An image processing apparatus includes a data analyzing part, and a data generating part. The data analyzing part is configured to refer to original image data for generating a printed material utilizing a first consumable material absorbing a larger amount of visible light than invisible light and a second consumable material absorbing a larger amount of invisible light than visible light, and to a correction data table indicating whether invisible light is absorbed for each density value regarding the first consumable material, and specify a pixel having a density value of the first consumable material and absorbing invisible light in the original image data. The data generating part is configured to correct the density value of the first consumable material in the specified pixel to a density value of a third consumable material not absorbing invisible light, to generate corrected image data.

This invention falls within the scope of steganography, i.e., encoding of information (such as a text) into other information, for example, an image. It is the object of this invention a computational method for generating at least one image with coded information comprising the steps of: i) associating an information to be coded to a plurality of graphic elements, each of the graphic elements consisting of a symbol out of a plurality of symbols, thus generating a pattern of graphic elements and ii) generating at least one image comprising at least one pattern obtained from step i). This method introduces a consistent and highly flexible way of encoding information into an image. Additionally, this invention has also as object a system associated to the said method, images obtained from the said method, as well as a reading method and system thereof.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an image reading portion, an analysis processing portion, a generation processing portion, and a printing processing portion. The image forming portion forms an image on a paper sheet. The image reading portion reads a first image from a printed side of a used paper sheet supplied from a sheet feed portion. The analysis processing portion analyzes content of the first image read by the image reading portion. The generation processing portion generates, based on the content of the first image analyzed by the analysis processing portion, a second image that degrades visibility of the first image when the second image is superimposed on the first image. The printing processing portion causes the image forming portion to execute a printing process such that the second image generated by the generation processing portion is superimposed on the first image on the printed side.

A method is provided of digitally imaging a secure portion and a non-secure portion of scratch-off-coating protected documents of at least one game using middleware. The method includes: (a) generating the secure variable indicia in non-vector raster format; (b) generating vector graphics to be imaged on physical document locations; (c) assigning the secure variable indicia in a non-vector raster format to documents in and shuffling the documents throughout a print run; and (d) linking via middleware the secure variable indicia in the non-vector raster format to associated vector graphics variable indicia to be digitally imaged on the documents and to generate vector graphics-formatted data for each document in the print run. The secure variable indicia assignment and shuffling are executed by non-vector raster game generation software output that is reinterpreted by the middleware to produce related vector graphic output for the secure variable indicia.

The present disclosure relates generally to encoding signals for spot colors. In one implementation a substitute spot color+CMY tint is selected to replace an original spot color. The CMY tint can be transformed to carry an encoded signal. Of course, other features, combinations and technology are described herein.

Methods and apparatuses for watermark embedding and extracting are provided. A method for watermark embedding includes obtaining a carrier object and watermark information to be embedded in the carrier object; generating at least one encoding region including the watermark information according to the watermark information, the at least one encoding region including a plurality of template lattices; obtaining a watermark image according to the at least one encoding region; and embedding the watermark image in the carrier object.

A watermark image may be generated that includes a first set of encoded pixels each of which is assigned a first transparency value and a second set of encoded pixels each of which is assigned a second transparency value, the second transparency level being different from the first transparency level. The encoded pixels may be distributed among a set of blank pixels such that each encoded pixel neighbors one or more blank pixels in the watermark image, and in particular at least two blank pixels in the watermark image. Herein, each blank pixel may be assigned the second transparency value. The watermark image may be overlaid and blended over a background source image to create an encoded source image. A decoder system may recover encoded information from the encoded source image.

A method for encoding information within a feature of a document. The method includes at least one computer processors determining information to encode within a document. The method further includes identifying a feature within the document to encode information within based, at least in part, on metadata of the document corresponding to the feature. The method further includes determining a set of geometric properties of one or more segments of the identified feature. The method further includes encoding, by one or more computer processors, a first bit of information of the determined information within a first segment of the feature within the document by modifying one or more geometric properties respectively associated with the first segment. The method further includes outputting the document with information encoded within the first segment.

A method is provided of digitally imaging a secure portion and a non-secure portion of scratch-off-coating protected documents of at least one game using middleware. The method includes: (a) generating the secure variable indicia in non-vector raster format; (b) generating vector graphics to be imaged on physical document locations; (c) assigning the secure variable indicia in a non-vector raster format to documents in and shuffling the documents throughout a print run; and (d) linking via middleware the secure variable indicia in the non-vector raster format to associated vector graphics variable indicia to be digitally imaged on the documents and to generate vector graphics-formatted data for each document in the print run. The secure variable indicia assignment and shuffling are executed by non-vector raster game generation software output that is reinterpreted by the middleware to produce related vector graphic output for the secure variable indicia.

The present disclosure relates generally to encoding signals for spot colors. In one implementation a substitute spot color+CMY tint is selected to replace an original spot color. The CMY tint can be transformed to carry an encoded signal. Of course, other features, combinations and technology are described herein.