A swipe scanner comprising: (a) a printhead for printing a position-coding pattern onto a surface; (b) an ink supply containing an ink for printing the position-coding pattern; (c) a first image sensor positioned for imaging portions of the surface on which the printhead has printed during a swipe of the surface, each imaged portion containing part of the position-coding pattern printed by the printhead during the swipe; (c) a second image sensor for capturing, during the swipe, portions of a graphic image pre-printed on the surface; and (d) a processor. The processor is configured for: determining absolute positions of the swipe scanner using the parts of the position-coding pattern; using the absolute positions to control an output of the printhead during the swipe; and using the absolute positions to assemble the captured portions of the graphic image into a scanned graphic image.