Who Makes Currency Paper?

• The paper used for United States currency printing is produced by Crane and Company, a Massachusetts-based stationer. Crane's has produced security and banknote paper for the United States Bureau of Printing and Engraving since 1879, supplying paper for 38 million bills a day. Crane's specialized paper formulation has produced the sturdiest money in the world, with a longer life span per banknote than any other country.
  
  

Currency Paper Composition

• Currency paper is similar to a fine fabric. Composed of 75 percent cotton fibers and 25 percent linen, there is no wood or starch in the raw pulp. This fibrous amalgam is blended with precisely-measure red and blue silk threads. The paper recipe has advanced to include special synthetic security fibers as well, ensuring that currency paper is very hard for counterfeiters to produce.
  
  

The Importance of Fiber and Feel

• The exact formulation and manufacturing process of currency paper is kept very quiet to reduce knock-off currency, and the complex process is one of the biggest crime deterrents. The aforementioned red and blue fibers add a level of security; counterfeiters attempt to draw the lines in and usually fail at achieving authenticity. The paper also includes threads that glow in ultraviolet light--yet another feature that's practically impossible to duplicate.
  Another security feature is the very feel of the dollar bill. Currency paper feels like no other paper, and that's precisely Crane's goal. The manufacture of paper calls for plenty of refinement, creating a smooth raw pulp that dries into the crisp but lasting dollars that we use daily.
  
  

The Security Thread and Watermarks

• Hold a bill up to the light. On one side, there will be a thin line running down the length of the note. Known as a "security thread," this anti-counterfeiting device is implanted in the paper during the milling process. This thread is imprinted with a short missive (the $100 bill thread says "USA 100") which foils attempts at bleaching and reprinting.
  Crane's paper also includes a watermark, an identifying feature crafted into the paper during manufacture. To create the crisp watermarks of American currency, the density of the paper is manipulated in precise ways; this exacting art makes an image that is only visible at the right angle in bright light. These complicated watermarks are one of many steps that render Crane's proprietary formulation all but impossible to duplicate credibly.