A system and method which enables the location and orientation of an image to be determined without introducing scanning artifacts into the rendered image. The system utilizes a separate set of sensors on a scanning bar that are sensitive to a wavelength of light outside the range of wavelengths of the typical sensors found on the scanning bar, such as red, green, or blue. Moreover, the system includes a light source which is capable of emitting the wavelength of light that is outside this range of wavelength of light. Thus, whenever the additional set of sensors detect light, the system would determine that the light was due to a scanning artifact, such as a hole, rip, or dog ear in the original document being scanned. Furthermore, the system would include a process which measures the variations of the image signal in the fastscan and slowscan directions, as well as, the gray level of the video signal from these various measurements, the system would develop a cost value as to the certainty as whether the signal represents a scanning artifact. In such a system, the backing would be embedded with a pattern which would have a predetermined variation in a fastscan direction but have little or no variation in a slowscan direction.