Confirmed: the citizenship certificate shown in a recent BBC piece was printed on our Secure Paper X21, designed and manufactured by SBE Direct. This appearance in a BBC article is no coincidence: it provides real media visibility and a reminder that security paper is the first anti-counterfeiting barrier for any high-value secured document. When diplomas, certificates or administrative documents circulate, trust starts at first glance and is then confirmed technically from the naked eye to UV light, and where applicable up to an expert inspection.

Legal note: We do not reuse the BBC image and imply no endorsement. Our statement is based on our internal records (manufacturing, customization, lot tracking) confirming the use of SBE X21 secure paper.

Secure Paper X21: visible and invisible protections in detail

The Secure Paper X21 is our highest security level. Depending on your configuration, it brings together three families of complementary checks:

• Naked eye: anti-copy backgrounds and patterns, guilloches, micro-printing / micro-text, dedicated markings. These cues create a visual signature visible to the eye and understood in seconds.
• Under UV: UV fibers/inks light up clearly under 365/395 nm UV control. UV ink and, where relevant, a special ink placed on key zones make document authentication possible without heavy equipment.
• Expert check: micro-details that can’t be cleanly reproduced, optical-brightener-free paper to stabilize UV reading, enhanced anchoring.

This trio of security elements enables a stepped reading: a glance, a UV light test, then a deeper examination if needed. You validate the vast majority of items in seconds and keep a technical safety net for sensitive cases at the heart of the fight against counterfeiting.

Document traceability: customization and security numbering / QR

Security also relies on a document’s identity. We can add your logos, legal mentions and invisible markers, create a clear identity card for the document, and link each sheet to an internal register via security numbering / QR. This helps ensure traceability: status, date of issue, holder, batch. It is particularly useful to secure exam/contest results, track diploma batches or link certificates of authenticity on security paper to an inventory. Traceability can be viewed from your website or internal system, sometimes even in real time depending on your infrastructure.

This customization is not cosmetic. By combining your graphic identity with the X21’s technical topography, you make each series unique and discourage imitation over the long term.

Compatibility: security paper, laser / inkjet printing

X21 is security paper compatible with laser / inkjet printing (and, depending on series, other technologies). A few simple principles maximize effectiveness: preserve active zones where certain markers sit, avoid heavy solids that could hide critical elements, and maintain a clear typographic hierarchy to guide the controller’s eye. We validate with you the paper/printer pairings, screen densities and micro-printing / micro-text sizes to optimize legibility and security.

Inspection procedure: naked eye, UV light, repeatable magnifier check

We recommend a document inspection procedure (naked eye, UV, magnifier) in three steps:

• Naked eye: recognize patterns, guilloches, micro-text and dedicated markings.
• UV lamp: confirm the presence and position of UV fibers/inks (set to 365/395 nm UV control).
• Magnifier: if in doubt, read the micro-details a copy can never reproduce cleanly.

This one-page, memo-style routine standardizes practices across sites and teams while staying fast and robust.

X21: anti-counterfeiting for administrative documents and exams

Three domains cover most use cases:

• Education & exams: diplomas, transcripts, exam papers and securing exam/contest results (attendance sheets, reports).
• Government & municipalities: attestations, permits, registers, security paper for ballot papers—all administrative documents that require an enforceable original.
• Business & industry: certificates of authenticity and compliance, sensitive reports, licenses.

In every context, the goal is the same: a credible original, immediately verifiable, and durably enforceable in the event of an audit or a long-term dispute.

X10, X15, X21: choosing the security level suited to your risks

Our range is structured around three levels:

Non-photocopiable Secure Paper X8

First-line barriers for high volumes at moderate risk. Ideal when checks are frequent and fast.

High-Security Paper X15

Excellent cost/security balance for documents frequently checked, with recurring UV verification.

Customized Secure Paper X21

Maximum coverage for high-stakes items (fraud, litigation, reputation). Advanced customization.

The right decision starts from your usage scenarios: who checks, where, with what? What is the cost of a credible imitation? We then adjust the density of visible and invisible elements, the granularity of security numbering / QR, and the graphic charter.

Quality, consistency and Secure Paper X21 cost over the long term

A secure substrate only has value if it is consistent: same inks, same fibers, same weights, same UV reactions in January as in December. At SBE Direct, this consistency is guaranteed by our industrial discipline (lot references, recurring checks, supplier control). It also simplifies budget discussions: the cost per Secure Paper X21 document is predictable and offset by fewer disputes, reprints and inspection time.

BBC: UV light and rapid proof of authenticity in the field

Being featured in a BBC article underlines a key requirement: in public settings, an original must “hold up” to many eyes. A well-tuned X21 makes the genuine obvious and the copy suspicious: missing or misplaced UV cues, smeared micro-printing / micro-text, inconsistent screens. Conversely, the sequence naked eye → UV light → expert check delivers a rapid proof of authenticity in the field without heavy equipment.

Take action: ensure traceability via your website

Want to test your template on SBE X21 Secure Paper? We prepare a sample kit with your markings and a security numbering / QR linked to an internal register. We can also audit your current documents and propose a gradual upgrade (X10 → X15 → X21) based on your volumes, risks and partner requirements.

The example highlighted by the BBC reminds us of a simple truth: trust starts with the substrate. With SBE High-Security Paper in the X21 version, you equip your teams with an anti-fraud paper that proves what it claims to be—a secured document designed for document authentication, traceability and the fight against counterfeiting, from routine checks to expert inspections.