This reminds me that in the USSR they had typewriters that added an identifier somehow that could be traced back to that particular typewriter (and who it was sold to)
This reminds me that in the USSR they had typewriters that added an identifier somehow that could be traced back to that particular typewriter (and who it was sold to)
You have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes. Search for EFF printers secret tracking.
Virtually all commercial printers embed an invisible identifier on every page printed.
Now I need to see if agentic reverse engineering of printer firmware can actually remove that "feature" for good.
Virtually all color laser printers and copiers.
It was about money anti-counterfeiting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer_tracking_dots
There is always a legit reason. It’s just never the only reason.
Not only USSR.
I wonder whether Arthur Conan Doyle had the idea before the police started using typewriter typeface wear and tear for forensics.
Sure, try to scan, photocopy, edit in photoshop or print US money today.