Handheld inkjet
Invisible codes, serial numbers and logos printed by hand in one pass. Standard HP45-format cartridge.
Best for card backs, shirt tags, jock tags, balls, seals and boxes
Applying it
Print it, sign it, weave it in
The crystals ride in ordinary ink, thread, film and plastic, so they go on with tools people already use. The newest is the simplest: a handheld printer that puts an invisible code on a card back, a shirt tag or a seal in one pass.
A code in one pass
The crystal ink fits a standard HP45-format thermal cartridge, the kind many handheld coders already use. Pick a surface, print, then change the light.
Handheld printer · Ready
- SurfaceCard back
- In daylightInvisible
- Under UVCode glows red
- Under the readerCovert layer, green
- Logged asSL-26-0099
A trading card back. The code lands in the blank panel, invisible in daylight.
Where a handheld goes
No press, no factory change. The printer goes wherever the piece already is, and every code it prints is logged to the Forever library.
Equipment rooms
Code the inside tag of every jersey as it is issued, and again when it comes back from the game.
Signing tables
Mark the ball, photo or card next to the pen signature, so the piece and the autograph share one record.
Card shops and graders
Code card backs and slabs on intake. The code links the card to its grade and its history.
Fulfillment
Seal hobby boxes, packs and shipping cartons, so a searched or resealed box shows up.
Every way it goes on
Pick the method by where the piece is made. Most programs use two or three together: one in the material, one printed, one in the signature.
Inkjet on the line
The same ink on a production line: a thermal cartridge, or continuous UV-cured printing that never touches the product. Proven at 800 units a minute on vials.
Best for card print runs, hang tags, tickets and passes
The pen
Two crystal inks and reflective flakes in one tip. The proof is made in the signature itself.
Best for autographs on anything See the pen
Thread and yarn
Fibers spun with crystals, sewn into seams and woven into labels.
Best for jersey seams, jock tags, patches and relic swatches
Heat-transfer film and screen ink
Crystals in the adhesive film behind tackle twill, in heat-press vinyl or in screen-printing ink.
Best for numbers, nameplates and printed fan shirts
Coatings, varnish and foil
A blend in the clear coat, the press varnish or the foil adhesive.
Best for card stock, parallels, guitar finishes and posters
Plastic, compounded
Crystals mixed into the resin before it is molded. The part looks and feels the same.
Best for guitar picks, card slabs and top-loaders
Labels and seals
Crystals in the label stock, the varnish or the seal adhesive, so a peeled seal cannot be reused.
Best for packs, cases, certificates and auction lots
At line speed
For card makers and apparel licensees, the crystal ink runs on the line with everything else. A continuous UV-cured printer puts the code down without touching the product, and a cure lamp sets it before the next item arrives.
- Invisible in daylight. Nothing changes in the design or the finish.
- Glows under UV. Anyone with a UV light can see the code.
- A covert layer. Only the Spark Labs reader can confirm the crystals inside it.
Starting a program
From the first sample to the first coded piece, usually in this order.
Pick the pieces
Tell us what you make, sign or sell, and where it gets faked.
Test the surface
We print, sew or coat samples on your actual stock, fabric or plastic.
Set the blend
Each athlete, team, set or tour gets its own crystal blend.
Go live
Handhelds, cartridges, thread or film arrive with readers.
Scan and log
Every coded piece goes into the Forever library.
More that Spark Labs protects
Tell us what to code.
Card makers, equipment managers, licensees, graders and signing organizers: tell us the piece and the place, and we will pick the method and send samples.
Talk to Spark Labs