Method of embedding optical security feature using virtual printer and security feature service

摘要

A method for embedding an optical security feature in a digital document with a virtual printer and a security feature service and then sending the digital document to a hardware printer.

主权项

1. A method of printing, comprising:
providing a print job for a hardware printer, wherein the print job includes print data for printing a document and is in a print format; sending the print job to a virtual printer; reformatting the print job from the print format to an intermediate format using the virtual printer; sending the print job in the intermediate format from the virtual printer to a security feature service provided as a separate application from the virtual printer and installed on a different machine than the virtual printer, via a network protocol; using the security service feature to dynamically generate an optical security feature during run-time and to embed the optical security feature into the print job in the intermediate format independently of a user that provides the print job; reformatting the print job with the embedded optical security feature from the intermediate format to the print format; sending the print job with the embedded optical security feature from the security feature service to the virtual printer via the network protocol; sending the print job with the embedded optical security feature in the print format from the virtual printer to a hardware printer; and printing the document based on the print job with the embedded optical security feature in the print format using the hardware printer, wherein the printed document includes the print data and the embedded optical security feature.