On the list of frequently asked questions, Holographic UL labels are right on up there.

Let’s start from the top, in order to combat products with counterfeit UL markings, Underwriters Laboratories introduced labels with holograms. These labels were required on products that saw the largest influx of counterfeit products (e.g. christmas lights, power strips, etcetera).

To stay ahead of the counterfeiters, the holographic labels were designed with special color shifting ink and additional covert security features. Basically the more difficult to replicate the better. And in that spirit, UL went one step further–they only allowed one source to produce the labels.

From a security standpoint this limited the point of access, and allowed for much tighter management. On the flip side, one source means just that: one source. The end result is more security but less choice. So when people ask if I can help produce holographic labels, the answer is unfortunately no.

So where does that leave you? Well if you are looking for holographic UL labels, the place to start would be UL’s Hologram Marks page. It lists all the categories that require Holograms, and has a link to their one source for custom holographic UL Labels. Happy hunting.

Photo “Holographic spinner” courtesy of Till Westermayer. Cropped for size.