Scans

I believe some of Kodak's color RA4 paper has special encoding to help
protect against unauthorized scans. Does any brand of B/W paper posess
this feature?

Other than imprinted copyright notices is there any way to protect a
print from being scanned without permission?

Slow Dances wrote:
I believe some of Kodak's color RA4 paper has special encoding to help
protect against unauthorized scans. Does any brand of B/W paper posess
this feature?

Other than imprinted copyright notices is there any way to protect a
print from being scanned without permission?

I may not understand the question. Until the paper has an image on it,

there is nothing to protect. Scanning an image begs the question of
how. Since the purpose of recording an image is to allow someone to
see it, the encoding might viewing if it protects against unauthorized
scans and thus must be distributed subtly through the image.

I suspect that the coding you have in mind would be in the image
presented to the paper and it would only permit detecting that the
image was derived from a particular source. To avoid rendering the
image unattractive for viewing it would need particular properties
that make it invisible. If it is not visible, but detected from a scan

it would have to be distributed in the image and detected by
correlation
with a known key or else be recorded at a wavelength that is not
visible to the unaided eye (perhaps an extra dye layer?).

As a property of the paper alone, I don't think I've heard of such
a thing. As a technique for coding an image, there are some
such systems, but they don't seem to be unique to RA-4.

But then, perhaps you meant something else?

Slow Dances wrote:
I believe some of Kodak's color RA4 paper has special encoding to help
protect against unauthorized scans. Does any brand of B/W paper posess
this feature?

I heard [think I heard, remembered I thought I heard ...] it is
possible to place a copyright code in the mini-lab
printing on the back of the print indicating the print may not
be copied. I imaging a studio stamp would do the same thing
to any print.

It is _impossible_ to keep a print from being scanned or copied
if that is someone's intent.

Imitation, though, is the sincerest form of flattery.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics, Photonics, Informatics.
Remove blanks to reply: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
f-Stop enlarging timers: http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/

On Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:27:20 GMT, "Nicholas O. Lindan"
wrote:

Slow Dances wrote:
I believe some of Kodak's color RA4 paper has special encoding to help
protect against unauthorized scans. Does any brand of B/W paper posess
this feature?

I heard [think I heard, remembered I thought I heard ...] it is
possible to place a copyright code in the mini-lab
printing on the back of the print indicating the print may not
be copied. I imaging a studio stamp would do the same thing
to any print.

It is _impossible_ to keep a print from being scanned or copied
if that is someone's intent.

I believe that Kodak was to implement some form of watermarking or
backprinting on their professional papers. Said watermark or
backprinting is detected by the Kodak copystations seen in *mart
stores and such and the copy scan is aborted.

Imitation, though, is the sincerest form of flattery.

Yeah well one should only be flattered so much. I had one groom openly
tell me that he had scanned several of my photographs and posted them
to a server for his families review and subsequent printing. I wish I
had taken him to court. Unfortunately legal fees in New Jersey are
exorbitant to say the least. Still, if I had been able to locate that
server .... $,$$$,$$$ !!!!

==
John S. Douglas
Photographer & Webmaster
www.legacy-photo,com
www.xs750.net

"Peter" wrote in message
oups.com...

Slow Dances wrote:
I believe some of Kodak's color RA4 paper has special encoding to help
protect against unauthorized scans. Does any brand of B/W paper posess
this feature?

Other than imprinted copyright notices is there any way to protect a
print from being scanned without permission?

I may not understand the question. Until the paper has an image on it,

there is nothing to protect. Scanning an image begs the question of
how. Since the purpose of recording an image is to allow someone to
see it, the encoding might viewing if it protects against unauthorized
scans and thus must be distributed subtly through the image.

I suspect that the coding you have in mind would be in the image
presented to the paper and it would only permit detecting that the
image was derived from a particular source. To avoid rendering the
image unattractive for viewing it would need particular properties
that make it invisible. If it is not visible, but detected from a scan

it would have to be distributed in the image and detected by
correlation
with a known key or else be recorded at a wavelength that is not
visible to the unaided eye (perhaps an extra dye layer?).

As a property of the paper alone, I don't think I've heard of such
a thing. As a technique for coding an image, there are some
such systems, but they don't seem to be unique to RA-4.

But then, perhaps you meant something else?


Years ago, when Kodak first introduced their copyprint retail systems, pros
were in an uproar that their customers could now take their professional
portraits into any drugstore/WalMart and make limitless copies. Kodak added
some sort of "encoding" to the Pro RA-4 paper, and an upgrade to the
scanners that would detect prevent the customer from making a copy, and
would display a message on the screen telling the customer to get copies
from the studio that originally produced the portrait.

How the system worked, if it in fact did work, whether it is still in force,
I don't know.

Ken Hart

On 6 Jul 2006 13:29:32 -0700, "Tim Schnetgoeke"
wrote:

Other than imprinted copyright notices is there any way to protect a
print from being scanned without permission?

i'm printing on endura every now and then + it says "professional
images are copyright protected - do not copy" on the back. although
this is not exactly what you're asking about.

anyway, put a stamp or sticker on the back of the prints you give to
other people...

And possible a signature/stamp on the front. Most pro's stamp the
front of all proofs with a red copyright stamp.

==
John S. Douglas
Photographer & Webmaster
www.legacy-photo,com
www.xs750.net