Hello everyone. This is my first visit to this forum and it is a long shot, but it's the best place I could think of that maybe I could find an answer to my question.
I have a friend that received a threatening paper print via mail and he took it ver seriously, so, he is determined to find out who it is.
I am positive I have seen a documentary in the past explaining how sensitive information can be retrieved from a paper print, like the printers make, model, serial number - I don't know if any more information can be seen through a print. So, I was thinking if we had access to such information - especially the serial number, he could trace the owner with a court order by contacting the company manufacturer.
I hope I don't sound ridiculous with all the above; none of my hi-tech friends ever heard anything similar, so after a few hours search I ended up here.
So! Can someone inform me if what I am asking is possible, and if so, who can I contact to help? How is this done?
Hello,
Usually - except for warranty issues or special distribution practices, neither the manufacturer nor a reseller does have precise information about who owns a particular printer device. So the printer doesn't lead you anywhere.
Indeed, printers give some clues when seized at a suspect's facility and compared to the incriminating printout.
The most obvious artifact on printouts are dot matrices in light yellow printed e.g. by some color laser printers. They may indicate the printer's model, serial number and job counts.
However, such marks aren't necessary to identify a printer in high probability as the device used for a particular printout. There are attrition dependent artifacts from the application of ink or toner to the paper and from its mechanical transport through the printer. They are seldomly "unique", but the fact that they can be reproduced best with the same printer, is a fairly reliable hint.
I am positive I have seen a documentary in the past explaining how sensitive information can be retrieved from a paper print, like the printers make, model, serial number - I don't know if any more information can be seen through a print.
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