Troy Tackles Fraud With HP Printer Toner

The fight to make life more difficult for fraudsters continues after secure on-demand printing solutions specialist Troy Group launched a security toner that uses a patent pending, solvent-reactive toner technology.

The toner, developed by the company’s research scientists, is to be employed on select Hewlett-Packard (HP) printers.

Essentially, the technology consists of a high adhesion toner with a hidden red dye; when a solvent is used to attempt alteration on a document protected with the company’s Security Toner, the dye is released, creating a “highly visible and permanent red stain” on the paper.

Fraud Protection

The company said the toner can also be used on existing security papers and pre-printed forms to provide an even higher level of fraud protection, allowing a wide range of businesses, government agencies, schools and other industries to add a new layer of security to their sensitive documents.

Applications for the use of the company’s Security Toner include educational transcripts and grade reports, certificates of ownership, vital records, legal documents, medical prescriptions, checks, titles and other types of documents containing sensitive information, a Troy release noted.

The security toner is currently offered in cartridges compatible with many HP’s LaserJet printers and Troy Security printers, the company said, noting the security toner can only be obtained from a select group of authorised Troy resellers. The company also offers Magnetic Ink Character Recognitio (MICR), a technology that uses magnetically chargeable ink or toner to print the numbers and special characters on the bottom of checks or other financial transaction documents.

Document Security

Troy’s vice president of marketing, John Hodgson, said the growing financial losses and other business risks associated with fraud makes document security more important than ever. “Financial institutions particularly like the way it allows them to easily add security to cashiers checks, foreign drafts, money orders and other negotiable documents,” he said. “We believe that Troy Security Toner will become an important new layer of security used at banks and other printing operations.”

Hodgson said throughout the world, fraudulent alteration continues to be a significant threat to documents that contain sensitive information. He said while many businesses and organisations use speciality papers with special coatings and solvent reactive properties to help protect these documents, many important documents continue to be printed on standard printing paper.

“When criminals attempt to alter an important printed document with a chemical, the dye in the toner is released, ruining the document, which prevents criminals from using it for their benefit,” he explained.