In the United States, the only agency responsible for designing and printing U.S. banknotes is the BEP.
According to information on the website of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), which is part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the sole agency responsible for designing and printing U.S. banknotes, currency production is not an easy or straightforward task; it requires precision, high craftsmanship, and the skilled artistry of craftsmen, combined with specialized equipment and a blend of traditional printing techniques with advanced technology.
Since 1862, the BEP has been tasked with producing U.S. currency (paper money). All U.S. currency is printed at the BEP facilities in Washington, D.C., and in Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to producing currency for the nation, the BEP also prints various types of security documents for the U.S. government.
The BEP does not produce coins; all minted currency is made by the United States Mint (also part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury).
So what are the secrets in the design and printing of U.S. banknotes by the BEP that make counterfeiting extremely difficult?
First: Design and Engraving
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) works closely and confidentially with professional engravers, who use a combination of traditional and modern techniques to engrave portraits on the front, designs on the back of the banknotes, decorative images, and text. Each engraving consists of many lines, dots, and detailed crosshatches of varying sizes and shapes.
Portraits of some U.S. Presidents, politicians, and experts featured on banknotes.
Many U.S. Presidents, financial experts, and famous politicians come to life on U.S. banknotes, all thanks to the remarkable art of engraving and the skilled craftsmanship of engravers who bring the portraits on U.S. banknotes to life.
The intricate engravings we see daily on U.S. banknotes are carved into a network of fine lines and grooves on steel plates. After careful inspection and minor corrections if necessary, these plates are cleaned and polished. The engraved plates are chrome-plated to enhance durability and are then used in the printing process.
Second: Ink and Paper
According to the BEP, all banknotes, regardless of denomination, use green ink on the back. The front and back use a combination of black ink, color-shifting ink in the lower right corner for denominations of $10 and up, and metallic ink for the liberty symbols on the $10, $20, and $50 bills. The liberty symbol “bell in an ink well” on the $100 bill uses color-shifting ink.
Experts assess that color-shifting ink is considered the most “high-tech” technique, thus making it the most secure and difficult to counterfeit. The color change results from multiple layers of metallic particles added to the ink. When tilting the banknote, light reflects off these particles at different wavelengths, causing the colors to change. For example, on the $100 bill, when tilting the bill to view the number 100 in the lower right corner, the color at the number 100 changes from copper to green.
These color-shifting inks and other inks used in U.S. currency are specially mixed by the BEP, kept entirely confidential, and sold exclusively to the U.S. government, making it a feature that is extremely difficult to counterfeit.
Moreover, ink for the BEP printing machines undergoes continuous quality testing. Therefore, counterfeiting “exactly like the real thing” becomes an immense challenge.
The substrate of U.S. banknotes is made from 25% linen and 75% cotton. (Photo: Uscurrency.gov).
A fancy term for paper in the currency industry is substrate. U.S. banknote paper is made from 25% linen and 75% cotton, with red and blue fibers randomly distributed throughout to make counterfeiting more difficult.
The paper used for U.S. currency is specially produced for the BEP by Crane and Co. (based in Dalton, Massachusetts). Crane and Co. has been providing this special paper to the BEP since 1879. Anyone outside of the BEP possessing this type of paper is acting illegally.
U.S. Currency states that banknotes have a unique and extremely durable feel. This durability comes from continuously refined raw materials until achieving the “special feel of the banknote.” People who frequently handle cash, such as bank employees, can easily determine at first touch whether a banknote is genuine or counterfeit based on this unique feel.
To check for counterfeit versus genuine banknotes (before using a counterfeit detection machine), bank employees often run their fingers over the banknote. The feel of real money is slightly rough to the touch due to the raised printing and the unique composition of the paper, derived from a blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen.
Third: Offset Printing
Currency printing is built on the principle of layering each printing process on the substrate. Each printing technology has its own specific techniques regarding how color-shifting ink is applied, the types of inks used, and how the inks sit on the substrate, thus ensuring the highest security for currency through each production step.
The first step is to add color through offset printing. Offset printing is a technique that uses pressure from offset plates (rubber plates used in printing) to print onto paper. To accomplish this, the BEP uses three offset printing machines in Washington, D.C., and four machines in Texas.
On these machines, the front and back of the banknote are printed simultaneously. All denominations, except for the $1 and $2 bills, are printed offset first, where the detailed background images use unique colors that blend together as they are printed onto the “blank” bills (those without designs).
Subsequently, the background colors are printed using modern, high-speed printers. These massive printing machines are over 15 meters long and weigh more than 70 tons, capable of printing at speeds of 10,000 notes per hour.
One of the printing techniques used for U.S. banknotes by the BEP. (Photo: Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)).
Fourth: Intaglio Printing
Intaglio printing is the next layer in the printing process for denominations printed offset and is the first printing stage for the $1 and $2 bills. Intaglio encompasses a group of printing techniques. The first step involves engraving images into a surface to create recessed lines, followed by applying ink that fills these recessed areas.
Here, ink is applied to the engraved plate. Excess ink is removed from the non-image areas of the plate, leaving ink only in the recessed areas. Then, the banknote is placed on top of the engraved plate, and the two parts are pressed together under extremely high pressure. As a result, the ink from the plate is transferred onto the paper, creating a slightly raised image. When dried, it feels like fine sandpaper (providing the “special feel of the banknote” mentioned earlier).
The BEP’s intaglio printing machines utilize the latest technology to ensure the highest quality and security for U.S. currency. Each machine weighs 57 tons and operates under pressure up to 20 tons. These printing machines can print at a rate of 10,000 notes per hour.
Fifth: Letterpress Printing
The third and final printing layer of U.S. currency is letterpress printing. This printing technique combines intaglio and color printing.
During this process, the printing machine prints on both sides of the banknote with 16 themes and includes two series numbers in green, the black seal of the Federal Reserve, the green seal of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the corresponding identification numbers of the Federal Reserve.
All this information is publicly available on the official website of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). U.S. Currency provides some interesting facts about U.S. banknotes:
- U.S. banknotes contain small synthetic fibers in red and blue of varying lengths distributed evenly throughout the paper.
- Regardless of denomination, a U.S. banknote weighs about 1 gram.
- A stack of U.S. banknotes one mile high (1.6 km) would contain over 14.5 million banknotes.
- It is estimated that about half to two-thirds of the value of all U.S. banknotes in circulation is outside the United States.
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