Title of Invention: FIBERS WITH SURFACE MARKINGS USED FOR CODING Abstract: Disclosed are fibers comprising one or more branded fibers which exhibit surface markings in a repeated pattern along the length of the branded fibers. The branded fibers can be incorporated into yarns or fiber bands to represent supply chain information of the yarns, fiber bands, and/or articles made from the yards or fiber bands. In a specific example, branded fibers can be incorporated into an acetate tow band The branded fibers can be recovered from a cigarette filter, the repeated pattern decoded, and supply chain information associated with the acetate tow used to make the cigarette filter, such as manufacturer, customer, ship to location, and even the acetate tow bale, can be obtained. Detailed Description: CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Divisional application of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 14/748,865 filed on Jun. 24, 2015 which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/018,182, filed Jun. 27, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/105,011, filed Jan. 19, 2015, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/164,135, filed May 20, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD This present disclosure relates to fibers, a fiber band, or a yarn containing branded fibers. The branded fibers can exhibit a repeated pattern of surface markings. The repeated pattern of surface markings can correlate to supply chain information of the fiber band or yarn. The present disclosure also relates to the method for making and characterizing the fiber band or yarn containing the branded fibers. Characterizing of the fiber band or yarn can include isolating the branded fibers, decoding the repeated pattern of surface markings, and correlating the repeated pattern of surface markings to supply chain information. The supply chain information can be used to track the fiber band or yarn from manufacturing through intermediaries, conversion to final product, and/or the consumer. BACKGROUND Many industries have a need to mark, tag, or identify products that allows for the tracking and tracing of products through the supply chain. One of the primary purposes for such track and trace systems is the combating of illicit trade such as counterfeiting and black market sales. Anti-counterfeiting measures (ACMs) can be regarded as three different types: Type I (Overt), Type I (Covert) and Type III (Forensic). Type I ACMs are features incorporated into an article that are readily identified and observable to the naked eye. Examples include watermarks, color shifting inks, colored fibers, bands, or strips incorporated into the article, and holograms. Type II ACMs are features that are incorporated into the article that require some form of instrument to identify the feature in the field. The instruments required are generally those that are readily available and transportable. Some examples include the incorporation of very small text (requiring the use of a magnifying glass), UV responsive inks or threads (requiring illumination with a UV light), and barcodes or RFID tags (requiring a specialized reader). Type II ACMs are hidden attributes that require specialized laboratory equipment to identify. Some Type II examples include nano-text, micro-taggants, DNA inks, and chemical additives. As stated above, there are many widely-used packaging and labelling taggants and anti-counterfeiting measures (ACMs) in many industries, but these more overt solutions are often susceptible to countermeasures such as destruction, modification, duplication, repackaging, or relabeling. Altering the physical features of the raw materials of a product can provide a more covert solution that is much more difficult to evade. These taggants may be used to track the fibers through the supply chain. The taggants may change the physical properties of the fibers, yarn fiber bands, and/or derivative articles in a manner that is difficult to copy or alter but is detectable using image analysis and/or other mechanical methods. There is a need to manufacture, test, and track fibers in fiber bands or yarns and their derivative articles across a wide spectrum of industries. The ability to identify the source of a fiber band, yarn and/or an article comprising the fiber band or yarn can be achieved by embedding some form of a code in the fiber(s) during the manufacturing process that can then be later identified, retrieved, and used to identify the fiber band and/or the article. Identification tags can be incorporated into the fibers, fiber band, or yarn that can denote, for example, manufacturer, manufacture site, customer, and ship-to location among other supply chain information that might be useful for the track and trace of the fiber band, yarn and/or article. The disclosed exemplary embodiments can be used, for example, to combat the continuing and growing illicit-trade problem of tobacco products, particularly cigarettes. It has been estimated that 10-12% of all cigarette sales are illicit, either counterfeit copies or sales that avoid paying excise taxes on the cigarettes (Tobacco Intemational, “Tackling Illicit Trade, Pt. I” December 2013). To combat this illicit trade requires a global effort consisting of manufacturers, distributors, regulators, and customs/law enforcement, as well as retailers who sell the cigarettes to consumers. There is a need to be able to track and ultimately trace components used in the construction of a cigarette. For example, the ability to track part of the supply chain path of acetate tow contained in the filter of a black market cigarette may give helpful information on the source of these illicit cigarettes. Manufacturers of acetate tow typically assign a bale identifier (e.g., number) to each bale of acetate tow produced. Upon assignment, the bale number is associated with supply chain components such as manufacturer, manufacturing site, manufacturing line, production run, and production date. As the bale of acetate tow moves through the supply chain, additional supply chain components such as, for example, customer and ship-to location can be associated with the bale number. In other words, acetate tow manufacturers have systems in place to track and trace some of the supply chain components for bales of acetate tow. Currently, however, an equivalent of a bale number is not encoded in the acetate tow band itself. Therefore, once the label is removed from a bale of acetate tow or the acetate tow band is converted into a filter rod or cigarette filter, the supply chain information is lost. There is a need for a traceable acetate tow that is readily manufactured, does not impact the performance of a cigarette filter, and is detectable, not only in an acetate tow band, but also in a single or a set of cigarettes/cigarette filters. There is a need for a traceable acetate tow that is readily accepted by cigarette manufacturers and consumers, such as an acetate tow that does not require adding chemicals which may impact taste and/or require regulatory approval. There is a need for traceable acetate tow that does not impact the pressure drop and yield of a cigarette filter. There is a need for traceable acetate tow that maintains its traceability when bloomed, plasticized, and formed into a filter. There is a need for traceable acetate tow that contains supply chain information including a manufacturer, the customer, or the ship-to location such that the information can be decoded from a single or a set of cigarettes. There is a further need for traceable acetate tow with supply chain information at the level of the acetate tow bale in order to implement a traceable acetate tow system with minimal supply chain costs and complexities. BRIEF SUMMARY The embodiments disclose fibers comprising standard fibers one or more identification fibers. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the standard fibers. Additional disclosed embodiments include an acetate tow band comprising fibers. The fibers comprise one or more identification fibers and standard fibers and the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the acetate tow band. Further embodiments encompass methods of making an acetate tow band comprising fibers. The fibers comprise standard fibers and identification fibers and the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate. The method comprises: (a) obtaining the identification fibers; (b) producing the standard fibers on a first fiber production process; and (c) combining the identification fibers and the standard fibers into the acetate tow band. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the acetate tow band. Yet additional embodiments encompass methods of characterizing a fiber sample. The fiber sample comprises fibers and the fibers comprise standard fibers and identification fibers. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The method comprises (1) optionally separating the branded fibers from the fiber sample; (2) applying imaging technology to the branded fibers; (3) determining the repeated pattern of the taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the fiber sample. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a schematic process flow diagram of a non-limiting embodiment of branding fibers while coproducing acetate tow fibers and combining them into an acetate tow band. FIG. 2 illustrates the printer settings for Example 1. FIG. 3A shows a photomicrograph of a branded nylon monofilament that has been recovered from a filter rod and 3B shows a photomicrograph of a branded polyester thread that has been recovered from a crimped acetate tow band. FIG. 4 shows a photomicrograph of an acrylic monofilament fiber engraved using a MACSA carbon dioxide laser FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate non-limiting examples of communication and shipping channels among one or more entities consistent with disclosed embodiments FIG. 6 illustrates a non-limiting example of a computing system used by one or more entities consistent with disclosed embodiments. FIG. 7 illustrates a non-limiting example of a process for embedding supply chain information into fibers, consistent with disclosed embodiments. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate non-limiting examples of processes for generating correlation data, consistent with disclosed embodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates a non-limiting example of a process for producing identification fibers, consistent with disclosed embodiments. FIG. 11 illustrates a non-limiting example of a process for identifying supply chain information from a sample, consistent with disclosed embodiments. FIG. 12 illustrates a non-limiting example of a process for assigning taggant information to supply chain components, consistent with disclosed embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The embodiments disclose fibers comprising one or more identification fibers. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the standard fibers. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” It is to be understood that the mention of one or more process steps does not preclude the presence of additional process steps before or after the combined recited steps or intervening process steps between those steps expressly identified. Moreover, the lettering of process steps or ingredients is a convenient means for identifying discrete activities or ingredients and the recited lettering can be arranged in any sequence, unless otherwise indicated. As used herein the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. The term “fibers”, as used herein, refers to thin flexible threadlike objects. Fibers can be natural fibers or man-made. The term “polymer”, as used herein refers to the base material from which the fibers are made. Non-limiting examples of polymers include acrylic, modacrylic, aramid, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, PTFE, and cellulose acetate. The term “filament”, as used herein, refers to a single fiber. The term “fiber band”, as used herein, refers to multiple fibers placed adjacent to each other along their lengths such that the fibers remain untwisted or entangled and form a substantially rectangular cross section with a high width-to-depth ratio. Fiber bands are often formed to allow for effective crimping of the fibers and can be cut into a staple or processed as a continuous band, depending on the end use. Fiber bands are typically not woven or knitted into a fabric article unless first converted into staple to form a thread. Fibers can also be in the form of yarns. The term “yarn, as used herein, refers to multiple fibers placed adjacent to each other along their lengths, often twisted or entangled together to improve fiber cohesiveness and performance, and typically forming a substantially rounded cross section. Yarn can be processed as continuous strands or cut into smaller lengths, depending on the end use. Fibers can be identification fibers and/or standard fibers. The term “standard fibers”, as used herein, refers to fibers which are manufactured for the primary purpose and use in producing articles. Standard fibers have not been purposefully manipulated to comprise distinct features used to identify and track the standard fibers, yarn, a fiber band, and/or an article comprising standard fibers. The term “identification fibers”, as used herein, refers to the fibers having distinct features such that the identification fibers can be used to identify and track the standard fibers, yarn, a fiber band, and/or an article comprising the standard fibers and the identification fibers. The term “distinct features”, as used herein, refers to variances among fibers that can be identified using imaging technology. Non-limiting examples of distinct features include cross-section shapes, cross-section sizes, optical properties, and surface markings. The term “combination of distinct features”, as used herein, refers to the two or more distinct features exhibited by an identification fiber. The term, “optical properties”, as used herein, refers to electromagnetic radiation responses observed when the fibers are exposed to a specific electromagnetic radiation sources. The term includes color which can be observed with the human eye as well as with an instrument such as one capable of identifying a spectrophotometric signature. Non-limiting examples of electromagnetic radiation include x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, and so-called “T-ray” (terahertz frequencies). The term “taggant optical properties”, as used herein refers to a collection of known optical properties used by one or more manufacturer in a system for determining fibers, fiber band, and/or yarn supply chain information. The term, “surface markings”, as used herein, refers to variances in the fibers produced by physically altering the fiber surface. Non-limiting examples include engraving the fiber, morphological modification, printing on the fiber surface, and chemically producing a pattern of optical properties. The term “taggant surface markings”, as used herein refers to a collection of known surface markings used by one or more manufacturer in a system for determining chain information. The term “alphanumeric code”, as used herein, refers to information that is represented using the characters or letterings belonging to a common alphabetic and numerical system or language, including special characters such as punctuation marks and including any script or printing style for that language. Non-limiting examples include the Latin alphabet, Roman numerals, and Arabic numbering. The term “digital code”, as used herein, refers to information that is represented using a string of discrete, discontinuous values. Non-limiting examples include binary coding systems, Morse Code, bar coding systems (including 1-D linear and 2-D matrix), The term “analog code”, as used herein, refers to information that is represented by modulating a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position, a dimension, or a magnitude. The term an “ideographic code”, as used herein, refers to information that is represented by a graphic symbol or pictograph, independent of any particular language or alphanumeric system. The term “metadata”, as used herein, refers to a portion or multiple portions of the pattern that represents a code that contains information about the remaining code within the pattern. Non-limiting examples of this information includes the format, read-start position, read-end position, read direction of any code the pattern represents. The metadata could also include information that represents the manufacturer of the fiber. The metadata may use the same or similar coding system as that used for the remaining portion of the pattern or it may use a different coding system to easily differentiate it from the remaining portion of the pattern. The term “read-start position,” as used herein, refers to the position where a code or a portion of a code begins. The term “read-end position,” as used herein, refers to the position where a code or a portion of a code ends. The term “read-direction,” as used herein, refers to the linear direction a particular portion of the code must be read to reliably decode the information. The term “the repeated pattern is essentially one-dimensional”, as used herein, refers to a pattern where the useful information associated with the pattern is along one direction or can be determined by observing the variation along a single line through the pattern. The term “engraving”, as used herein, refers to the removal of material from the fiber surface or the creation of raised or recessed areas on the fiber surface such that the resulting discontinuities in the fiber surface can be detected optically or by other analytical means. Engraving can be performed by contact equipment, such as equipment that uses abrasive surfaces, blades, or embossers, or by noncontact equipment, such as lasers or other high energy radiation sources. The term “laser engraving”, as used herein, refers the use of a laser to engrave the surface of a fiber. The term “morphological modification”, as used herein, refers to a change in the physical form or condition of the fiber or the fiber surface such that the change can be observed optically, either manually or through magnification, or through other analytical techniques. Non-limiting examples of morphological modification include changes to texture, roughness, opacity, crystallinity, density, or degree of polymer orientation. Morphology modification can be performed by contact equipment, such as equipment that uses abrasive surfaces, or by noncontact equipment such as lasers or other high energy radiation sources. The term “vary along the length”, as used herein, refers to the use of various levels and/or patterns of one or more surface markings along the length of an identification fiber. The term, “repeating patterns”, as used herein, refers to a repeated identical sequence of surface makings along the length of the identification fibers. Each repeated pattern is representative of the same code of the same information. The term “essentially not susceptible to solvent bonding”, as used herein, refers to a condition such that the fibers are not, under the normal processing conditions of the fibers or the articles made from the fibers, sufficiently soluble in a bonding agent to allow for permanent bonding at the contacting points of two or more fibers when the bonding agent is present at the contact points. The term “essentially insoluble in a solvent”, as used herein, refers to a condition such that the fibers are not sufficiently soluble in a solvent such that when exposed to that solvent under a certain set of conditions, the fiber and any surface markings remain detectable. The term “dissolved portion of the fiber sample”, as used herein, refers to a solution containing the dissolved standard fibers and the dissolving solvent to the exclusion of any non-soluble identification fibers in the sample. The term, “cellulose acetate”, as used herein, refers to an acetate ester of cellulose wherein the hydrogen in the hydroxyl groups of the cellulose glucose unit is replaced by acetyl groups through an acetylation reaction. In some embodiments, suitable cellulose acetates may have a degree of substitution less than about 3 acetyl groups per glucose unit, preferably in the range of 2.2 to about 2.8, and most preferably in the range of 2.4 to 2.7. The terms, “cellulose acetate tow”, “acetate tow”, or “acetate tow band” as used herein, refers to a continuous, crimped fiber band comprising of cellulose acetate fibers. The term, “article”, as used herein, refers to a unit produced from standard fibers, yarn, and/or a fiber band, including other components and additives needed to meet the functional requirements of the intended use. Non-limiting examples include fabrics and other textile products, non-wovens, absorbent products, filters, filter rods, cigarette filters and liquid storage reservoirs. The term “article comprising fibers, yarn and/or fiber bands”, as used herein, refers to the article comprising the fibers, yarn and/or fiber bands with a recognition that, in some embodiments, significant physical changes can occur to the fibers, yarn and/or fiber band, when it is used to make an article. The term, “filter”, as used herein refers to a semi-permeable fibrous material. Non-limiting examples of filters include a filter rod, and items made from a filter rod such as a cigarette filter. The term “filter rod”, as used herein, refers to a rod-like article, of any cross-sectional shape, produced from a fiber band and other components or additives, which can be subsequently used as a whole unit, or cut into lengths to form multiple units, for filtration of a vapor stream. Filter rods can be used to filter tobacco products, for example, traditional cigarette filters and/or other applications for other tobacco products including heat-not-burn products. Filter rods can also be used for new products comprising tobacco and other ingredients such as, for example, other plants or plant derivatives. Filter rods can be used to filter other plants and plant derivatives, with or without tobacco present. Additionally filter rods can be used to filter any vapor stream used to deliver an active ingredient such as in e-cigarette. The term, “cigarette filter”, as used herein, refers to a component of the cigarette or other smoking device which removes or decreases one or more elements from a smoke stream. The term cigarette filter is intended to encompass the filter on any smoking device including the non-limiting examples of a cigarette, a cigarette holder, a cigar, a cigar holder, a pipe, a water pipe, a hookah, an electronic smoking device, a roll-your-own cigarette, a roll-your-own cigar, and a paper. The term, “supply chain information” as used herein, refers to information regarding the production of the standard fibers, yarn, and/or fiber band and information regarding the distribution of the standard fibers, yarn, and/or fiber band after its production. Supply chain information includes “supply chain components” such as, for example, manufacturer, manufacture site, manufacture line, production run, production date, a package, bale, customer, customer ship-to location, warehouses, freight carrier, and/or shipment paths or routes. Supply chain components can apply to fibers, yarn, fiber bands, and/or articles. The term, “manufacturer”, as used herein, refers to the entity that produces the standard fibers, yarn and/or fiber band. The term “manufacture site”, as used herein, refers to the geographic location or locations of the manufacturer, designated by any level of specificity including full address, continent, country, state, province, county, or city. The term “manufacture line”, as used herein, refers to specific process equipment or set of equipment used by the manufacturer to produce the standard fibers, yarn, and/or fiber band. The term “production run”, as used herein, refers to a group or set of similar or related goods that are produced by using a particular set of manufacturing procedures, processes, or conditions and/or product specifications. The term “customer”, as used herein, refers to an entity to which the fibers, fiber band, and/or yarn is sold and shipped for further processing into an intermediate article or a finished product article; or an entity that purchases the fibers, yarn and/or fiber band for resale. The term, “ship-to location”, as used herein, refers to the geographic location of the customer designated for delivery of the fibers, yarn and/or, fiber band by any level of specificity including full address, continent, country, state, province, county, or city. The term, “bale” as used herein, refers to a packaged unit of fiber bands, typically of a cubical shape, compressed to a high density, and wrapped, contained, and protected by packaging material. The term, “warehouse” as used herein, refers to the geographical location of the warehouse designated for delivery of the fibers, yarn and/or, fiber band by any level of specificity including full address, continent, country, state, province, country, or city. The term, “correlating”, as used herein refers to establishing the relationship between two or more pieces of information. The term, “manufacturer specific taggants”, as used herein, refers to the particular taggants incorporated into fibers, yarn and/or, fiber band by a particular manufacturer. The term, “manufacturer specific taggant set” refers to the taggant cross-section shapes and/or taggant cross-section sizes associated with a particular manufacturer. The term, “fibers are produced”, “producing fibers”, and “fiber production process”, as used herein, refers to the process steps of spinning fibers up through the gathering of the fibers. The term “concurrently to producing”, as used herein, refers to process of surface marking identification fibers at the same time that the standard fibers are being produced, either prior to or after the identification fibers are combined with the standard fibers. The term, “identification fibers are packaged”, as used herein, refers to the process steps of transferring identification fibers from the spinning machine and packaging the identification fibers, for example, onto a spool or into a bale. The identification fibers would subsequently need to be removed from the package in order to be incorporated into fibers, yarns, fiber band, and/or article comprising the standard fibers. The term “fiber sample”, as used herein, refers to the item comprising fibers, in any physical form, being analyzed using imaging technology. The fiber sample can comprise a portion of a set of fibers, yarn, a fiber band, or an article which has been prepared for image analysis. The terms, “imaging technology”, and “image analysis techniques” as used herein, refer to the equipment and software used to detect and quantify differences in reflection, absorption, transmission, and emittance of electromagnetic radiation. Imaging technology encompasses both electromagnetic radiation level detection and automated shape and/or size recognition. Fibers, a fiber band, and/or a yarn comprise individual fibers. The material from which the fibers are made is not particularly limiting. The fibers can comprise, for example, acrylic, modacrylic, aramid, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon, or cellulose acetate. In one aspect, the fibers comprise cellulose acetates, cellulose triacetates, cellulose propionates, cellulose butyrates, cellulose acetate-propionates, cellulose acetate-butyrates, cellulose propionate-butyrates, cellulose acetate-phthalates, starch acetates, acrylonitriles, vinyl chlorides, vinyl esters, vinyl ethers, and the like, any derivative thereof, any copolymer thereof, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, the fibers comprise cellulose acetate. In one aspect, the fibers comprise natural fibers such as, for example, cotton, hemp, and/or silk. In one aspect, the fibers, fiber band, or yarn comprises standard fibers and one or more identification fibers. Fibers are typically produced from a polymer. In one aspect, one or more of the identification fibers comprise the same polymer as the standard fibers. In another aspect, one or more of the identification fibers comprise a different polymer than the standard fibers band. In one aspect, the taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of a code of the fibers. In other aspects the fibers comprise identification fibers and standard fibers and the code is representative of at least one supply chain component of the fibers and/or standard fibers. The size of the individual fibers is not particularly limiting. The size can be given in terms of effective diameter, and in one aspect, the effective diameter of the fibers range, for example, from 0.1 μm to 1000 μm, 1 μm to 500 μm, 1 μm to 100 μm, 1 μm to 30 μm, 10 μm to 1000 μm, 10 μm to 500 μm, 10 μm to 100 μm, 10 μm to 30 μm. In one aspect, the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate for which size is often given in terms of denier per filament (dpf) which is defined as the weight, in grams, of a single filament 9000 meters in length. In one aspect, the size of the fibers ranges from 0.5 to 1000 dpf; 0.5 to 500 dpf; 0.5 to 100; 0.5 to 5 dpf; 0.5 to 30 dpf; 0.5 to 10 dpf; 1 to 1000 dpf; 1 to 500 dpf; 1 to 100; 1 to 5 dpf; 1 to 30 dpf; 1 to 10 dpf. In one aspect, the dpf of the fibers ranges from, for example, 1 to 30 dpf, 1 to 20 dpf, 1 to 10 dpf, 2 to 30 dpf, 2 to 20 dpf, or 2 to 10 dpf. The number of fibers making up a fiber band is not particularly limiting. In one aspect, the number of fibers in a fiber band can range from 10 to 50,000. In other non-limiting examples, the number of fibers in a fiber band ranges from 10 to 40,000; 10 to 30,000; 10 to 20,000; 10 to 10,000; 10 to 1000; 100 to 50,000; 100 to 40,000; 100 to 30,000; 100 to 20,000; 100 to 10,000; 100 to 1000; 200 to 50,000; 200 to 40,000; 200 to 30,000; 200 to 20,000; 200 to 10,000; 200 to 1000; 1000 to 50,000; 1000 to 40,000; 1000 to 30,000; 1000 to 20,000; 1000 to 10,000; 5000 to 50,000; 5000 to 40,000; 5000 to 30,000; 5000 to 20,000; 5000 to 10,000; 10,000 to 50,000; 10,000 to 40,000; 10,000 to 30,000; or 10,000 to 20,000. Identification fibers can comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit one or more taggant surface markings wherein the taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along the length of the branded fibers. In one aspect, branded fibers can be a monofilament wherein the taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along the length of the monofilament. In other aspects, the branded fibers can be a thread or yarn wherein the taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along the length of the thread or yarn. The repeated pattern can be representative of a code which can correlate to information such as, for example, supply chain information. In some aspects, the repeated pattern comprises an alphanumeric code, a digital code, an analog code, or an ideographic code. In some aspects, the repeated pattern comprises an alphanumeric code or a digital code. In some aspects, the repeated pattern comprises a digital code. The repeated pattern along the length of the branded fibers may include metadata. The metadata can be useful in reading the pattern on the branded fibers. The metadata can be especially useful if the length of the branded fiber incorporated into an article is approximately the same size or smaller than the length of the repeated pattern. In one aspect, the metadata comprises read-start position, read-end position, read direction, or the spacing of the digits within the code. The digital code of the repeated pattern is not particularly limited. In some aspects the pattern is in the form of a bar code, either a 1-D linear or 2-D matrix type code. In some aspects the pattern could be a visual representation of a Morse code. In some aspects the digital code comprises a binary code. In one aspect, the repeated pattern is essentially one-dimensional. In one aspect, the digital code is a binary coding system, the two conditions or characters of each binary digit can be the presence or absence of a surface marking in a digit or location. In an alternative aspect, the two conditions could be one of two different surface markings in a digit In some aspects the digital code could be a binary representation of a place-value system of base x, where x is a power of 2 (or a binary). In one aspect, for example, when large number of combinations or integer values is to be coded, a hexadecimal (base 16) numbering system can be used to provide a notation that is more compact than a simple binary string. In a non-limiting illustration of such a hexadecimal system, 4 binary digits could make up each digit of the hexadecimal code, providing the 16 combinations or conditions for each of the hexadecimal digits. Base-x numbering systems can also be represented by x-number of unique surface markings in any digit or spacial location. In a non-limiting example, 5 different color dots can form the basis of a base-5 numbering system. Multiple numbering or coding systems may be used in a single string of encoded information. In some aspects, the repeated pattern can contain a portion of binary coding with the sequence used to represent the manufacturer of the fiber or article and another portion of the pattern that is a binary representation of a hexadecimal system used to represent unique bale numbers of the manufacturer. One skilled in the art recognizes that the selection of the number of digits for the binary code depends upon the complexity of information being captured and the space available for the taggant surface markings. In one aspect, the number of digits in the binary code ranges from 2 to 500. In other non-limiting examples, the number of digits in the binary code ranges from 4 to 100, 10 to 100, 20 to 100, 4 to 50, 10 to 50, or 20 to 50. One skilled in the art also recognizes that the length of the repeated pattern on the fibers may be influenced by the length the fiber incorporated in typical articles. In one aspect, the length of the repeated pattern ranges from 2 mm to 500 mm. In other non-limiting examples, the length of the repeated pattern ranges from 2 to 200 mm, 2 to 30 mm, 10 to 200 mm, or 10 to 30 mm. The manner in which the repeated pattern appears on the branded fiber is not particularly limited, so long as the pattern is recognizable. Non-limiting examples of how the repeated pattern is incorporated on the branded fiber include printing, engraving, morphological modifications of the fiber, or chemically producing a pattern of optical properties. In some aspects, the fibers further comprise standard fibers. In some aspects, the branded fibers are readily separated from the standard fibers by either physical or chemical means. In order to facilitate the separation of the branded fibers, the branded fiber can comprise a different polymer than the standard fibers. In some aspects, the branded fibers are essentially insoluble in a solvent, wherein the standard fibers are soluble in that same solvent. In some aspects the branded fibers are essentially insoluble in acetone or methylene chloride. In some aspects, the branded fibers are essentially not susceptible to cold-solvent bonding with triacetin or any other solvent or plasticizer that is used to form an article by solvent-bonding the standard fibers. In some aspects, the branded fibers comprise acrylic, modacrylic, aramid, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, rayon, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, cellulose triacetate, or PTFE. An article can comprise the fibers, yarn, and/or a fiber band. The article is not particularly limited. Non-limiting examples of articles comprising the fibers or the fiber band include fabrics and other textile products, non-wovens, absorbent products, filters, filter rods, cigarette filters, liquid storage reservoirs, paper and/or currency. In one aspect, the article comprises a filter rod. In another aspect, the article comprises a cigarette filter. Additional non-limited examples of articles include medical items such as medical tape, bandages, or cloth, wicking devices used for vapor delivery, and pharmaceutical products including packaging. In one aspect, the fibers, yarn, fiber band, and/or article have determinable supply chain information. The supply chain information can include manufacturer, manufacture site, manufacturing line, production run, production date, package, bale, warehouse, customer, and/or ship-to location. In one aspect, the supply chain information comprises supply chain components. In one aspect, at least one supply chain component comprises a manufacturer of the standard fibers, a manufacture site of the standard fibers, a manufacturing line of the standard fibers, a production run of the standard fibers, a production date of the standard fibers, a package of the standard fibers, a warehouse of the standard fibers, a customer of the standard fibers, a ship-to location of the standard fibers, a manufacturer of a yarn or fiber band comprising the standard fibers, a manufacturing site of the yarn or fiber band, a manufacturing line of the yarn or fiber band, a production run of the yarn or fiber band, a production date of the yarn or fiber band, a package of the yarn or fiber band, a warehouse of the yarn or fiber band, a customer of the yarn or fiber band, a ship-to location of the yarn or fiber band, a manufacturer of an article comprising the standard fibers, a manufacture site of the article, a manufacturing line of the article, a production run of the article, a production date of the article, a package of the article, a warehouse of the article, a customer of the article, or a ship-to location of the article. In another aspect at least one supply chain component comprises the manufacturer of the yarn or fiber band. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the manufacture site of the yarn or fiber band. In one aspect the supply chain component comprises the manufacturing line of the yarn or fiber band. The manufacturing line of the yarn or fiber band is the manufacturing line on which the yarn or fiber band was produced. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the production run of the yarn or fiber band. The production run of the yarn or fiber band is the production run within which the yarn or fiber band was produced. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the production date of the yarn or fiber band. The production date of the yarn or fiber band is the production date on which the yarn or fiber band was produced. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the package of the yarn or bale of the fiber band. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the warehouse of the yarn or fiber band. The warehouse of the yarn or fiber band is the warehouse to which the manufacturer plans to send or has sent the fiber band. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the customer of the yarn or fiber band. The customer of the yarn or fiber band is the customer to whom the manufacturer plans to send or has sent the yarn or fiber band. In one aspect, the supply chain component comprises the ship-to location of the yarn or fiber band. The ship-to location of the yarn or fiber band is the specific geographic location to which the manufacturer plans to send or has sent the yarn or fiber band. The following is a non-limiting illustration of a possible binary coding system that demonstrates the ability to create many different code combinations on the branded fiber contained within a typical cigarette filter. In the work of Example 1 below, the length of the crimped monofilament fiber or thread within a typical 21 mm length cigarette filter was shown to be approximately 25.2 mm. In addition, a spacing of printed marks of 0.5 mm was shown to be readily achievable using the printer of the example. Such a spacing applied to a 25 mm fiber length would allow up to 50 bits or digits to be encoded on the branded fiber within each cigarette filter. Each bit would contain binary-type (0 or 1) information corresponding to existence or non-existence of a printed mark within the space. In order to eliminate translational and rotational decoding errors in decoding, metadata in the form of a header may be desired with the coded sequence. The header could provide read start and read direction information. Such a header would allow for the reliable decoding of any one cigarette filter with a coding frequency as low as one code per cigarette filter. The header could take the form of a binary sequence designed such that it could not be confused with the characters of the code itself. For example, for a hexadecimal system in binary notation, the 10 bit sequence 0011111010 might be used. Of the remaining 40 bits of the 50 bits available of this example, 39 bits could be used to express 8 hexadecimal characters in binary (8×4 digits, plus spaces between each 4-digit character) to encode a sequence that would take the form (####_####_####_####_####_## ##_####_####). With this format, 4,294,967,296 unique codes could be generated or, by using standard binary numbering, the numbers 0 to 4,294,967,295 could be generated. These codes or numbers could be correlated to supply chain information, such as bale numbers. To further illustrate the example, the number 4,294,967,295 would be converted to its hexadecimal binary form 11111110110111111101111011110111101111. The complete code, including the header, would be 0011111010111101111011110111101111011110111101111. The current world-wide demand for acetate tow for cigarette filtration is approximately 700,000,000 kg per year. Assuming an average bale weight of 500 kg, the total number of bales produced in one year is approximately 1.4M. The implementation of a printed coding system of this example could therefore encode supply chain information at the bale level for over 3000 years' worth of production. In some aspects, fewer digits are used in each code and typical cigarette filters contain more than one repeat pattern of taggant surface markings. Additional disclosed embodiments include an acetate tow band comprising fibers. The fibers comprise one or more identification fibers and standard fibers and the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the acetate tow band. Embodiments of an acetate tow band encompass acetate tow bands comprising fibers with any combination of attributes disclosed above. Specifically, the identification fiber composition, the sizes and numbers of fibers, the branded fibers, the surface markings, the repeated patterns, the length of the repeated patterns, the supply chain information, and the non-limiting coding/correlation systems apply to the acetate tow band. In one aspect, the at least one supply chain component comprises a manufacturer of the acetate tow band, a manufacturing site of the acetate tow band, a manufacturing line of the acetate tow band, a production run of the acetate tow band, a production date of the acetate tow band, a bale of the acetate tow band, a warehouse of the acetate tow band, a customer of the acetate tow band, or a ship-to location of the acetate tow band. In one aspect, the at least one supply chain component comprises the manufacturer of the acetate tow band and the customer of the acetate tow band. In another aspect, the least one supply chain component comprises the manufacturer of the acetate tow band and the customer of the acetate tow band. In one aspect, the at least one supply chain component comprises the bale of the acetate tow band. Further embodiments encompass methods of making an acetate tow band comprising fibers. The fibers comprise standard fibers and identification fibers and the standard fibers comprise cellulose acetate. The method comprises: (a) obtaining the identification fibers; (b) producing the standard fibers on a first fiber production process; and (c) combining the identification fibers and the standard fibers into the acetate tow band. Each of the identification fibers exhibits at least one distinct feature. The identification fibers comprise one or more branded fibers. The branded fibers exhibit the distinct features comprising one or more taggant surface markings. The taggant surface markings form a repeated pattern along a length of the branded fibers. The taggant surface markings and the repeated pattern are representative of at least one supply chain component of the acetate tow band. Embodiments of a method of making an acetate tow band encompass acetate tow bands comprising fibers with any combination of attributes disclosed above. Specifically, the identification fiber composition, the sizes and numbers of fibers, the branded fibers, the surface markings, the repeated patterns, the length of the repeated patterns, the supply chain information, and the non-limiting coding/correlation systems apply to the method of making the acetate tow band. The supply chain attributes of embodiments of the acetate tow band described above also applied to the method of making the acetate tow band. One skilled in the art recognizes that the embodiments of method of making an acetate tow band, apply generally to making a fiber band or yarn. The identification fibers can be combined with standard fibers into a yarn or fiber band. The method for making a yarn or fiber band encompasses making fibers, a fiber band, or yarn comprising the fibers with any combination of attributes disclosed above. In one aspect, at least a portion of the standard fibers are produced on a fiber production process. In another aspect, standard fibers are received from a third party. Obtaining the identification fibers comprises at least one of (i) producing at least a portion of the identification fibers on the standard fibers' fiber production process, (ii) producing at least a portion of the identification fibers on a process distinct from the standard fibers' fiber production process, or (iii) receiving at least a portion of the identification fibers from a third party. In one aspect, a portion of the identification fibers are coproduced with the standard fibers and a portion of the fibers making up a fiber band or yarn are spun and combined directly downstream of the fiber production process. When and where the identification fibers are surface marked is not particularly limiting. If the identification and standard fibers are made concurrently on the same spinning equipment, the surface markings can be applied anywhere between the start of the spinning process when the fiber is first physically formed and prior to the packaging of the fibers. In some aspects, the marking can be performed prior to the identification fibers and standard fibers being combined or, at least, prior to subsequent processing of the combined fibers, such as prior to crimping. In some aspects, the branded fibers are produced separately from the standard fibers on a separate spinning process, the surface markings can be applied at any time prior to their combining with the standard fibers, including by a third party, or concurrent with their combining with the standard fibers. In some aspects, the marking can take place just prior to the combining or at any point before the packaging of the fibers. Non-limiting examples of methods of surface marking the identification fibers include printing, engraving, morphological modification, and chemically producing a pattern of optical properties. In some aspects, the printing of the surface markings could be performed using a commercial high-speed printer, such as an ink-jet printer, or a custom printer designed for purpose. The printing can be performed with a single ink of one color or with multiple ink colors. In some aspects, engraving could be performed by contact equipment, such as equipment that uses abrasive surfaces, blades, or embossing rollers, or by noncontact equipment, such as lasers or other high energy radiation sources. In some aspects a morphology modification can be performed by contact equipment, such as equipment that uses abrasive surfaces, or by noncontact equipment such as lasers or other high energy radiation sources. One non-limiting example of such a morphology change is the use of an energy source to induce intermittent fast drying of the fiber during its formation resulting in variations in
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