Built on a patented foundation, Digimarc watermarks provide an imperceptible digital identity for packaging and other objects to transform your business.
Digimarc is a long-time pioneer of digital watermarking techniques, and we have proudly advanced the technology over the years. Digimarc released its first product in 1996, a software plug-in for applying digital watermarks to protect images. The product became the first third-party, add-on bundled with Adobe Photoshop. In 1997 we received our first of many digital watermarking patents.
This expertise led to the application of imperceptible Digimarc watermarks to product packaging that contain industry-standard GTIN numbers that are also found in UPC barcodes. Digimarc watermarks are repeated many times throughout product packaging artwork, making scanning much more efficient than traditional visual barcodes. Digimarc watermarks provide a number of key benefits, including sustainability, traceability and brand protection.
Digimarc watermarks are applied within individual color channels, or ink separations, where the changes are visible. However, the combined composite image contains unobtrusive watermarks.
Click the button below to see how enhanced color channels seamlessly combine.
The degree to which colors are adjusted for Digimarc watermarks is known as the enhancement strength. Higher strength levels enable devices to detect Digimarc watermarks more effectively.
Adjust the slider below to see how enhancement strength affects visibility.
Use the Digimarc Discover app to experience how Digimarc-enhanced media can deliver a wide range of benefits, including traceability, brand protection, efficiency, and more.
Download the Digimarc Discover app:
The example package below carries a GTIN (global trade identification number), typically found in EAN/UPC barcodes. Scan with Digimarc Discover and tap the card that appears.
Digimarc works with leading consumer brands to revolutionize plastics recycling as part of the HolyGrail 2.0 project. Digimarc watermarks can improve plastic sorting rates and accuracy during recycling, improving the quality of recyclates, and ultimately diverting packaging from landfills and oceans. More broadly, Digimarc watermarks can also help retailers and consumer brands support more sustainable, safer and responsible stores and products. Digimarc can minimize product waste in the supply chain due to mislabeling errors on the inspection line, as well as reduce food waste when applied to fresh product labels.
Digimarc watermarks on packaging serves as a critical layer in a successful anticounterfeiting strategy, helping consumer brands ensure the authenticity of goods while preserving their reputation in the marketplace. Digimarc can be either visually obvious (overt), or visually imperceptible (covert).
Digimarc watermarks provides unique, serialized identities on packaging via digital printing, industrial inkjet printers and laser etching techniques to support consumer brand traceability initiatives.
The application of Digimarc watermarks involves making precise adjustments to the intensity of colors in the package artwork, resulting in a unique machine-readable identifier. The artwork is the identity, easily scanned, and providing brand managers with more space on the product to promote their products and marketing communications.
The global barcode standard organization GS1 (including GS1 US and GS1 Germany) has adopted Digimarc watermarks. Digimarc supports GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and specific application identifiers. Yet Digimarc goes beyond barcodes, reinventing the representation of the data behind common barcodes, including: EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-13; and ITF-14. DataBar and DataMatrix, for example, benefit because Digimarc watermarks carry industry-standard identifiers. Similar to QR codes, Digimarc watermarks can link to webpages when scanned, yet without some of its problems, including being misdirected to fraudulent sites by unscrupulous web actors.
The process of applying Digimarc watermarks into a graphics file is called "enhancement." Digimarc enhancement of package artwork is performed by trained partners (Find premedia partners). Enhancement involves altering a file at the pixel level. This alteration is minor and may not be easily noticed on the file or plates. The process utilizes the specifications and color space for the specific press used to print each job, and it is important that tolerances are maintained. Once printed, Digimarc watermarks can be scanned by enabled barcode scanners as well as mobile devices with a Digimarc-enabled app.
Digimarc watermarks, along with Digimarc scanning software and Digimarc verification software, comprise a comprehensive solution for automatic identification of objects. Digimarc watermarks have nearly endless applications, including for manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and all this is made possible because Digimarc watermarks serve as the reliable and accurate identifier at the heart of this innovative suite.
Digimarc leverages GS1 global product identification standards to create more reliable and efficient barcodes on product packaging, hang tags and more.
Digimarc has been a long-time provider of technology to support authentication and deter unauthorized copies of secure identity and value documents.
Digimarc Barcode for Digital Images is a powerful solution enabling brands, rights holders and digital-asset managers to better manage the use of images and other assets throughout the supply chain and across the public internet.