This paper presents some specific challenges and opportunities in the security printing sector. As a demonstration of this it uses the example of high security national identity documents. It examines some of the technical problems that are specific to this market sector and the opportunities that arise from these, particularly in the area of the physics and chemistry of the materials in the digital printing process. The work concentrates on electrophotographic (toner) printing. It is noted that mainstream applications are evolving in a direction that appears to be divergent to security print. Finally, the challenge electrophotography faces in this market sector from inkjet is covered, particularly from pagewide printing.