Abstract: A method for encoding, on an imprintable medium, identification information for identifying the imprintable medium in a manner detectable by a print-monitoring system includes the steps of defining an identification pattern. The identification pattern is imprinted on a print control region so as to be relatively inconspicuous to an unaided human reviewer of the printed matter while remaining detectable to a print monitoring system. The method includes the step of imprinting, at a plurality of locations in the print control region, a plurality of bit characters detectable by the print control system. The spatial distribution of the bit characters encodes information about the identity of the document.