In our wildest spy fantasies, in addition to the any number of ruses employed by undercover agents, is the use of invisible ink to communicate covert messages in plain sight of the enemy. But while our part in the drama may be fantasy, the use of invisible ink in a variety of forms is very real; its uses ranging from the commonplace to the extraordinary.
Invisible ink is used within the confines of any ordinary writing device. The message is written on ordinary paper; once the ink dries it is no longer visible to the naked eye. The method used to make the message visible again depends on the type of invisible ink used at the start. These methods fall into several generally accepted varieties:
The method that most people associate with invisible ink is that which is developed under the use of ultraviolet light. This can often be seen in the way of hand stamps used for readmission to amusement parks, night clubs, and the like. What is not visible to the naked eye suddenly glows under a UV light.
Another type of invisible ink is acidic fluid of any type, such as wine, orange juice, or even milk. Once water is added, the fluid becomes a type of invisible ink...