Durable Secure Diplomas and Certificates

In India, PPG TESLIN® substrate makes the grade for printing durable, secure diplomas and certificates 

A leading security printing company in India needed to find a more durable alternative substrate to parchment paper for college and university mark sheets, transcripts, certificates and diplomas. By shifting to PPG TESLIN^® substrate, the company has added more than 85 customers and increased revenues by more than 200 percent.

Summary

• Image Security Printers (ISP) began searching for a durable paper for printing diplomas, certificates, mark sheets and transcripts after customers expressed dissatisfaction with performance attributes of traditional parchment paper.
• ISP evaluated numerous synthetic paper grades that could accommodate multiple security features and deliver high customer value. After thorough consideration and an unsuccessful first trial with a plastic paper alternative that failed to meet customer needs, it began recommending PPG Teslin substrate as the ideal material solution for its customers’ secure documents.
• As a result of shifting to PPG Teslin substrate, ISP has gained more than 85 universities, colleges and other higher education institutions as customers and increased the company’s revenue by more than 200 percent. ISP reports that it has successfully shifted almost all of its educational document print projects to Teslin substrate because customers recognize its numerous unique advantages.

Challenge

India is one of the fastest-growing world economies. Its education system has seen explosive expansion and according government reports, the number of universities has grown almost four times in less than three decades. Graduates of these educational institutions are earning prized diplomas and certificates, which are being printed in increasing record numbers across the country.

Image Security Printers (ISP), located in Chennai in the State of Tamil Nadu, is a leading mid-sized security printing company that annually prints upwards of one million education documents, including mark sheets, transcripts, certificates, and diplomas.

Parchment paper had been the default material for these critical documents. It was favored for its low cost, ability to laminate, and compatibility with various printing processes. The parchment paper diplomas however, were prone to sticking to protective plastic folders, to tearing upon manual handling and to smudging when being exposed to moisture or dirt.

Given these challenges, customers began asking ISP for alternative substrates. Issuing institutions wanted to provide recipients with more durable and attractive certificates. They also wanted to make their documents easier to authenticate, as well as more resistant to tampering and counterfeiting through the incorporation of a wide array of security features.

Solution

As an alternative to parchment paper, ISP initially explored using a basic plastic substrate for diplomas issued by a state university in southern India. The substrate, however, failed when the university attempted to personalize the documents using their office laser printer. Following this unsuccessful experience and increasing customer requests for higher performance and greater durability, ISP investigated more advanced synthetic paper alternatives.

ISP then evaluated various brands of polypropylene and polyethylene materials but none provided a comprehensive solution. After further thorough market research and analysis, ISP eventually selected PPG Teslin substrate as its top recommendation for customers’ certificates and diplomas because it delivered a comprehensive, cost-competitive range of benefits for high-value security documents.

Teslin substrate offers the look and feel of premium paper, yet it is durable. It is resistant to moisture, abrasion, and tearing without necessitating lamination or overcoat treatment. The material effectively dissipates static, which minimizes document sticking when placed in protective folders. ISP also found that it resists degradation by termites.

Durable PPG Teslin substrate outperforms parchment paper for secure diplomas and certificates.

Easy to print and offering exceptional print quality, Teslin substrate allows inks and toner to set quickly and yields brilliant color graphics and text. It is compatible with a wide range of security inks and toners, printing techniques and equipment. Customers can easily add variable data such as high-resolution photos, 2D barcodes and QR (quick response) codes using standard in house laser printers. Recipients can also manually sign the documents with a pen and use rubber stamping.

The unique composition of Teslin substrate enables the easy integration of multiple conventional printed and non-printed security features to help prevent counterfeiting. Additionally, the material’s microporosity locks in inks and toners to protect against data alteration.

Teslin substrate can easily be incorporated with technologies such as QR codes, RFID (radio-frequency identification), and NFC (near field communication) to help make documents more difficult to replicate and easy to authenticate.

Results

By shifting to Teslin substrate for diplomas and certificates, ISP has added more than 85 customers and increased revenues by more than 200 percent.

At the same time, ISP has successfully helped their customers overcome the common problems they faced with other substrates, such as paper jams and high rejection rates. According to ISP, the use of Teslin substrate is enabling customers to create high quality, attractive and secure diplomas and certificates that reflect the significance of the information they contain.

ISP reports that it has successfully converted most of its educational document print projects to Teslin substrate as document issuing authorities recognize the many advantages the material brings over parchment and other synthetic papers. In fact, many satisfied customers have not only converted their  certificates, diplomas and mark sheets but have also migrated their provisional, migration and rank forms to Teslin substrate.

About PPG Teslin Substrate Diploma and Certificate Solutions

Institutions and governments around the world trust these unique, high-performing properties of Teslin substrate for their important secure documents:

• Microporous structure absorbs and locks in inks and toners to make printed text and graphics virtually indestructible
• Premium texture and soft paper feel that reflect the prestige of documents and issuing institutions
• Paper-like printability with high-resolution black and white and color print quality
• Compatibility with most digital printers for in-house variable data printing
• Inherent tamper-evident security and acceptance of an array of printed and non-printed security features
• Exceptional durability under many harsh conditions (resists water, abrasion and tearing)
• Good compatibility with most pens and stamping techniques

Contact us to request a sample and learn how PPG Teslin substrate can work for your high-security educational or government document needs.