Today, BookMaster® One combines years of experience in passport personalisation into one modular platform. But the system as we know it today is the result of a journey that began three decades ago.
Today, BookMaster® One combines years of experience in passport personalisation into one modular platform. But the system as we know it today is the result of a journey that began three decades ago.
Since the 1990s, IAI has continued to evolve and enhance its passport personalisation technologies. From laser perforation and engraving to chip encoding and inkjet printing, each development has contributed to the evolution of the BookMaster family.
Through a deep knowledge of the application processes, IAI has continued to empower security documents through innovation and industrialisation of passport security, enabled with the BookMaster One platform.
The early BookMaster systems
IAI’s work on passport personalisation began with systems developed around specific personalisation processes and different levels of automation.
Among these early developments were the BookMaster 105, originally known as ImagePerf Desk, which provided a manual solution for ImagePerf® laser perforation; the BookMaster 100, a manual system for NumberPerf; and the BookMaster 150, which introduced a semi-automatic approach to NumberPerf.
Different in their configuration and functionality, these systems provided valuable experience in areas such as document handling and laser perforation, contributing to the technological knowledge that would support the development of increasingly integrated passport personalisation systems.
Towards integrated passport personalisation
The next step came with the development of the BookMaster 220. This system incorporated two lasers for both ImagePerf and NumberPerf, together with camera-based verification of the applied personalisation.
Building on the experience gained with the earlier BookMaster systems, the BookMaster 220 marked another important step towards combining different personalisation and security processes within an industrial environment.
From individual processes to one workflow
Around 2005, the first generation of BookMaster One was introduced. For the first time, different stages of passport personalisation, including chip encoding and laser engraving, were brought together within a single system, bringing the different processes together into “One” complete personalisation workflow.
With a throughput of up to 220 passports per hour, this first generation established the foundation on which BookMaster One would continue to develop.
During the same period, IAI also developed an inkjet-based variation, combining the benefits of colour with the permanency and security of laser engraving.
A new generation of BookMaster One
By 2010, the experience gained from years of passport personalisation provided the foundation for a significant redesign of BookMaster One.
The second generation introduced a new platform with increased process modularity. Individual processes could be incorporated into dedicated sections of the system, providing customers with the flexibility to configure systems to enable and match their project requirements and secure document needs.
Throughput increased to up to 500 passports per hour, while the platform expanded to accommodate capabilities such as parallel engraving, multiple input and output options, and additional configurations for ImagePerf.
The continuous evolution of BookMaster One
Over the years that followed, the second generation of BookMaster One continued to evolve.
Optional throughput of up to 800 passports per hour was introduced, while new technologies were also incorporated as secure document personalisation continued to develop. Around 2020, Laser Colour Inkjet™ (LCI) was introduced.
This continued evolution has shaped the BookMaster One that is available today. The current platform has a modular and highly configurable design, allowing functionality and throughput to be adapted to the requirements of individual passport projects.
Empowering security documents
IAI has long played a pioneering role in turning security and personalisation technologies into industrial solutions for secure documents. The evolution of BookMaster One is therefore not only about the development of the system itself, but also about the technologies that can be industrialised and integrated within the platform.
Throughout its evolution, IAI has worked to industrialise both third-party security features and its own personalisation and document protection technologies. These include LaserPerf, Laser Colour Inkjet™ (LCI) and, more recently, PaperProtect™, which has been developed to enhance the security of passports with paper or polycarbonate data pages.
A foundation for the future
Three decades after the first BookMaster systems, IAI’s personalisation technologies have become part of passport projects in close to 20 countries around the world.
Each project has brought new requirements and new challenges, contributing to the knowledge and experience behind BookMaster One today.
That experience continues to play an important role in the development of BookMaster One. Feedback and insights from its installed base, together with evolving customer and market needs, help guide the continued enhancement of the platform.
Recent developments include QualityMaster, enhanced quality verification, and greater levels of automation, such as contactless inkjet cleaning. At the same time, IAI continues to explore new opportunities for security feature enablement, further expanding the capabilities of BookMaster One as passport personalisation requirements evolve.
From its beginnings in laser perforation to today’s modular platform for high-volume passport personalisation, BookMaster One reflects three decades of technological development. And as passport personalisation continues to change, so will BookMaster One, adapting to the challenges ahead.
