A knowledge base of questions and answers about the Digimarc Discover™ Online Services Portal.
These FAQs were updated February 14, 2012.
General
Embedding and Printing
Mobile Application
General FAQs
What is the Digimarc Discover Online Services Portal?
The Online Services Portal is an easy, affordable service to enable print to deliver enriched content and interactive advertising to today's smartphones. Digimarc has created this web-based service for publishers, agencies, advertisers, and others to embed digital watermarks into images or behind text, with the ability to manage projects online and track results in real time. Once embedded into printed materials, the imperceptible digital watermarks can easily be detected by today's most popular smartphones — delivering a wide range of new, rich media experiences to consumers.
What browsers does the Online Services Portal support?
- Internet Explorer 8 and 9
- Firefox 9 and 10
- Google Chrome (latest)
- Safari 4 and 5
While older system configurations may work, they are not supported.
What operating systems are supported?
- Windows Vista and Windows 7
- Mac 10.6 and 10.7
What is a Service?
A service is essentially the process of linking a printed image or text block to a rich payoff of your choosing. For example, linking a car video to a specific car ad would be considered a service. There are two key components that make a service: The watermarked image that will be printed, and the saved URL or payoff that the printed image will link to.
What is a Project Folder?
A Project Folder is really just a folder to help you organize your services. It can represent a magazine edition, a newspaper section, or a specific client. You should choose a naming convention that best suits your workflow or processes. Each Project Folder will contain one or more services.
What time does my service become active?
The time used for all services on the portal is based on the UTC (Universal Time Coordinated).
What happens when my service expires?
Once your service duration has come to an end, it will move into an expired state. At this time, the link will not be active and users that interact with that service will be directed to an error page. If you want to make that service active again without having to start over, all you have to do is select the option to "Renew" the service directly from the Services List page and complete the Renew process.
Is there an implementation guide available for download?
Yes, to download the Digimarc Discovoer Online Services Portal Implementation Guide, click here.
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Embedding and Printing FAQs
What version of Java is required to run the Digimarc Discover Embedder?
Version 6 update 22 (1.6.0_22) or later is required to run the embedder application.
What factors may affect the performance of the Digimarc Discover Embedder?
CPU speed, available RAM and internet connection will directly affect the embedder's performance.
How do I get the Digimarc Discover Embedder to load?
Depending on which browser you are using, it may have prevented you from downloading and running the embedder application. Please see if your browser is detailed in the following steps to ensure that the embedder will load.
Internet Explorer for Windows:
The embedder may load automatically, but if not, choose "Open" once the download and verification process has finished.
Mozilla Firefox for Windows:
Please select the "Open with" option and from the drop down window, then choose the Java Web Start Launcher if not already selected and click "OK" and wait for the embedder to load. The first time loading the application may take longer than usual, but future loads will be much faster. The speed will depend on your networks and internet settings.
Safari for Mac:
You should receive a dialog box asking for permission for the Digimarc Discover Embedder to access your computer. Please choose "Allow" to enable the embedder application to load. To skip this message in the future, check the box to "Allow all applications from 'portal.digimarc.net' with this signature."
How do I test the watermark after I set up the service?
Digimarc recommends that you print your image on a proofing device that closely represents the final output printer. Use highest quality settings to get the best results. Once you have your image watermarked, then printed, you can use the free Digimarc Discover reader to read the watermark. Simply launch the application on your mobile device and focus on an area in the image from about 5 inches away. Once you hear the sound, that means the watermark has been detected and the device will be linked to the URL that was entered for that image. Digimarc Discover is available for free from both the iTunes App Store and the Android Market.
How much can I scale the image without impacting the watermark?
You can scale your final image by +/- 10%. This means that you can scale up to 110% or down to 90% of the original size when the image was watermarked. Any more than this will start impacting the detectability of your image when printed.
- Scaling your image below 90% will reduce the number of smartphones that can resolve your watermark, including and up to making your watermark unreadable.
- Scaling your image beyond 110% requires re-education of your audience to hold the smartphone further back to detect your enlarged watermark.
What does the embedder support for Image resolution or DPI?
Digital watermarking for smartphones is intended for printed output and has minimum image resolution requirements to ensure reasonable image quality. Within the embedder, you may click on "Image Info" to assign a valid print size and image resolution.
- The minimum resolution for commercial printing is 150 DPI.
- The minimum resolution for newsprint is 120 DPI.
How does each color space work with the digital watermark?
- CMYK — The watermark is optimized for printing commercially in color images. Commercial color printing typically involves using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks, often referred to as CMYK or 4C (color) process. CMYK images prepared for commercial printing, especially SWOP US Web standards, should watermark well if they meet the image selection guidelines.
- RGB — Red, Green, and Blue light waves are used by displays to project images and by digital cameras to capture images. RGB has a much greater range of colors than CMYK, which may or may not be available when printed. The process of converting an RGB image into a printed image varies by each user's set-up. Due to this variation we cannot calibrate the embedder to provide consistently optimal results with RGB images.
- Grayscale — A single channel image has only black and white data available to be digitally watermarked. Often watermarks in grayscale images may be more noticeable. This is due to less available image data for the watermark to be embedded into.
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Mobile Application FAQs
Will the Digimarc Discover mobile application read my Digimarc for Images watermarks?
Digimarc for Images (DFI) watermarks are not compatible with the Digimarc Discover reader. DFI watermarks are intended for web usage and are not intended to survive when printed.
How do I read digital watermarks using the Digimarc Discover app?
- First, you must have printed material containing embedded digital signals. You can create these using the Digimarc Discover Online Services Portal or for examples you can check out immediately, go to the demo materials page on your Mac or PC and print the samples on your color printer, using the highest quality settings.
- Install and launch the Digimarc Discover app on your device. To find and detect embedded digital signals in printed material, the app must be in "Discover" mode. In Discover mode, the camera's video preview will be active.
- In a well lit area, hold your phone parallel to the printed page, starting about 3-6 inches (7-15 cm) away. If it doesn't detect the signal right away, slowly move the phone toward the printed piece until you hear the sound or feel the vibration indicating the digital signal was read. It is important to wait for the phone's camera to attain focus. The reading distance is usually between 3 to 6 inches (7 to 15 cm), depending on the phone you are using.
- You will see an icon appear, indicating that the app has detected a digital signal. Press that icon to connect to the network service or web site associated with the printed piece.
I cannot read digital watermarks in the sample image. What's wrong?
- It is important to hold the device at the correct distance from the printed page. This distance varies from phone to phone. If you start 6 inches (15 cm) away and slowly move closer, you should read the watermark between 3 and 6 inches (7 and 15 cm). Also, be sure to allow time for the camera to focus on the printed piece and for the auto-exposure to adjust to the lighting.
- Good lighting is also important. A general rule is if your eyes can read the printed page without straining, the phone should be able to detect the digital signals. A well-lit page with no shadows reads best.
- The phone should be held parallel to the print. The app works best when the phone is not tilted at an angle.
- If the print is on glossy stock, try to position the print away from the direct light source to reduce any glare.
- Make sure that you are positioning the phone to point at the center of the printed area you are interested in and not around the edges or corners. The digital watermarks are usually placed throughout the image or article, but not in the margins, borders or other white space areas.
- It should only take a few attempts before you learn how to position your phone for the best results.
Do I need to be connected to the Internet to use the Digimarc Discover app?
Yes, the Digimarc Discover app requires a connection to the Internet to link to enhanced content and to share links with friends. Either your carrier's wireless network or a WiFi connection will work well.
Why doesn't my app allow me to use the flash illumination control? My friend has the Digimarc Discover app and she can turn on the flash with her phone.
Not all phones have a flash LED. For example, the iPhone 3GS does not have a flash LED. Android phones vary in their support of flash illumination. Even if a phone has a flash LED, it may not allow software developers to use it consistently. If a phone's flash driver doesn't work properly, Digimarc Discover will not show the flash illumination control on its user interface.
Why does my Apple device have trouble with Digimarc's app?
We encourage iPhone users to upgrade their software when prompted by Apple for the best app experience: The current Digimarc Discover app supports the current major release of iOS (4.3), plus one minor version back (4.2).
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