Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#1

Post by ww520 » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 6:44 PM UTC

Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark
brahmsyellowdots.blogspot.com

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#2

Post by Tichy » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:45 PM UTC

That is really, really old news :-)

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#3

Post by dsr_ » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:47 PM UTC

Ahem. Most COLOR laser printers have tracking "watermarks". It's because the US Treasury frowns on printing your own replica currency, which would be unastonishingly easy to do with a color scanner and printer.

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#4

Post by kevinpet » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:48 PM UTC

Reminds me of the typewriter registration in East Germany.

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#5

Post by Natsu » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:50 PM UTC

Well-known, I'm afraid. You can find more information here:

http://www.eff.org/issues/printers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer_steganography

It's probably related to the counter-measures against printing currency:

https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/felten/photoshop-and-curr...

There's some interesting information about what causes an image to be detected as currency here:

https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sjm217/projects/currency/

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#6

Post by srik » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:53 PM UTC

Here's a list of printers that do/dont do that, compiled by EFF. https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-d...

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#7

Post by Nrsolis » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:53 PM UTC

Tichy wrote: post #2

That is really, really old news :-)

REALLY old news.

The EFF has something on this and cracked the code a long time ago:

http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/printers/

http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#8

Post by aMoniker » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:55 PM UTC

dsr_ wrote: post #3

Ahem. Most COLOR laser printers have tracking "watermarks". It's because the US Treasury frowns on printing your own replica currency, which would be unastonishingly easy to do with a color scanner and printer.

All the while they print as much as they like. Hypocrites.

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#9

Post by mindslight » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 7:55 PM UTC

dsr_ wrote: post #3

Ahem. Most COLOR laser printers have tracking "watermarks". It's because the US Treasury frowns on printing your own replica currency, which would be unastonishingly easy to do with a color scanner and printer.

Actually, it's because consumer electronics manufacturers don't have the spines to stand up for their customers.

Re: Most laser printer printed pages have tracking watermark

#10

Post by droithomme » Fri, Nov 18, 2011, 8:08 PM UTC

Yeah, I only buy lasers that don't have them, there are lists out there of which ones.

The yellow doesn't photocopy well so if you have to use such a printer, you can erase the tracking dots on your anonymously distributed pamphlets by monochrome photocopying at Kinkos the master copy you produced with your home or business laser.