15-18 June 2027
Crocus Expo, Moscow
Print security technologies have become a commercial control, not a finishing extra. When a label, carton, or document cannot be authenticated quickly, the cost appears as diverted goods, failed audits, rejected shipments, and lost tenders. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that counterfeit goods accounted for USD 467 billion in global trade in 2021. That mix of market growth and trade risk is pushing buyers to test print partners' security capabilities as closely as they test price and output.
Overt features earn attention because they can be checked without scanners, databases or lab tools. Holograms, tamper-evident seals, guilloches and colour-shifting inks help warehouse teams, distributors, and inspectors make a first-pass judgement in seconds. In categories with many handoffs, speed matters. A visible feature that is easy to train on can help resolve disputes early and give procurement teams a clearer basis for supplier approval.
Holography has moved well beyond decorative foil. Modern holographic films can combine overt and covert layers, including embedded microtext and concealed data elements. This shifts holography from a visual enhancement to a functional security layer.
A single feature can support retail authentication, distributor checks and deeper verification when a suspect pack appears.
Covert features come into play when a visible mark is not enough. Digital watermarking for print, UV-sensitive inks, infrared markers and hidden micro-elements adds a second layer that is far harder to copy by sight alone. Digital watermarks embed repeatable patterns across artwork that software can read. UV-sensitive inks reveal colour changes under ultraviolet light. For buyers, this creates a controlled verification layer that goes beyond surface-level inspection.
That matters for more than brand protection. Covert layers give manufacturers and distributors a cleaner route for handling returns, complaints and suspected substitution. A field team can flag a pack, then a technical team can verify it through a controlled check rather than a visual guess. In procurement terms, that moves security from a design flourish to a traceable process. Buyers are not only asking whether a pack looks secure, but whether a supplier can prove authenticity when a claim reaches legal, quality or customs teams.
Serialisation turns print security into a data discipline. Unique unit-level codes, linked to aggregation data across bundles, cases, and pallets, allow products to be traced by batch, market, and channel. For regulated or high-value goods, this gives buyers a way to tie printed identity to stock movement and dispute handling. It also changes what procurement teams expect from print partners. The print provider is no longer supplying marks alone; it is supplying readable, auditable product identity.
This is especially relevant across the CIS and Eurasian corridor, where traceability rules increasingly shape market access. In March 2026, the Eurasian Economic Commission noted that mutual recognition of identification codes within the Union would eliminate the need to relabel goods as they circulate among member states. Earlier Commission material also set out the architecture of a Union-wide goods traceability system. For suppliers serving several markets, that shifts print security closer to trade flow, customs handling and distributor acceptance. A code that works across borders carries more value than a label that only looks secure on the shelf.
Variable data printing (VDP) gives converters a practical route to unique serial numbers, market-specific codes and short-run security work without stopping the press. It allows text, graphics or codes to change from one printed piece to the next within a continuous production run, removing the need for multiple static print runs. That makes it well-suited to anti-counterfeit programmes where each item needs its own identity while maintaining production efficiency. This is particularly relevant for firms already assessing digital printing innovations.
The operational question is not whether these features can be printed, but whether they can be read, checked and released at production speed. Machine vision, increasingly supported by artificial intelligence, is now being used to monitor production in real time. In security work, this enables inline verification of codes, seals and print quality before goods leave the plant. That is where anti-counterfeit protection starts to affect margin. Less manual checking reduces bottlenecks, while stronger code integrity lowers the risk of chargebacks or batch rejections.
Suppliers that want to turn security capability into commercial access can take that conversation to Printech 2026, held on 16–19 June 2026 at Crocus Expo, Moscow. Official event materials state that, through co-location with RosUpack, exhibitors gain access to 13,632 verified visitors exploring print and packaging solutions.
ITE Group also states that Printech runs alongside RosUpack, the largest packaging show in Russia, thereby widening its reach across the packaging chain and print production. The on-site Forum of Printing and Advertising Production adds sessions focused on market growth, profitability and future materials.
Technology providers looking to meet buyers across the CIS, Eurasia and Eastern Europe can submit a Printech exhibit enquiry. Buyers planning meetings can use the printing and packaging expo registration.
