4 ms·

So I guess if you wanted to print something untraceably, the solution might be to print your message out on newspaper from a non-local city?

peddling-brink 6y ago
Or a non-fancy laser printer?
xiii1408 6y ago
EFF seems to think that all modern laser printers have some form of tracking dots, whether or not they've actually been able to detect them [1]. They don't say anything about inkjet, though. Unclear if this is because of a fundamental limitation of inkjet printers, lack of interest, or just because inkjet printers kind of suck compared to laser. :P [1] https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-display-tracking-dots https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-d...
rodgerd 6y ago
A throwaway printer is probably your best practical option. Other than that, using a vintage dot-matrix printer with a low enough resolution (e.g. a 9-pin head) that it's unlikely to have either the smarts or the resolution needed to make this work. Of course, this just means that if you are conspicuously buying a curated collection of vintage printers, you're providing another type of evidence.
- emehrkay 6y ago
  Imagine The Wire episode when Presbo tells McNulty, Daniels, and Lester that the C-level execs were printing out their instructions on burner printers
bobbylarrybobby 6y ago
Maybe you could 3D print a plate containing the document you want to print, raised and mirrored (like a printing press, but without movable type), and then ink the plate and press it onto a blank piece of paper.
- sigkill 6y ago
  I mean, at this point, might as well just 3d print a moveable type...
hguant 6y ago
Type writer, mimeograph, stencils - if you're just doing text or intend for large distribution. Buy a cheap printer with cash, from a location several hundred kilometers from you. Go to a non-local Staples, FedEx, Kinkos with a USB stick, pay with cash for copies/printing. Better yet, pay someone else to do it for you.
Anunayj 6y ago
Also i'd like to mention https://github.com/dfd-tud/deda https://github.com/dfd-tud/deda

peddling-brink 6y ago

Or a non-fancy laser printer?

xiii1408 6y ago

EFF seems to think that all modern laser printers have some form of tracking dots, whether or not they've actually been able to detect them [1]. They don't say anything about inkjet, though. Unclear if this is because of a fundamental limitation of inkjet printers, lack of interest, or just because inkjet printers kind of suck compared to laser. :P [1] https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-display-tracking-dots https://www.eff.org/pages/list-printers-which-do-or-do-not-d...

rodgerd 6y ago

A throwaway printer is probably your best practical option. Other than that, using a vintage dot-matrix printer with a low enough resolution (e.g. a 9-pin head) that it's unlikely to have either the smarts or the resolution needed to make this work. Of course, this just means that if you are conspicuously buying a curated collection of vintage printers, you're providing another type of evidence.

emehrkay 6y ago
Imagine The Wire episode when Presbo tells McNulty, Daniels, and Lester that the C-level execs were printing out their instructions on burner printers

bobbylarrybobby 6y ago

Maybe you could 3D print a plate containing the document you want to print, raised and mirrored (like a printing press, but without movable type), and then ink the plate and press it onto a blank piece of paper.

sigkill 6y ago
I mean, at this point, might as well just 3d print a moveable type...

hguant 6y ago

Type writer, mimeograph, stencils - if you're just doing text or intend for large distribution. Buy a cheap printer with cash, from a location several hundred kilometers from you. Go to a non-local Staples, FedEx, Kinkos with a USB stick, pay with cash for copies/printing. Better yet, pay someone else to do it for you.

Anunayj 6y ago

Also i'd like to mention https://github.com/dfd-tud/deda https://github.com/dfd-tud/deda