Patent ID: 8270036

Claim:
A variable data addition method, comprising: generating an original image; defining at least two sub-sections of the original image to transform individually; and applying a different reversible transformation to each of the defined at least two sub-sections, thereby altering the original image to form an altered image that is non-readable until an inverse of each of the different reversible transformations is applied to the respective transformed at least two sub-sections of the altered image; wherein each of the steps is performed by a processor executing computer readable code embodied on a non-transitory, computer readable medium wherein steganographic information is not added to the image, and wherein the method further comprises recording a metric set for each of the at least two sub-sections in a secure registry, each metric set including at least one characteristic of the respective at least two sub-sections, the at least one characteristic selected from histogram information for at least one of cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green or blue; hue/saturation/intensity histograms; frequency information; halftone patterning; halftone frequencies; palette; gamut; connected-component region size; connected-component region shape; distribution after analysis; printed dot density; printed dot color; printed dot orientation; printed dot shape; printed dot size; relative spacing of dots used in printing; absolute spacing of dots used in printing; and combinations thereof.