PaperBack - print data files

[JohnW]

I stumbled across PaperBack recently.
I would have dismissed it as absurd but it's written by the author of OllyDbg which is a formidable program.

So what is it?

It's a backup program which allows you to backup files to ordinary paper.
The author quotes 3 Megabytes of packed code per A4 page using a 600 dpi Laser printer.
Ink jet printers can be used but unsurprisingly are not as good.
Data is reclaimed using a scanner.

If interested, the site is ...

Code: Select all

http://www.ollydbg.de/

Actually, I don't expect to be using this but weird and imaginative apps appeal to me (and I suspect that they do to some others on this forum!)

[guinness]

Yeh I remember this now. I just download and played around with it, somehow it didn't like making a printable version of ClamWin. (I should have tested with something a little smaller ) I was using doPDF not a real printer!!

Despite the authors sense of humor, I think its great for security purposes. If Joe Bloggs came across paper with black and white blocks they would probably regard as just gobbledygook, unaware it contained details to a bank account.

Good find.

[Andrew Lee]

Yeh I remember this now. I just download and played around with it, somehow it didn't like making a printable version of ClamWin. (I should have tested with something a little smaller ) I was using doPDF not a real printer!!

You can use anything that utilizes lossy compression (I think PDF will store the bitmap in JPEG format).

I tried it on my inkjet printer at 200api on a smallish document (200KB) and it worked (lots of error blocks detected during scanning though).

[webfork]

An alternative to PaperBack is the very ubiquitous and survivable QR codes. They can contain up to 2,953 bytes of binary data. Maybe a series of QR codes could be setup for larger data sets?

On a related note: What Size Should A Printed QR Code Be?

The idea came from a QRCode program that makes an excellent point about QR codes: they are a great way to quickly transfer basic information between devices when lacking other means.