make photos and other printed material really stand out — by making it literally shine through the gloom.
Brightec in Wellesey, Mass., is claiming to have developed the first economical luminescent, or "glow-in-the-dark," photographic paper.
Patrick Planche, president and CEO of Brightec, says the paper looks and handles just like ordinary photographic paper of the kind home computer owners use to print out high-quality digital images on their home inkjet printers.
But hidden in the Brightec paper is an invisible layer of luminescent chemicals — material that absorbs energy from light sources and later releases it as a subdued glow when left in the dark.
Harsh Filter
Planche says the luminescent properties of the paper are enhanced by several proprietary — and patented — processes.
First, the choice of which luminous materials to use is carefully controlled. The trick, says Planche, is to choose phosphorescent pigments that don't produce the traditional harsh green or neon yellow common in most glow-in-the-dark products.
To be fair, Planche acknowledges the paper produces a cool turquoise glimmer rather than the "pure white" light one would expect from a regular light bulb. But Planche says the embedded chemicals don't affect the color of images seen in normal daylight or white light sources.
What's more, Brightec also layers a translucent optical filter that helps "desaturate the colors" of whatever is printed on the paper's surface.
"You can print a bride's wedding dress and it will come out white," says Planche. "On regular glow-in-the-dark paper, it would look yellow."
The filter also defuses the illumination of the chemicals so the glow-in-the-dark effect is consistent across the paper's surface.
As a result, Brightec's paper produces images that look normal under bright light. But once the lights go out, the paper gives off a glow bright enough to show off the image in full detail with very little color distortion. And just five minutes or so of exposure to bright light will "charge" the paper to glow an entire night.
Since the paper doesn't require special handling processes or printing presses, Planche expects it to be a big hit with commercial printing applications.
Eye-Catching Super Bowl Tickets
The luminescent paper has already caught the attention of the National Football League. The sports association plans to use Brightec's paper to print out game tickets to this year's Super Bowl.
Jim Steeg, senior vice president of special events, says the paper will help create a unique keepsake for the 750,000 football fans who will attend Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston next month.
"[The Super Bowl tickets] are the one piece of the game they get to keep and it becomes one of the most cherished mementos," says Steeg. "Fans wear them around their neck in the stadium, and put it in a case when they get home."
More importantly, it will also help ticket agents and fans at the stadium spot counterfeit tickets.
During the last six or seven years, Steeg says the NFL has used various "secure" printing techniques such as bar codes and unique colors that can't be reproduced by photocopiers. But such techniques and counterfeit telltales aren't easily spotted or identified by fans.
"A fan doesn't know what a 'real ticket' looks like," says Steeg. "And it always ends up some poor couple who save up their whole lives to come to the game, only to be turned back at the gate because they bought a counterfeit ticket for $2,500."
And while the NFL will continue to use the 10" or 12" anti-counterfeit measures such as holograms and micro-fine printing, Steeg says this year's luminescent paper could be a big aid in stopping the fakes. Or, at least help desperate fans from getting taken to the cleaners by illicit ticket sales.
"We've been looking for something that was easily identifiable and here's something that works and no one has it out yet," says Steeg. "We have a situation where [now] you can put it under any light and it if glows, then it's the real McCoy."
Heading Home
But even Steeg admits that using glow-in-the-dark paper is only a one-time shot against counterfeiters. That's because Brightec plans to release consumer versions of the luminescent paper at office supply stores and computer retail outlets later next month, after the Super Bowl.
Brightec's Planche says that the radiant paper will have plenty of uses among home consumers equipped with a computer and printer.
"You can produce pictures that act as nightlights, special CD covers, or something special that can be made and given to kids at birthday parties, for example," says Planche.
He believes the Brightec paper could also have safety applications — producing inexpensive exit signs that would be legible in smoke and darkness, or medicine labels to aid the elderly or others that have a hard time reading in low-light conditions.
Pricing for the luminescent paper still hasn't been set, but Planche expects it to be similar to other "premium photo paper."
The luminescent paper has already caught the attention of the National Football League. The sports association plans to use Brightec's paper to print out game tickets to this year's Super Bowl.
Jim Steeg, senior vice president of special events, says the paper will help create a unique keepsake for the 750,000 football fans who will attend Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston next month.
"[The Super Bowl tickets] are the one piece of the game they get to keep and it becomes one of the most cherished mementos," says Steeg. "Fans wear them around their neck in the stadium, and put it in a case when they get home."
More importantly, it will also help ticket agents and fans at the stadium spot counterfeit tickets.
During the last six or seven years, Steeg says the NFL has used various "secure" printing techniques such as bar codes and unique colors that can't be reproduced by photocopiers. But such techniques and counterfeit telltales aren't easily spotted or identified by fans.
"A fan doesn't know what a 'real ticket' looks like," says Steeg. "And it always ends up some poor couple who save up their whole lives to come to the game, only to be turned back at the gate because they bought a counterfeit ticket for $2,500."
And while the NFL will continue to use the 10" or 12" anti-counterfeit measures such as holograms and micro-fine printing, Steeg says this year's luminescent paper could be a big aid in stopping the fakes. Or, at least help desperate fans from getting taken to the cleaners by illicit ticket sales.
"We've been looking for something that was easily identifiable and here's something that works and no one has it out yet," says Steeg. "We have a situation where [now] you can put it under any light and it if glows, then it's the real McCoy."
Heading Home
But even Steeg admits that using glow-in-the-dark paper is only a one-time shot against counterfeiters. That's because Brightec plans to release consumer versions of the luminescent paper at office supply stores and computer retail outlets later next month, after the Super Bowl.
Brightec's Planche says that the radiant paper will have plenty of uses among home consumers equipped with a computer and printer.
"You can produce pictures that act as nightlights, special CD covers, or something special that can be made and given to kids at birthday parties, for example," says Planche.
He believes the Brightec paper could also have safety applications — producing inexpensive exit signs that would be legible in smoke and darkness, or medicine labels to aid the elderly or others that have a hard time reading in low-light conditions.
Pricing for the luminescent paper still hasn't been set, but Planche expects it to be similar to other "premium photo paper."
Pricing for the luminescent paper still hasn't been set, but Planche expects it to be similar to other "premium photo paper."