Abstract:
A document processable in optical alphanumeric character readers has a plurality of identical constraint character patterns printed on an untreated substrate in an improved moisture-setting or lithographic ink that is visible to the human eye as a hand printing guide to the operator but not machine-recognizable until selectable portions of the pattern are developed by a developing solution applied by a pen to create a desired one of a plurality of alphanumeric characters of an intensity recognizable by such a machine. The discontinuous pattern configuration assures sharply defined distinctive machine-recognizable characters without undesirable feathered edges or ''''tics.'''' The highly reflective developer provides no machine-recognizable image when inadvertently applied to uninked areas of the substrate.