Your Printer Could Be (Helping) Spy On You!

[NumLock21]

Yup but as far as I know inkjets are way more precise and with a higher quality compared to the laser color ones

higher dpi=higher quality, most laser printer are just 600 dpi, while inkjet go up to to 1200dpi or more.

HP Envy 7640, color print up to 4800x1200 dpi (color up to 9 ppm)

HP Color LaserJet M277dw, color print up to 600x600 dpi (color up to 19 ppm)

HP OfficeJet Pro X 476dn, color print up to 2400x1200 dpi (inkjet with the print speed of a laser, color up to 55 ppm in general mode, up to 35ppm in professional mode)

ppm = pages per minute

[iamdarkyoshi]

higher dpi=higher quality, most laser printer are just 600 dpi, while inkjet go up to to 1200dpi or more.

HP Envy 7640, color print up to 4800x1200 dpi (color up to 9 ppm)

HP Color LaserJet M277dw, color print up to 600x600 dpi (color up to 19 ppm)

HP OfficeJet Pro X 476dn, color print up to 2400x1200 dpi (inkjet with the print speed of a laser, color up to 55 ppm in general mode, up to 35ppm in professional mode)

ppm = pages per minute

Inkjets are not good in business areas. I used to work IT, and the inkjets ALWAYS run out of ink or the printhead goes bad, or some other stupid thing. Inkjets are evil. The laser printers are good due to their long term usage ratings. Inkjets are not made for high-volume production...

[ShiftHitTheFan]

 

 

Did you know that your colour laser printer is secretly printing a forensic code on every one of your printouts so the government can track it?
Sounds like a nutjob conspiracy theory, but it's true!
Yellow dots that are invisible to the naked eye are printed all over your page that have the printer serial number and time and date encoded within them.
List of printers that do/don't have this forensic encoding
https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printe...
https://www.eff.org/issues/printers
http://seeingyellow.com/
It may even violate human rights:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/02...

 I love EEV blog, and this one video is quite interesting. I tested the color laser printer in my library today, and it does make those yellow dots! (Hp Laserjet 4500)

[iamdarkyoshi]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/496062-your-printer-could-be-spying-on-you/ retoast m8

[thekeemo]

This is very old news..

[Ghostay]

 I love EEV blog, and this one video is quite interesting. I tested the color laser printer in my library today, and it does make those yellow dots! (Hp Laserjet 4500)

Possibly, but in what circumstance would the government investigate some guys printing?

[Enderman]

yeah, thats why you dont print print stuff thats illegal, cause it gets tracked to you

 

we learned this from CSI on tv

lol

[Mohenjo]

EEV blog is pretty good, he teaches me the more complicated side of technology rather then the simplicity of building a pc. I have manged to replace a transistor on a tv where the transistors blew up 

[ThinkWithPortals]

Sorry, can't focus. Mesmerised by that tin foil hat.

[ShiftHitTheFan]

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/496062-your-printer-could-be-spying-on-you/ retoast m8

Sorry for repost, take it down. 

[ShiftHitTheFan]

I checked the hp 4500 at my college library, and it also prints those yellow dots.

[RSiNC]

Possibly, but in what circumstance would the government investigate some guys printing?

trying to counterfeit money, ransom notes, death threats to name a few.

[Ghostay]

trying to counterfeit money, ransom notes, death threats to name a few.

So if the government can track all that, then is that not a good thing?  Obviously I can see why people will disagree with it, but aslong as it is not infringing on people's rights it is acceptable.

[RSiNC]

So if the government can track all that, then is that not a good thing?  Obviously I can see why people will disagree with it, but aslong as it is not infringing on people's rights it is acceptable.

This is probably the reason that is used to justify it. But just like all evidence, it can be abused.

 

What if i used your pc to print counterfeit stuff? What if you anonymously write something legal but secret?

[Master Disaster]

I don't see the point, nobody registers who has which printer.

Exactly what I thought too. Pointless knowing which printer printed what if you don't know who has what printer.

[dalekphalm]

Exactly what I thought too. Pointless knowing which printer printed what if you don't know who has what printer.

See my post earlier in the thread. Not pointless at all. Not being used as a generic "NSA spies on you" scenario either though.

 

This would be used as evidence against a specific person, likely already under investigation. Investigators would acquire a warrant to enter your home, and check the SN on your printer, to compare against.

 

Also, many retailers record the SN of printers on the receipt and in the POS during a purchase transaction. Even though your name/address might not be on it, odds are, your credit card or debit card is. They can then cross reference those details and find out who bought the printer.

[You_are_a_cunt]

Just like Dave said in his video, this has been going on since forever

[You_are_a_cunt]

Exactly what I thought too. Pointless knowing which printer printed what if you don't know who has what printer.

 

Your printer's Serial Number is on your warranty and in the retailer/distributor's database, for warranty purposes. AFAIK you have to fill in a warranty form with your name and such.

Then again, buying a second-hand printer pretty much makes all the above pointless, since you can't really trace where the printer goes after its initial purchase.

[Centurius]

People didn't know this already? It's been fairly public knowledge for years.

[BURNINGJUNK]

This has been around for ALONG time now.

[Trik'Stari]

HA! The jokes on them, I don't even own a printer.

 

I hand write all of my ransom notes. 

Printers are the work of Satan anyways.

[Real_PhillBert]

Printers are the work of Satan anyways.

 

Ink jet printers are for sure.

[Trik'Stari]

Ink jet printers are for sure.

My moms is a constant pain in the ass.

 

For some reason, ALL of her programs like to think that the printer is a fax machine, rather than just being a printer.

[Scheer]

My moms is a constant pain in the ass.

 

For some reason, ALL of her programs like to think that the printer is a fax machine, rather than just being a printer.

 

That is a driver/computer issue, not a printer issue.

[Belgarathian]

Title is horribly misleading... The printer isn't spying on you, it's just printing paper with tracer dots or a unique identifier so if you rob a bank the note that you left can be traced.