Anniversary note 150 years

For 150 years, Landqart AG has been combining Swiss tradition and quality with innovation, internationality and a high level of customer focus. Landqart's location in the Canton of the Grisons, nestling against an impressive mountain backdrop, reflects the company's traditional values and roots. lts greatest asset from the outset has been quality, which is deeply anchor­ ed in the consciousness of the employees. Well aware that tradition and quality are not enough to survive internationally, Landqart AG has promoted innovation and transformed itself from a traditional paper mill to an internationally recognised manufacturer of high-quality paper for banknotes and pass­ ports.

Today, Landqart AG offers, with its Durasafe range, the most counterfeit-proof banknote paper in the world - also used by the Swiss National Bank. This technology has the potential for playing an important role in the passport market too.

Landqart AG will continue to build from its values and invest in people and innovation. Since the company has succeeded in fusing polymers with paper for the Durasafe product li ne, the next step will be to present it to further banknote and passport customers and to realise numerous and exciting development projects. In the medium term, Landqart will be working on its high level of technical expertise for the growing market of digital solutions.

House notes are often used to showcase new features, and we have done some that here. However, at its core, this house-note is about Landqart. It stands as a reminder of Landqart’s past, and as a beacon to our future. It memorialises our origins as master papermakers and our evolution into integrators of advanced technologies. It represents the principles and values that have allowed us to reach this 150 year milestone: quality, innovation, security, integrity, and partnership.

To represent the passage of time, one side of the note is more traditional, has a horizontal layout, and represents our history. The other side is vertical and represents our present and future. The designs on each side remind us that the traditions of paper making run deep in Landqart, and that we strive to keep them alive into the 21st Century. The craftsmanship involved in creating cylinder mould made watermark paper is passed through the generations and remains a central part of our DNA.

The note is, of course, printed on Durasafe, our paper-polymer composite material, the most advanced and most versatile substrate for secure documents. We have taken the opportunity to try some new ideas that have come about from in-house research, and as a result of partnerships with other key suppliers.

As with all real banknotes, this house note features watermarks, and is a world first, since it has watermarks on each paper layer: on one side the river Rhine to show the importance of water to papermaking; on the other a worker loads material into the mill. Our Signum watermark is used to show the date of foundation, 1872.

Instead of a thread, this note has a fully registered “Kinegram Cosmic” security foil from our partners at KURZ inside the note, secure behind the polymer layer and, again for the first time ever, it runs diagonally in the design.

Another first: we show our partner Sicpa’s SPARK Live ink on the see-through window that is so unique and characteristic of Durasafe

Finally, because this historic occasion is as much about our colleagues, the people who ARE Landqart, this note has another first: the names of past and present staff are incorporated as microtext in the intaglio print throughout the front of the note. The way this has been achieved, indeed the way that the original design has been made reality, is testament to the creativity and craftsmanship of our partners at Orell Fussli who printed the note. As a nod to the long history that exists between the two Swiss companies, the landscape scene on the historic side of the note is borrowed from a contemporary painting printed by Orell Fussli. The note carries their imprint in the same place as where it appears on the original painting.

Durasafe , our paper-polymer composite material is the most advanced and most versatile substrate for secure documents. This house note showcases many of its unique attributes.

Transparent window with SPARK Live

SICPA’s "SPARK Live" feature has been printed directly on the window so it can be viewed from both sides of the note. The "Sandune Drops" effect is tied to the theme of water and the river watermark.

Intaglio Print

Intaglio print is part of what makes banknotes so distinctive. On the Modern side of the note, its use and the contemporary design promote tactility and security. The print integrates the names of current and past staff members as microtext in the contour lines.

The traditions of paper making run deep in Landqart, and we strive to keep them alive into the 21st Century. The craftsmanship involved in creating cylinder mould made watermarks is passed through the generations and remains a central part of our DNA.

Watermark

In another first, the house note has different watermarks on each paper layer, and the historic side shows, when the note is viewed in transmission, a worker loading material into the grinding mill.

Intaglio Print

On the Historic side of the note, the print draws inspiration from the early Swiss franc banknotes, and comes into its own representing Landqart’s long history in the industry.