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Presumably they were simpler-minded fifteen years ago; either that, or the art major's high-end printer was a lot higher-end than it seemed.



Actually the cheap ones were really naff and relied on correctly sized notes and a mask and backlight with a couple of phototransistors.

A pretty picture cut to the right size would work. I think it was enough to prevent casual errors rather than strict validation.


These are Japanese machines. The US and Swiss makers are optical.

There's been consolidation in the industry, so there's really only the US and JAP makers left, and the US maker (MEI) is so far ahead of the rest of the world, there's no point.


Or a third option: the story is fiction.


Well, you'll look at it how you please, and I'll do likewise.




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