Abstract: A show-through reduction method is disclosed. The method is designed to deal with both light and severe show-through. The method focuses mostly on text documents, with characters possibly appearing in multiple gray levels, although the method can also be extended to color documents. As in the prior art, the front and back pages are processed in pairs. However, no perfect page alignment is assumed here, since we are dealing with real images. Instead, a front and back registration is performed as the first step before the pages are further analyzed. In this method, we are aligning the front page content with its show-through appearing in the back side, and the back page content with its show-through appearing in the front side. Once the two sides are aligned, masks are generated for both sides to differentiate severe show-through and light color content regions. Finally, different TRCs are applied to different regions. The show-through is reduced and the page contents are retained.

Abstract: A method and system is provided providing a variable data guilloché pattern comprised of variable data differential line pattern fonts comprising decodable template symbols which are capable of being selectively assembled into a predetermined variable data code. The differential line pattern fonts are further spatially modulated for imposition of a second data channel on a printed document. The representation can be decoded with a digital scanner capable of identifying the embedded patterns and spatially modulated transform function and communicate it to a user for verifying a document containing the code.

Abstract: A system reveals a 2D barcode in a document. A 2D barcode generator selects the placement and at least one colorant combination of an image and at least one colorant combination for a 2D barcode on a document, where the at least one colorant combination of the image and the 2D barcode form a metameric pair. A print system receives data from the 2D barcode generator and places the image and the 2D barcode on the document. A light source selected or tuned to a wavelength corresponding to the colorant combinations utilized by the print system reveals the 2D barcode placed thereon. A decoding element decodes and extracts data from the revealed 2D barcode.

Abstract: A method for encryption of a digital watermark by intelligent halftoning includes receiving image data that define at least a portion of a document to be printed in terms of at least three halftone images corresponding respectively to three printing colorants, each of the three halftone images comprising a plurality of halftone cells. The image data are modified by phase-shifting some of the halftone cells of at least one of the halftone images relative to the other halftone images to encode a watermark within the portion of the document such that the at least one phase-shifted halftone image includes a phase-shifted region and a non-phase-shifted region. The modified image data are used to print the portion of the document on a substrate that will fluoresce when subjected to UV illumination. The printed portion of the document includes a first printed pattern resulting from the phase-shifted region and a second printed pattern resulting from the non-phase-shifted region.

Abstract: A document may include a non-magnetic substrate, a first colorant mixture printed as a first image upon the substrate, the first colorant mixture including a magnetic ink, and a second colorant mixture printed as a second image upon the substrate in substantially close spatial proximity to the printed first colorant mixture. The second colorant mixture may consist essentially of one or more non-magnetic inks and exhibit properties of both low visual contrast and high magnetic contrast against the first colorant mixture, such that the resultant printed substrate does not reveal the first image to the human eye, but will reveal the first image to a magnetic image reader.

Abstract: A variable data pantograph is formed by receiving a variable data string and retrieving at least one character representation from a vocabulary of character representations stored in memory. The retrieved at least one character representation corresponds to the variable data string. Each of the character representations in the vocabulary include a foreground region including a character shape and a background region suitably sized and arranged for encompassing the foreground region. The background region incorporates a first pattern of elements and the foreground region incorporates a second pattern of elements. The retrieved at least one character representation is assembled to form a variable data pantograph, whereby when the variable data pantograph is rendered in an original document, the foreground and background regions are similar in tone, the foreground and background regions being substantially less similar in tone in a copy of the original document to render the character visible.

Abstract: A variable data pantograph is formed by receiving a variable data string and retrieving at least one character representation from a vocabulary of character representations stored in memory. The retrieved at least one character representation corresponds to the variable data string. Each of the character representations in the vocabulary is associated with a foreground region including a character shape and a background region suitably sized and arranged for encompassing the foreground region. The background region incorporates a first pattern of elements and is controlled to render a target color using a first set of color separation control data and the foreground region incorporates a second pattern of elements and is controlled to render the target color using a second set of color separation control data.

Abstract: A scratch-off document may include a substrate bearing printed content and a scratch-off layer covering the printed content. The scratch-off layer may include a mass of a first ink and a portion of a second ink embedded within the first ink.

Abstract: An ink set includes a plurality of inks, at least one ink but less than all inks of the ink set including an ink vehicle, colorant and fluorescence agent and remaining additional inks including an ink vehicle, colorant and free of fluorescence agent. At least a first ink grouping and a second ink grouping of the ink set form a combination, the first and second groupings of the combination exhibiting a substantially same color under ambient light conditions upon image formation. The first ink grouping and the second ink grouping of the combination contain a different amount of the fluorescence agent, wherein upon exposure to activating energy, the fluorescence agent fluoresces to cause a visible change in the color of a pattern formed in an image by the first ink grouping as compared to the second ink grouping.

Abstract: A watermark can be embedded in an image that has the property of being relatively indecipherable under normal light by including a distraction pattern, and yet remains decipherable under infrared illumination when viewed by a suitable infrared sensitive instrument. This infrared mark comprises, a substrate reflective to infrared radiation, a foreground colorant mixture printed as an image upon the substrate, a background colorant mixture and a distraction colorant mixture. A resultant collocated image rendered substrate suitably exposed to an infrared illumination, will yield a discernable image evident as a infrared mark to a suitable infrared sensitive device, but remain undecipherable under normal ambient light.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that facilitate real-time personalization of an electronic image by overlaying a text string on a planar surface of an object in the electronic image. A linear or affine transform is executed on a selected text string to position the text string in a reference rectangle or text box. A non-linear or projective transform is applied to the rectangular text box to project the box into a user-defined quadrilateral on the planar surface in the image. A page description language (PDL) file is generated and includes the transformed quadrilateral text box overlaid on the electronic image. At print-time, a database (e.g., a spreadsheet or the like) containing multiple text strings is read, once for each text string, and multiple images are printed. Each printed image has one of the text strings overlaid thereon, on the planar surface defined by the quadrilateral.

Abstract: Identifying the substrate type of a target substrate before patterning by a marking engine produces an opportunity to adjust the marking engine. The adjustments can enable the marking engine to produce higher quality work. The target substrate's substrate type can be automatically identified by obtaining its characteristics and submitting them to a classifier. A spectrophotometer can measure a substrates reflectance spectrum, which is a good characteristic for use in classifying. Classifiers can be based on known distance or correlation measures.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for including a double layer security mark in digital document data defining an image of a document to be printed and in the printed document, itself. A fluorescence mark region including a fluorescence mark is defined using first and second metameric colorant mixtures. Variation in colorant spatial coverage between the first and second metameric colorant mixtures results in colorant-free areas that define the fluorescence mark due to substrate fluorescence under UV illumination. The fluorescence mark region is modified to define a double layer fluorescence mark region including the fluorescence mark and also including at least one visible light object defined by a third colorant mixture. The third colorant mixture is added to the fluorescence mark region by masking the colorant-free areas of the fluorescence mark region to prevent writing of the third colorant mixture data to the colorant-free areas so as not to disturb the colorant-free areas.

Abstract: The teachings as provided herein relate to a watermark embedded in an image, and methodology for same, that has the property of being relatively indecipherable under normal light, and yet decipherable under UV light. This fluorescent mark comprises a substrate containing optical brightening agents, and a first dot design printed as an image upon the substrate. The first dot design has as a characteristic, the property of strongly suppressing substrate fluorescence. A second dot design having a property of providing a differing level of substrate fluorescence suppression from that of the first dot design such that when rendered in close spatial proximity with the first dot design image print, the resultant image rendered substrate suitably exposed to an ultra-violet light source, will yield a discernable image evident as a fluorescent mark.

Abstract: A method for defining a gloss effect in a printed document includes printing a document region with first and second colorant combinations. The first colorant combination defines a first colorant stack height and said second colorant combination defines a second colorant stack height that differs from the first colorant stack height. As such, the document region has a first appearance when viewed straight-on and a second appearance when viewed at an angle. In one example, the first colorant combination is black (K) colorant that results in a one-level stack height and the second colorant combination is cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) colorants that result in a three-level stack height. In another example, the second colorant combination can be cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) colorants that define a four-level stack height.

Abstract: A variable price on-line printing system includes printing and finishing resources, and an on-line server to receive print job data and electronic requests for use of the printing/finishing resources from customer workstations. A dynamic price database includes data that describe current and anticipated future demand for the printing/finishing resources. An automated dynamic price offer generation process accesses the dynamic price database and derives a dynamic price for use of at least one of the printing/finishing resources based upon current and anticipated future demand as indicated in the dynamic price database. A user interface engine receives input from the automated dynamic price offer generation process and outputs price offers to the customer workstations, including the dynamic price associated with a printing/finishing resource, wherein the dynamic price is tailored to shape demand for the printing/finishing resource. The customer can accept or decline the dynamic price offer.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for providing a variable data guilloché shaped pattern comprised of variable data differential line pattern fonts comprising decodable template symbols which are capable of being selectively assembled into a predetermined variable data code. The code representations are embedded in the guilloché pattern amongst a plurality of unvaried standard base patterns. The representation can be decoded with a digital scan capable of identifying the embedded patterns and communicated it to a user for verifying a document containing the code.

Abstract: A method for creating a pattern color space for use during print job processing may include: a) defining a variable portion of the pattern color space, b) defining a fixed portion of the pattern color space, c) defining a bounding shape for the pattern color space, d) defining a procedure for painting the variable and fixed portions within the bounding shape, and e) at least temporarily, saving the pattern color space to a storage device. The variable portion of the pattern color space may be based on variable data associated with the print job and an object within the print job may identify the pattern color space for a color parameter. A system using this method may include a storage device, a digital front end, a print controller, and a print engine. Various methods for using the pattern color space during print job processing are also provided.

Abstract: An image characterized by an original image gamut is received in an imaging device characterized by a device gamut. The original image gamut is enhanced to a first set of modified color values that occupy a greater fraction of the device gamut than the original image gamut. The modified color values of each pixel are mapped to new color values within the device gamut.

Abstract: As set forth herein, a computer implemented method is used to encode and decode a user-individualized font. A variable alphabet is created and a document is created using this variable alphabet to encode machine readable information. The variable alphabet is communicated to a generalized recognition engine via a predefined font mechanism. The alphabet representation is used to modify the recognition engine, by at least changing one or more template definitions.