Why use professional print certificates?

Why use professional print certificates?

Although anyone can print a document from their home computer and call it a certificate, the true definition of a professional print certificate is ‘an official document attesting a fact’. Examples of certificates include:

  • A document recording a birth, death and marriage e.g. a birth certificate
  • A document certifying that someone has reached a certain level of academic or professional competency e.g. a degree certificate
  • A document confirming ownership or legal requirements e.g. a share certificate.

In all of these cases these documents are highly valuable as they are used to provide proof – either of who you are, your qualifications or ownership. This proof is valuable to criminals for many different reasons making all types of print certificates targets for fraud.

For this reason, if you are printing an official certificate, it is essential to use a professional certificate printer who can provide you with a secure document that is easy to authenticate and difficult to duplicate.

A professional certificate printer will be able to protect your print certificates using a combination of covert and overt security features. These include:

  • Special paper – certificates printed on normal paper can easily be photocopied and reproduced. Watermarked paper cannot be photocopied and can be specifically designed for your print certificates. The watermark is added when the paper is made, making it hard to replicate.
  • Holograms – holograms add a layer of overt security to print certificates, acting as a deterrent to scammers. They are incredibly difficult to copy without highly sophisticated and expensive equipment, and make verifying authenticity easier.
  • Security inks – a number of different security inks exist, and they are normally used as a covert security feature. An example is ink that is only visible under UV light.
  • Numbering – numbering your print certificates allows you to easily verify if it is authentic. Check if your printer uses a complex numbering system (e.g. not a simple sequence) to ensure that numbers cannot easily be guessed.

Whatever the purpose of your print certificates, ensuring a number of these features are used on your documents will help keep your print certificates safe from unauthorised use and fraud.

At Hague, we are trusted to design, print and direct mail certificates for over 45 of the UK’s top universities, you can find out more about our certificate printing services on our website.