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Matt Floyd wonders <<Does anyone know of a lamination product out there for
letter sized paper that is clear but copies with a message on it, such as
DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL or something similar? We are releasing some sales
literature that we don't want copied and redistributed.>>
Don't know of any, but it would be worth asking your printer; they know all
kids of stuff about cutting-edge paper technologies. But personally, I think
you're wasting your time. Worst-case scenario: your competitor retypes your
text from scratch. Best-case scenario: they scan it, run it through OCR
software,edit it, and they're done. You can't copy-protect anything
readable. Period. In fact, I'm kind of wondering why you'd want to. The more
distribution your literature gets, the better!
What you can do is track usage of the information and nail people for
copyright violations. One of the most effective means of doing this involves
providing just enough information to wet the reader's appetite, then
requiring them to call you to get the rest of the material. Even then, it's
easy enough to change the phone number in the illegal copy and redirect
inquiries.
Bryan Westbrook reports: <<Black text on red paper cannot be copied in black
and white.>>
The same applies to pretty much any combination of colors that have the same
"value" (black content). Why? Photocopiers can only produce different shades
of grey, so if two colors have the same grey content, they reproduce as the
same tone. But as you note, color copiers and scanners are a whole different
beast. Bottom line: it makes no sense to try to copy-protect anything
printed. Can't be done. All you can do is register your copyright and
enforce it.
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