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Forensic check

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR appears on 0.4% of modified results in our corpus. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it.

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Marker profile

Generator Fingerprinting

Evidence of an earlier production history behind the current file.

Share of modified results
0.4%
Frequency rank
#33
Among the 56 markers seen in modified results
Certain confidence
64.3%
Of results with this marker rated certain rather than high
Fires alone
2.4%
Results where it is the only marker found

Marker profile

What HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR tells you

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR is one of the named findings returned in modification_markers when a PDF is reported as modified. It belongs to the Generator Fingerprinting group of checks. These checks compare the software a file claims to come from with what the file itself shows about how it was produced.

On 2.4% of the modified results that carry HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR it is the only marker. A result with this marker carries 4.0 markers on average. It is most often found together with HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE, on 64.3% of these results.

Example API response

How it appears in a result

When a PDF is reported as modified, HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR is listed in modification_markers next to the verdict and its confidence. Each marker is a named, actionable finding – not a score.

GET /api/v1/result/{id}
{
  "id": "9f3a2c1d-8b47-4e6f-a012-3d5e7f890123",
  "status": "modified",
  "modification_confidence": "high",
  "modification_markers": [
    "HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR"
  ],
  "creator": "Adobe Acrobat Pro DC",
  "has_incremental_updates": true,
  "page_count": 3
}

Full schema in the API reference →

Distributions

What ships alongside HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR

The tools, formats and document traits that appear on the modified results carrying this marker. Shares are of those results.

Common Producers

macOS Print to PDF writes 21.4% of these results – and 1.6% of all modified results naming it carry this marker.

macOS Print to PDF1.6% of its modified21.4%
iText0.8% of its modified19.0%

Common Creators

Chrome (Print to PDF) is the Creator on 9.5% of these results.

Chrome (Print to PDF)3.5% of its modified9.5%

Often found together with

HTPBE_DATES_DISAGREE sits next to HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR more often than any other marker.

Document origin

Institutional54.8%
Consumer software31.0%
Scanned7.1%
Unknown7.1%

Creator → Producer pairs

Chrome (Print to PDF) → macOS Print to PDF9.5%

Detected origin software

macOS / iOS (Quartz)21.4%
Browser (Print to PDF)7.1%

Confidence of the verdict

Certain64.3%
High35.7%

When these results were checked

April 202645.2%
June 20269.5%
August 20264.8%
September 202628.6%
October 202611.9%

Document length

1 page47.6%
2–5 pages38.1%
6–20 pages14.3%

File size

Under 100 KB38.1%
100 KB – 1 MB59.5%
1 – 5 MB2.4%

PDF versions

PDF 1.745.2%
PDF 1.533.3%
PDF 1.621.4%

Year the document says it was created

202523.8%
202666.7%

Long tail

Notable observations

Smaller cuts of the results carrying HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR – useful context, but treat each row as a single data point rather than a strong signal.

Digitally signed
0%

Of files carry at least one digital signature

Saved revisions
47.6%

Of files contain earlier saved revisions

Embedded JavaScript
0%

Of files contain JavaScript code

Embedded files
4.8%

Of files have attachments inside

Avg pages per document
2.6
Markers per result
4.0

Average number of markers on these results

Related checks

Other Generator Fingerprinting checks

Checks from the same group. Each card links to its own reference page.

HTPBE_TOOL_VS_STRUCTURE_MISMATCHStructural evidence that contradicts the file’s stated origin
Share of modified14.8%
Seen together19.0%
HTPBE_FONT_VS_TOOL_MISMATCHFont handling that points to a different producer
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_EDITING_TOOL_FINGERPRINTFingerprints of PDF editing software
Share of modified5.2%
Seen together9.5%
HTPBE_DOCUMENT_RESTAMPED_AFTER_CREATIONDocument re-saved by another tool after its original creation
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_ONLINE_EDITOR_ORIGINSigns of processing by an online PDF editing or conversion service
Share of modified2.2%
HTPBE_SELECTIVE_IDENTITY_EDITOrigin information partly removed or edited
Share of modified0.3%
HTPBE_IDENTITY_OVERWRITTENOrigin information replaced with that of different software
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_UNKNOWN_IDENTITY_CLAIMMetadata showing signs of having been rewritten
Share of modified1.5%
Seen together19.0%
HTPBE_SCRIPTING_ON_REEMITTEDActive scripting added to the document after its original creation
Share of modified<0.1%
HTPBE_LAYERED_IDENTITY_DISAGREEMENTClaims about the producing software that do not hold up
Share of modified0.5%
HTPBE_IMPOSSIBLE_TOOL_PIPELINEAn implausible chain of production softwareHTPBE_IDENTITY_BLANKEDIdentifying details stripped from the document after production
Share of modified14.5%
HTPBE_DESIGN_TEMPLATE_ASSEMBLYPage content composed from separately produced parts
Share of modified16.5%
Seen together31.0%
HTPBE_ALTERED_TYPEFACE_IDENTITYA font whose identity appears alteredHTPBE_TOOLCHAIN_DEFAULT_METADATA_RESIDUETraces of other software in the document’s productionHTPBE_PRINT_PIPELINE_TAMPERINGSigns of alteration in a document that was re-printed to PDFHTPBE_FONT_LAYER_INCONSISTENT_WITH_ISSUERTypography indicating the document was not produced by its stated issuer
Share of modified0.1%
HTPBE_PRODUCER_IDENTITY_FORGEDFabricated origin details that misstate how the document was produced
Share of modified0.1%

FAQ

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR: common questions

What does HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR mean?

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR is a named finding in an HTPBE? result: evidence of an earlier production history behind the current file. It is returned in the modification_markers list of a modified result and belongs to the Generator Fingerprinting group of checks.

Does HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR mean the document is fake?

No. A marker is evidence about the file, not a judgement about the person who sent it. It records that the file shows this pattern; it does not say why, and it does not assess what the document states. Read it together with the verdict and any other markers on the same result.

What should I do when a result contains HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR?

Ask the sender for the original file straight from the issuing system, or request a fresh copy from the issuer. Check whether the document went through a later step such as re-saving, merging or converting, and verify it with the issuer before relying on it for a decision.

How common is HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR?

HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR appears on 0.4% of the modified results in the HTPBE? corpus. The corpus consists of PDFs people chose to submit for checking, so it skews towards documents someone had a reason to doubt and is not a sample of all PDFs.

Where do I see HTPBE_RESIDUAL_PRIOR_GENERATOR?

In the modification_markers list of the result returned by the HTPBE? API, and on the result page of a modified document. Other checks in the Generator Fingerprinting group are listed below on this page; all 63 checks are listed on the how-it-works page.

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