GRE Verbal Resoning Easy qs

Researchers trying to make it possible to trace counterfeit documents to the printer that produced them are (i) ________ the fact that the rotating drums and mirrors inside laser printers are imperfect devices that leave unique patterns of banding in their output. Although these patterns are (ii) __________ to the naked eye, they can be (iii) _________ and analyzed by computer programs that the researchers have spent the past year devising.

the first blank - from the sentence we can deduce that the blank should be something like “using”, but is there any particular strategy from the toolkit that can be used here? I am just trying to solve all the blanks with particular strategy so that I don’t use my ear

Hi, with the “are”, you’re supporting the idea that they are “trying to make it possible to trace counterfeit documents to the printer that produced them”

Hi can you please elaborate? I didn’t get how is this support since the blank is verb

Why does that matter?