A method of verifying an identity of an unverified printed item, the method comprising: on an image capturing device, capturing an image of the unverified printed item, wherein the unverified printed item includes artifacts and at least some of the artifacts were not controllably producible in producing the unverified printed item; on a processor: extracting information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item; ranking the information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item according to magnitude; retrieving stored ranked information associated with artifacts of an original printed item from a storage device; in a first range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item; in a second range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item, wherein the second range includes magnitudes lower than a lowest magnitude in the first range; and when a difference between the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item and the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original item is greater for the second range than for the first range by more than a threshold amount, identifying the unverified printed item as a copy. on an image capturing device, capturing an image of the unverified printed item, wherein the unverified printed item includes artifacts and at least some of the artifacts were not controllably producible in producing the unverified printed item; on a processor: extracting information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item; ranking the information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item according to magnitude; retrieving stored ranked information associated with artifacts of an original printed item from a storage device; in a first range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item; in a second range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item, wherein the second range includes magnitudes lower than a lowest magnitude in the first range; and when a difference between the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item and the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original item is greater for the second range than for the first range by more than a threshold amount, identifying the unverified printed item as a copy. extracting information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item; ranking the information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item according to magnitude; retrieving stored ranked information associated with artifacts of an original printed item from a storage device; in a first range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item; in a second range of magnitudes, comparing the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item with the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original printed item, wherein the second range includes magnitudes lower than a lowest magnitude in the first range; and when a difference between the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the unverified printed item and the ranked information associated with the artifacts of the original item is greater for the second range than for the first range by more than a threshold amount, identifying the unverified printed item as a copy.