During the Revolutionary War, George Washington instructed his spies to use invisible ink to protect communication lines and intelligence from British troops. The ink "will not only render … communications less exposed to detection, but relieve the fears of such persons as may be entrusted in its conveyance,” he said, according to his estate, Mount Vernon.
These days, we typically don’t have to worry about redcoats intercepting private information. The threat to cybersecurity, however, has become increasingly prevalent, so International Paper (IP) Co. has developed a new way to address this issue — and just like Washington, the company is turning to ink.
IP has launched OHMEGA Conductive Ink + Touchcode, a new type of packaging for businesses wanting to offer customers digital content that complements their physical deliveries — think coupons, assembly instructions, or online sweepstakes.
Done in partnership with the technology company Touchcode, the process for the service is completed in three steps. First, a unique code using OHMEGA Conductive Ink is printed on a customer’s package. Then, once the customer receives the package, they use their phone or other touch screen device to visit the website associated with the product they purchased. After this, they touch the code face down on the screen, to unlock the digital content.
This is made possible by the OHMEGA Conductive Ink, which uses electricity in the customer’s body as its primary power source. The technology has three main components: nodes, circuits, and a capacitor. The capacitor draws energy from the body when touched, and circuits carry this energy from the capacitor to the nodes.
“We liken it to the gloves that allow for texting,” Katie Diley, IP’s innovation marketing manager, told MBJ, in an email. “Our ink simply allows the energy in the body to be conducted through our packaging.”
The ink was developed by IP’s Specialty Products division; and OHMEGA Conductive Ink + Touchcode, Diley explained, was “born out of necessity.” E-commerce exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company’s customers were demanding innovation in the packaging space. With cyber security becoming a larger issue, there was also the need for a more secure way to reach the digital content.
The service does this, Diley asserted, as it minimizes the risk of spoofing, phishing, and counterfeiting. And she doesn’t see this as its only benefit, either. It provides an online dashboard that monitors and measures customer engagement. And the ink is recyclable and non-solvent, making it more eco-friendly.
