Editing Microprinting (section)

==Production==
[[File:Engraving.jpg|thumb|Preparing a lithographic printing plate]]

Microprint of the smallest scale is only producible by hand using engraved [[offset printing]] plates or some other method of [[intaglio (printmaking)]].

[[File:MICR char.svg|thumb|MICR]]

Digital microtext printers utilize specially designed [[font]]s and ink for the purpose.  The ink used is most commonly [[MICR]] (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) toner particles but may also be [[Polyester resin|polyester]] based toners and [[styrene]] [[acrylate polymer]] based toners.  The ink is not limited to [[grayscale]] only, but may also use color toners or even more specialized toners containing dyes sensitive to [[ultraviolet]] or [[infrared]] radiation and producing [[fluorescence]] when exposed to those radiations.<ref name=us7270918b2>{{cite patent|country=US|number=7270918|status=patent|title=Printing system, process, and product with microprinting|gdate=2007-09-18|fdate=2004-11-18|pridate=2003-12-24|inventor1-first=J|inventor1-last=Blood|inventor2-first=C|inventor2-last=Leonard|inventor3-first=J|inventor3-last=Crichton|inventor4=T. Plutchak, G. Rombola|assign1=Eastman Kodak Company|url=http://www.google.nr/patents/US7270918}}</ref>

[[File:Microfont.png|thumb|right|Examples of several microfonts used in digital microprinting]]

Microprint of the scale capable by other printing methods cannot be produced by a digital printer regardless of the resolution of the device. Some digital fonts are designed specifically for the purpose of microprinting. These pseudo-microprint fonts are referred to as microtext.<ref name=us7270918b2/>

[[Xerox]] was acclaimed for developing a microtext font they claimed could produce characters 1/100 of an inch tall<ref name=xerox>{{cite web|url=http://www.xerox.com/innovation/news-stories/microtext/enus.html|title=Xerox Scientists Develop Microtext Font; Digitally Printing Tiny Words And Numbers Will Help Make Documents More Secure|publisher=Xerox Corporation|access-date=2015-10-05}}</ref> (equivalent to 0.72 [[Point (typography)|points]]).<ref name=inchpoint>{{NIST-PD|article=Conversion Factors for Science, Engineering, and Industrial Terms|url=ftp://ftp.nist.gov/pub/dataplot/other/reference/CONVFACT.TXT|accessdate=2015-10-05}}
</ref>

In April 2015, Videojet Technologies released their 1650 High Resolution (HR) and 1620 HR Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) printers, said to be capable of printing sub-pixel size characters as small as 0.6&nbsp;mm in height (equivalent to 1.70079 points). The printers use a 40-[[Micrometre|micron]] nozzle that outputs more than 100,000 drops per second of ink. While these printers make microprinting faster and easier to produce digitally, they still have not reached the true sub-pixel size of less than 1 point.<ref name=videojet>{{cite press release|url=http://www.pmpnews.com/news/enhanced-microprinting-technology-featured-latest-videojet-1000-series-release-150410|publisher=UBM Canon|title=Enhanced Microprinting Technology Featured in Latest Videojet 1000 Series Release|last1=Anderson|date=2015-04-09|access-date=2015-10-07}}</ref>

The smallest scale microtext a laser printer can produce is 0.5&nbsp;pt.<ref name=troy>{{cite web|url=http://www.troygroup.com/contact/downloads/TROY_Microprint_Whitepaper_011609.pdf|title=A Comparison of Laser Printed Microprint Fonts and Practical Considerations for Use in Prescriptions|date=16 Jan 2009|page=3|access-date=2015-10-05|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008060618/http://www.troygroup.com/contact/downloads/TROY_Microprint_Whitepaper_011609.pdf|archive-date=2015-10-08}}</ref>