The History of Making Paper Money
The Chinese initiated the use of paper money in the ninth century to replace the barter system of exchanging goods and the use of coins for buying and selling. However, paper money did not really emerge in Europe and the United States as a method of exchange until the late 1600s.
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History
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In the United States, the Massachusetts Bay Colony issued the first paper notes in the 1690s. Following the adoption of the Constitution in 1789, paper notes were issued by the First Bank of the United States under the direction of Congress to centralize the monetary system. In 1877, the U.S. Treasury's department of Engraving and Printing took over all paper money production.
Materials
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U.S. bank notes are made using a paper called "substrate" that is a blend of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. Notes produced since 1990 contain a polymer security thread, now modified to a metal strip, which is only visible under light to prevent counterfeiting. The inks used to print bank notes are dry color pigments blended with oil to produce a thick ink. To produce the famous "greenbacks," black ink is used on the front of the note and green ink on the back.
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Design and Printing
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Bank note designs are hand-engraved on soft steel to create a "master" copy. The signature of the chief treasurer is photographed, enlarged and then traced onto the metal plate by an engraver using a pantograph. A process called "intaglio printing" is used for bank notes because it is able to reproduce fine detail that is readable but difficult to forge.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit bank notes image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
