Color Copiers

["Peter Capek (TL-863-6721)" <capek@watson.ibm.com>]

I suspect the desire to have color copiers "attended" is more a matter of
controlling cost than anything else.  I heard some years ago that the
Secret Service had asked manufacturers who were working on color copiers to
"strut their stuff" and demonstrate the best copies they could make of
US currency.  The SS was aghast at the results, and I believe these results
were at least part of the motivation for the anti-counterfeiting measures
recently introduced, such as the microprinting on $50 and $100 bills.  There
is also alleged to have been an effort by the government to degrade the
quality the machines could deliver, or to make "equal size" copying unavailable
(and provide only 5% reduction/increase at a minimum).  Apparently Xerox said
something to the effect of "Nothing doing; we worked for years to get it this
good and aren't going to degrade it to solve your problem."  Amen.

            Peter Capek