How digital labels support brand protection for nutritional products

A brand protection label in action

The Label Trail as a real-world demonstration

This approach was neatly highlighted in The Label Trail, presented at Labelexpo Europe 2025 in Barcelona. Developed within the Xeikon Aura ecosystem, this guided tour brought together eight technology partners: Avery Dennison, CERM, CarbonQuota, Esko, Grafisk Maskinfabrik (GM), KURZ, SCRIBOS and Xeikon. The common thread was Dancing Fish, a fictional brand selling nutritional supplements. The goal was to highlight new challenges linked to a product’s authenticity, traceability, consumer engagement and compliance.

Multiple security layers in one label

For the brand protection part specifically, the application was developed with KURZ and SCRIBOS. It includes several security levels in a digital production flow. The first is a ValiGate® secure code: visually similar to a standard QR code, it embeds a patented sub-pattern that is invisible to the naked eye. Even a pixel-by-pixel reproduction could be identified as a copy.

Two-factor authentication can be added, without downloading an application. Consumers simply scan the code with their smartphone’s camera, and they are invited to compare the icons displayed on the screen with those printed on the product in their hand. Each unit has its own icons. This label also includes variable elements in digital metallisation, printed to match perfectly with the colours – a unique combination for each product, using a metallic effect that is impossible to reproduce with standard printing technology.

Lastly, a unique serial number is applied on each unit, which is also metallic, to add an extra level of individual identification. “This is not just something to look at. It involves metallic printing, and that can no longer be copied,” says Jeroen Van Bauwel.

A simple authentication experience for consumers

Dry toner is well adapted to security applications on labels. Jeroen Van Bauwel notes that dry toner is based on “a very stable, well-controlled process”. This stability is crucial when striving for brand protection – where print consistency, precise execution and reliability of the variable elements all play a vital role.

The 1200 dpi resolution enables the production of fine details, which are essential when creating guilloche patterns, variable microtexts and copy-evident security elements. Dry toner technology also facilitates the use of spot colours, which cannot be achieved with inkjet printing, as well as digital metallisation in perfect register with the colour data, in a single print run. This is a key point for the label converter: such features can be included in an existing digital flow without completely changing the production environment. No extra run, no heavy investment, and no separate detection system to add to the process. Because many labels are already produced digitally for flexibility, shorter lead times and SKU variation, adding brand protection features becomes a logical extension.

Dry toner: a natural fit for security label printing

Dry toner is well adapted to security applications on labels. Jeroen Van Bauwel notes that dry toner is based on “a very stable, well-controlled process”. This stability is crucial when striving for brand protection – where print consistency, precise execution and reliability of the variable elements all play a vital role.

The 1200 dpi resolution enables the production of fine details, which are essential when creating guilloche patterns, variable microtexts and copy-evident security elements. Dry toner technology also facilitates the use of spot colours, which cannot be achieved with inkjet printing, as well as digital metallisation in perfect register with the colour data, in a single print run. This is a key point for the label converter: such features can be included in an existing digital flow without completely changing the production environment. No extra run, no heavy investment, and no separate detection system to add to the process. Because many labels are already produced digitally for flexibility, shorter lead times and SKU variation, adding brand protection features becomes a logical extension.

Three security benefits in one digital label

Better brand protection

This solution introduces value at three levels. First, it helps to better protect the brand, by making it more difficult to reproduce the label and by helping to preserve the product’s integrity on the market.

More visibility through track and trace

It also enables better traceability and visibility. For example, a brand owner will be aware if a product designed for the German market suddenly reappears in Greece. With a track & trace system included on the label, the brand owner can detect an anomaly, find the origin of the problem in its distribution chain and take action. Nor is the protection limited to detecting copies: it enables a brand owner to understand where it is happening, on which markets and when.

A new point of contact with consumers

Lastly, the solution opens up a new contact point with consumers. Authentication is no longer just about checking a product, because it also enriches the brand experience (e.g. through recipes, storytelling, or a loyalty programme) and can improve confidence.

Brand protection as a business opportunity for converters

The label converter can play a key role assisting brand owners faced with authenticity, compliance and market control challenges. Rather than just selling printed label, the converter can now offer a solution to a real-life problem.

Security printing is no longer limited to a few highly specialised applications. It is becoming a logical extension of digital label production, in a world where brands now expect more transparency, traceability and protection for their products. Converters already active in digital printing now have an opportunity to move up the value chain without fundamentally changing the nature of their business.

Want to explore brand protection for your label applications?

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