Print Shield
$29 one time
Pay once, no subscription. Find the Dots and Check My Printers stay free after the trial.
Download the free trial (22 MB - free 30-day trial) · The guide (PDF)
Runs on Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.
All programs › Print Shield
Privacy
Print Shield: finds the secret tracking dots your printer hides - and covers them up.
Most color laser printers sign every page with a pattern of tiny yellow dots you can't see - a code that can hold the printer's serial number and the date and time it printed. Print Shield finds the dots on a scan, prints a cover pattern over them so they can't be read, and cleans the hidden information (GPS location, camera, author, company) out of your photos, PDFs, and Office files.
What it does
Print Shield features
Find the Dots
Scan a printed page in color and open it. Print Shield circles every tracking dot it finds and shows you a close-up.
Hide the Dots
Makes a "(shielded)" copy of any PDF or picture with thousands of faint yellow cover dots, so the printer's own pattern is lost in the crowd.
Clean Files
Takes out the GPS location, camera, author, company, and dates hidden in JPG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
Check My Printers
Lists your printers and tells you which kind each one is - color lasers almost always print dots; black-and-white lasers can't.
Test page
Makes a test page to print and scan, so you know for sure what your printer does.
Your originals are safe
Every result is a new file. Nothing you pick is ever changed.
Price and download
Get Print Shield
Questions
Common questions about Print Shield
Can it turn the dots off?
No program can. The dots are made inside the printer itself. Print Shield finds them, covers them so they can't be read, and cleans your files. For the most privacy, print on a black-and-white laser printer - it has no yellow toner.
Do I need a scanner?
Only to find the dots. Hiding them and cleaning files work without one.
Which printers print tracking dots?
Almost all color laser printers and color copiers. Black-and-white lasers can't, and most inkjets don't use the yellow dot pattern.
Is it legal?
Yes - it's a privacy tool. It doesn't touch the features that stop printers from copying money, and it must never be used to copy money, checks, or IDs.
What happens after the trial?
Find the Dots and Check My Printers stay free. A key ($29 one time) lets you keep hiding dots and cleaning files.
Who makes it?
Needful Things Software is the home PC and personal finance line of Heirloom Software LLC of Williamsburg, Kentucky. Call or text (606) 521-7093 or email info@needfulthingssoftware.com - a real person answers.