Machine Identification Code is a digital watermark technology implemented by most major color laser printer manufacturers since the 1990s.

A closer look

Machine Identification Code is a digital watermark technology implemented by most major color laser printer manufacturers since the 1990s. The hardware secretly prints microscopic yellow dots on every single page that encode the printer's serial number and the exact date and time the document was created. Originally designed to help the secret service track down counterfeiters printing fake currency, it means every resume or passive-aggressive office memo you print carries a permanent forensic fingerprint. It is incredibly reassuring to know that the exact same machine that refuses to print a black-and-white text document because it is slightly low on cyan ink is somehow running a flawless, government-grade surveillance protocol in the background without a single glitch