Talk:Printer tracking dots

Requested move 21 June 2024

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) BilledMammal (talk) 08:48, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

Machine Identification Code → Printer tracking dots – or. Several sources (and the Wikipedia article) refer to these patterns as "tracking dots" or "printer tracking dots", but I have found only one that refers to them as a "machine identification code" (MIC). The one organization that used the MIC term (the Electronic Frontier Foundation) uses lowercase, not title case, and it also does not use the same term consistently (it also calls them "DocuColor tracking dots", "tracking dots", "printer tracking dots", "printer dots", "yellow dots of mystery", "tracking codes", etc.). Ngram analysis shows "tracking dots" more popular than "machine identification code". The Ngram chart also shows substantial pre-2004 use of "machine identification code", which means that the term is also used for other unrelated topics, since the widespread use of these codes wasn't publicly known until 2004. The 2004 PC World article just calls them a "hidden code". I think including "printer" in the name can help make the topic recognizable and clear, since there doesn't seem to really be a very dominant name for the subject. The one possible downside I see for using "printer" in the name is that it could lead to the impression that the codes are used only generated by printers, whereas they are apparently also produced by copiers (although most recent copiers are also printers). —⁠ ⁠BarrelProof (talk) 19:05, 21 June 2024 (UTC)


 * Support Printer tracking dots, I know Tracking dots is more concise, but is too vague as just an article title. —Locke Cole • t • c 19:50, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.