1. A method for encoding information on a printed page comprising: generating a set of color patches, each having a unique color; printing the set of color patches; scanning the printed color patches to identify color values for each patch in the set of patches; for each patch, associating the identified color values with a datum value in a data structure; printing a page which includes a patch code, the patch code including selected ones of the set of color patches for conveying information about the printed page; scanning the printed page to identify the color values for the color patches in the patch code; accessing the data structure to identify the data values for the identified color values of the patches in the patch code; and determining information about the printed page from the identified data values.