People know what money feels like. People who handle money constantly, like bank tellers, cashiers and waitstaff, can feel a counterfeit bill instantly if the paper is wrong. That what material is used in making money of money» comes from at least three different things that make the paper in paper bills unique:. The other special thing about the rag paper used in real money is that there are tiny blue and red fibers mixed into the paper when it is. These fibers are easy to find in real money, but they are so fine that they do not reproduce very well in the counterfeit money from your inkjet printer. The last thing a counterfeiter wants to do is print counterfeit money on «normal» printer paper. It will feel all wrong, and it can be detected with a counterfeit pen.
Raw Materials
The paper and ink used in the production of U. Each of these sheets is tracked and accounted for as it passes through the production process. The ordinary paper that consumers use throughout their everyday life such as newspapers, books, cereal boxes, etc. This is what gives United States currency its distinct look and feel. Tilt the note back and forth while focusing on the blue ribbon. You will see the bells change to s as they move. When you tilt the note back and forth, the bells and s move side to side. When you tilt it side to side, they move up and down. This adds a highly advanced level of security to the note. All bills, regardless of denomination, utilize green ink on the backs. These and the other inks appearing on U. Inks headed for BEP presses also undergo continual quality testing. How Money is Made. Reproduction Guidelines. Resources Collector Information.
Raw Materials
Is it really ‘paper’ in the traditional sense? There are no wood fibers or starch in currency paper. Instead, like high quality stationery, currency paper is composed of a special blend of cotton and linen fibers. The strength comes from raw materials continuously refined until the special feel of the currency is achieved. People who handle money on a regular basis, such as bank tellers, can easily determine if a bill is counterfeit by this distinctive feel. The characteristic yellowish-green tint of U. Red and Blue Fibers Red and blue fibers have been a longtime ingredient of U. Special features like these fibers are embedded in currency paper to ensure that reproduction is difficult. While some counterfeiters attempt to draw these fibers onto the surface of the bill, close inspection reveals the absence of the authentic embedded fiber and the clear presence of crude lines drawn on the surface. Security Thread Security threads, which now run the width of the currency, are not a new invention. In some early versions of paper currency, thin security threads were added to paper. In these currencies, the number of threads in the paper represented a specific denomination. Security threads help prevent counterfeiters from raising notes—bleaching out the paper of a low denomination and printing a higher denomination onto the authentic paper. The new threads were first added to U. In the redesigned notes, a security thread will appear in a different location depending on the denomination. In addition, the new security threads glow red when held over ultraviolet light. Watermark For the series a watermark was added to the paper. This is also not a new invention. Watermarks were first used in the late thirteenth century in the handmade papers of Italy. They have long been used to mark important documents, and have appeared on a variety of foreign currency. Watermarks can also be found as part of any high quality stationery. Even Ben Franklin’s stationery had its own personal watermark. The watermark is created during the paper making process and is caused by variations in the density of the paper. As light passes through these tiny variations in thickness, it creates different tones.
Background
The existence of money as a means of buying or selling goods and services dates back to at least B. The use of paper money began in China during the seventh century, but its uncertain value, as opposed to the more universally accepted value of gold or silver coins, led to widespread inflation and state bankruptcy. It was not untilwhen Swedish financier Johann Palmstruck introduced a paper bank note for the Swedish State Bank, that paper money again entered circulation. The first paper money in what is now the United States was issued by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in It was valued in British pounds.
The first dollar bills were issued in Maryland in the s. During the American Revolution, the fledgling Continental Congress issued Continental Currency to finance the war, but widespread counterfeiting by the British and general uncertainty as to the outcome of the revolution led to massive devaluation of the new paper money. Stung by this failure, the United States government did not issue paper money again until the mid s.
In the interim, numerous banks, utilities, merchants, and even individuals issued their own bank notes and paper currency. By the outbreak of the Civil Mony there were as many as 1, different kinds of paper money in circulation in the United States—as much as a third of it counterfeit or otherwise worthless. Realizing the need for a universal and stable currency, the United States Congress authorized the issue of paper money in InPresident Lincoln established the Secret Service, whose principal task was to track down and arrest counterfeiters.
This early paper currency came in several different types, designs, and denominations, but had the common characteristic of being somewhat larger in size than today’s money. It was not until that the current-sized bills went into circulation.
With paper money, the materials are as important as the manufacturing process in producing the final product. It contains small segments of red and blue fibers scattered throughout for visual identification. This thread is visible wyat when the bill is held up to a light and cannot be duplicated in photocopiers or printers. The inks consist of dry color pigments blended with oils and extenders to produce especially thick printing inks. Black ink is used to print the front of the bills, and green ink is used on the backs thus giving rise to the term greenbacks for paper money.
The colored seals and serial numbers on the front of the bill are printed separately using regular printing inks. The design of the front and back of each denomination bill is hand tooled by engravers working from a drawing or photograph. Each engraver is responsible for a single portion of the mqterial doing the portrait, another the numerals, and so on. The portrait on the face of each bill varies by the denomination.
These persons were selected because of their importance in history and the fact that their images are generally well known to the public. By law, no portrait of a living person may appear on paper money. The first bills with this inscription were printed inand it now appears on the back of all paper money. Starting invery small printing, called microprinting, was added around the outside of the portrait.
This printing, which measures only 0. In the United States, all paper money uwed engraved and printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is part of the Department of the Treasury of the federal government. The Bureau also prints postage stamps, savings mkaing, treasury notes, and many other items. The main production facility is located in Washington, D. Every day, the Bureau prints approximately 38 million pieces of paper money. Each bill, regardless of its denomination, costs the government about 3.
There are 65 separate operations in the production of paper money. Here are the major steps:. Anything as important as money requires strict quality control standards. Flawed money is bad money and cannot be placed into circulation. In addition to the many inspections that occur during the printing process, the raw materials are also subject to strict inspections before they are used.
The inks are tested for color, viscosity thicknessand other properties. The paper is produced by a single manufacturer in a secret, tightly controlled process.
The paper is tested for chemical composition, mohey, and other properties. It is illegal for anyone else to manufacture or possess this specific paper. The finished bills are also tested periodically for durability. Some bills are put through a washing machine to determine the colorfastness of the inks, while others are repeatedly rolled into a cylinder and crushed on end to determine their resistance to handling.
Id is estimated that a bill can be folded and crumpled up to 4, times before it has to be replaced. Other denominations last somewhat longer. When a bill has been defaced, torn, or worn to the point where it is no longer identifiable or useable, it is taken out of circulation and returned to the federal reserve banks for destruction by shredding. Some of this shredded money is recycled to make roofing shingles or insulation.
Money that is damaged or otherwise flawed during the printing process is shredded at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing plants. For U. Other new bills in descending denominations will be printed at the rate of one new denomination per year.
The new bills use the same paper and are the same size and color as today’s bills. Multicolor images, such as are commonly found on European currency, were not used because they were too easy to duplicate with color photocopies and printers. A watermark, formed by reducing the thickness of the paper during manufacture, has uesd placed to the right of the portrait and shows a second image of Franklin when makimg bill wyat held up to the light.
The imbedded security thread is also still there, although now it has been treated to glow red under ultraviolet light. The position of the marerial varies depending on the denomination of the bill to prevent the counterfeiting practice of bleaching the ink off lower denomination bills and reprinting them as higher denominations. Other new features include concentric fine lines behind Franklin’s head on the front and behind the image of Independence Hall on the.
These lines are so fine that they are extremely difficult for copiers or printers to duplicate without blurring them into a solid background. Perhaps the most high-tech feature is a special color-shifting ink which is used to print the numeral in the lower right-hand corner. When viewed from head on, this ink appears green, but changes to black when viewed from the. It is also the most common bill in circulation outside the United States, and hence, is frequently counterfeited in other countries.
Some of the security features originally proposed for the new money—such as holograms, plastic ,oney, and coded fiber optics—were not used for this latest change because they represented too great a departure jaterial the current money or because of potential technical problems. Looking further into the future, paper money may eventually be replaced by electronic money that is downloaded onto plastic «stored value» cards from an ATM or computer. Each card would have a computer chip memory, and the money would be electronically transferred through a card reader to make purchases.
Friedberg, Robert. Paper Money of the United States, 14th Edition. The Coin and Currency Institute, Inc. Krause, Chester L. Standard Catalog of U. Paper Money. Krause Publications, Freeman, David. Geschickter, J. Hirschkorn, Phil. Lipkin, Richard. Schafrik, Robert E. Toggle navigation. Periodicals Freeman, David. Other «Engravers. Other articles you might like:. Follow City-Data. Tweets by LechMazur. User Contributions: 1. Where is USA money printed? Washington, D. San Francisco? South Korea?
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Background
Banknotes can be made using polymer or specially blended paper through an intricate, safe and thorough process. Here is some insight into how banknotes are. This article is about the production of modern banknotes, the types of materials used, the inks, the logos, and so forth. We will also take a look at the process of making paper money. What materials are banknotes made from? It is this blend of the two natural materials that makes paper money so durable. That is why banknotes survive even a thorough washing without tearing up, when you forget one in your pockets. Not all currency notes are made with the above-mentioned paper. For example, in the UK, currency notes are made with polymer, which is more durable and counterfeit-proof than paper money.
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