Method for preventing counterfeiting of sales receipts

A method of preventing counterfeiting of sales receipts comprising the steps of:

• providing at a manufacturing site a first ink having as a component one that is visible only under ultraviolet light,
• providing at said manufacturing site an elongated web of receipt paper convolutely wound into a roll,
• unwinding said roll and printing fixed information with said first ink in a plurality of longitudinally spaced places on said roll,
• rewinding the printed paper into a roll,
• transferring the printed roll to a point of sales site, providing at said sales site a ribbon having a second ink having as a component one that is visible only under ultraviolet light,
• installing said ribbon in register means equipped with means adapted to print variable information through said ribbon on said roll,
• creating different variable information for each of said longitudinally spaced places on said roll and introducing said variable information into said register means,
• printing different variable information on each of said longitudinally spaced places on said roll,
• detaching a portion of said roll carrying both said fixed and variable information relative to purchased merchandise and giving it as a sales receipt to the purchaser, and
• upon attempted return of the merchandise subjecting the said sales receipt to ultraviolet light examination to determine the presence of both said fixed and variable information.