CEO’S CORNER

“How To Print Money”

These days, cash could seem dated. Particularly now that discussions about digital currencies are in the news and Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen is receiving inquiries about plans to issue a trillion-dollar platinum coin to avoid a debt ceiling catastrophe.

Yet, currency is still king in a large portion of the world.

When visiting the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, Texas, in December, Ms. Yellen created history when she signed commemorative notes for the release of a fresh batch of dollar bills. It was the first time a woman secretary's signature appeared on U.S. bank notes, which had previously been signed by 29 Treasury secretaries.

Also, it was one of the few times when the country's currency was changed. This is a thorough Look at the procedure. Teams of skilled designers and engravers are required to etch the plates with portraits, vignettes, writing, and ornamentation as part of the business process. The designs were created with both security and esthetic considerations.

The engravings are scaled using a pantograph, a device that has been in use for more than a century, so that they will fit on "working plates" and be printed in lower proportions on the international currency. Redesigning the currency can take many years, unless a new Treasury secretary is appointed. The addition of the new signature typically takes a few months, starting with a ceremonial signing that is digitally recorded and inscribed on the metal plates that serve as the foundation of the system.The bills are printed. The secretary's signature can occasionally be challenging to read.

In December, Ms. Yellen made light of the "awful handwriting" of the country's Treasury secretaries and admitted that she had been working on her handwriting. A set of three to four metal plates, which are needed for printing presses and can take up to eight days to make. Steel dies, which resemble enormous cookie cutters, are used to transfer the images to the plates. The plates must then be polished and cleaned. After being examined, the plates are chrome-plated to make them sturdy enough to withstand the 65 tons of force needed by the printing press to transfer the images from the plates to the paper.

The money are printed with a metallic ink for higher denominations or a combination of black and colorshifting ink. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing created a specific combination of ink for this purpose. The paper itself is a blend of linen, cotton, and red and blue threads that are scattered throughout to make it more difficult to create phony currency. Also, different notes have different security components, such as watermarks and such. The base coat colors are layered on using high-speed "offset" printers that can produce 10,000 sheets per hour for the majority of denominations. The more delicate features are printed using plate printing and a technique called intaglio, in which ink is placed to the engravings and then intense pressure is used to transfer them to paper. In the event that For bills worth one and two dollars, offset printing is not used; instead, plate printing comes first.

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America's financial system is tremendously complex. In Fort Worth and Washington, there are 1,500 employees and contractors at work. Kevin Patton has been employed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for 11 years. He is seen here scrutinizing a sheet of uncut dollar bills. All throughout the process, there are quality control checks. Inspectors check for any undesired smudges or streaks to ensure that the ink is correctly transferring to the paper. If there is too much ink or not enough pressure, those imperfections may appear.

The plates need to be cleaned, polished, and subjected to another inspection for flaws before the bill-front printing can start. Every detail matters: The American bald eagle must have every missing feather replaced.

Each note has the printed signature of the Treasury Secretary in the bottom right corner, which also needs to be examined. Press workers constantly remove currency sheets to check the paper for flaws and make sure the colors and graphics are properly aligned.

It is necessary to double-check the Treasury secretary's signature to make sure it is clear and properly legible. A sophisticated computer system that use cameras and software to inspect uncut sheets of cash is also used to ensure quality control of enormous quantities of notes. Problematic sheets are moved to another inspection system, allowing for the preservation of the best notes while destroying the remainder. The devices enable the money to quicker to print, check, cut, and package. The letterpress technique is the final printing layer. At this point, four Federal Reserve Bank designation numbers and two green serial numbers have been inserted. The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve seals are then placed on the notes. They are separated into "straps" of 100 notes that are bound together by a white paper band with the denomination written in a color-coded font. They are subsequently stacked into bundles, joined to create a "brick," and finally shrinkwrapped. The bricks are piled up in four-brick groupings to create a "cash pack" that contains 16,000 ready-to-use notes. They are then transported there and distributed into the Federal Reserve vault from there. financial system. The launch of the new currency was anticipated to occur early this year, but the central bank will determine the precise date.

Although the Pew Research Center estimates that 40% of Americans spend "cashlessly" on a weekly basis, there is still more than $2 trillion worth of US currency in circulation.

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And while though most people may never think twice about how the crumpled dollar bills in their pockets were actually created, the laborious process of manufacturing money emphasizes the crucial role that the U.S. dollar has played and continues to play in the global economy.