Method for Counterfeiting Current Issue United States

Currency

00 bill
By: the Doctor

This guide is to serve as a general purpose manual for those familiarising themselves with counterfeiting
methods. THE AUTHOR IN NO WAY CONDONES THE USE OF THESE METHODS FOR ILLEGAL
ACTIVITIES. While the author may or may not support the ideals motivating such activities, any claim that
references content from this manual to support any claim against the author for aiding, inciting, conspiring, or
participation in any illegal activities is taken out of context and is thus wrong and unlawful. THIS MANUAL IS
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, and the THE AUTHOR STRONGLY ADVISES THE READER
AGAINST PERSUING ANY ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES. Please check your National, and local laws regarding the
use and application of this information for whatever reason. COUNTERFEITING AND RELATED ACTIVITIES
ARE CONSIDERED HIGHLY ILLEGAL IN MOST JURISDICTIONS.

The current issue US $100 bill (2.61” x 6.14” x 0.0043”) is printed on bond paper
stock which the Federal Reserve obtains from Crane & Co. in Boston. Currently
they are using what they call Marathon High Durability substrate. This substrate
consists of a paper made from two sheets of a proprietary blend of cotton flax and
linen. Red and Blue silk fibers are added, however these can be simulated easily
by pre-printing them before printing anything else.

RED & BLUE FIBRES

 The final sheets of bond paper are made from two layers of 0.0022 inches
thick (or in paper weights 11.5 pounds) which are laminate while damp with a
weak glue and treated front and back with a proprietary solution consisting of a
solution of lanolin, (which is used in soap making) and grain alcohol.

Additional additives such as UV inhibitors (to dampen UV reaction of the paper),

and PH balancing agents (which aide counterfeit detection pens) can also be added
to this solution. Once final sheets are ready they are compressed while damp,
cleaned and allowed to air dry resulting in the final bond stock with embedded
security features which is 0.0043 inches (in paper weights about 21.5 or 22
pounds) thick. The compressing process diminishes the thickness from 0.0044 by .
0001 to a final appropriate thickness of 0.0043. Compression also impregnates the
lanolin-solution more deeply into the paper.

The Result of this coating is a sort of water-proofing that prevents ink from
actually bleeding into the fibres of the paper. When a counterfeit detection pen is
used, the ink never actually gets to the paper, and so it doesn't change colour.
When these pens are used on untreated paper, the ink bleeds into the actual fibers
of the paper and changes color.
 The Security thread of current issue notes contains two parts. The first part is
the red UV background. This is a stripe (pictured below) that fluoresces under
ultraviolet light. The second part of the security thread is the metallic print.
Across the middle of the red UV background, “USA 100” repeats in metallic,
slightly magnetic ink. This magnetic ink is opaque, allowing it to be seen when
back-lit, it's magnetic properties are what allow most large-bill automatic bill
changers to determine different currency values, as the stripes are placed in
different areas depending on value. The security thread is placed on the inside face
of the bottom sheet of paper before being laminated. Also printed along this face is
the watermark portrait in the right hand side. The back of this (shown below) will
be the independence hall side of the final bill.

above is the “bottom” half of the paper embedded with watermark portrait
and security thread Shown under black-light.

Here we see the security thread before it is

applied. It consists of metallic print and a
UV reactive red background. The stripe
can be replicated by stenciling directly
to the inside face when making counterfeits
The inks and intaglio printing method used to make real US currency allows for
the unprinted sheets to be treated with the lanolin solution (essentially a
waterproof coating) before printing. In counterfeiting, a simulation of this coating
is applied after the printing is done but after the optically variable ink portions are
printed and before compressing and cutting the sheets into individual bills.

Another Security Feature present on current issue bills is an optically variable

portion, in this case the number 100 printed in the lower right hand corner. The
closest approximation of this feature is to apply dual-tone green-gold pigment
powder to print the number, and then apply interference gold mixed with sparkle
gold (10-1 ratio) in the lacey pattern over this. This application can be done in a
variety of ways, be it screen-printing, air-brushing or rubber stamping. Screen-
printing and rubber-stamping methods will be discussed later in the guide.
Security Features in current issue $100 notes
Materials & Equipment:
11.5lb (0.022” thick) fibrous paper (Sumi rice paper often works and can be
found at any art store)
MICR Laser toner or ink-jet cartridge
UV Red Inkjet Cartridge (HP 51645A)
HP 51645A (HP 45) Compatible Black inkjet Printer.
PearlEX, or MAC duo-tone green-gold powdered pigment
Interference Gold powdered pigment
Color laser printer
Water based glue
PhotoEZ Stencils: 00 lacey overlay for 100 texture
Graphic Texture stencil *optional*
Matte transparent screen-printing medium (for texture stencil) *optional*
Lanolin
Grain Alcohol
UV inhibitor

Suppliers:
MICR Toner: http://www.g7ps.com/scripts/toner.asp
MICR Inkjet: http://www.g7ps.com/scripts/versaink.asp?step=3&manu=HP&cmbCartridge=45
Powder Pigments: http://kremerpigments.com/shopus/index.php
UV Red Inkjet Cartridges: http://the-perf-shop-part-2.7p.com/red_ink_cartridge.html
HP 45 Cartridge Printer: http://tinyurl.com/ygwty3o
SUMI Rice Paper: http://tinyurl.com/yj6u6ft
Interference Gold Pigment: http://kremerpigments.com/shopus/index.php
Duo-tone Green-Gold Pigment: http://www.jacquardproducts.com/products/pearlex/
http://tinyurl.com/ycg6pdy
Water Based Glue: http://tinyurl.com/yahrmp4
PhotoEZ: http://www.store.cbridge.com
Lanolin: http://tinyurl.com/ycetf3w
Grain Alcohol: http://tinyurl.com/yz7ebnx
Transparent Medium: http://www.store.cbridge.com
Alternate transparent medium: http://www.costumersnetwork.com/product-detail/DD03/mehron-mixing-liquid-4-5-oz/
UV absorber: http://kremerpigments.com/shopus/index.php
Procedure:

1. Cut 8.5 x 11” sheets from your roll of rice-paper.

2. Pre-print red and blue fiber layer of template to one side of two sheets.
This will be your outside face on which you print the front and back of
the bill. The inside face does not need to be printed.

3. Flip one sheet over so that you will be printing on the inside face (the
side that was not printed with the red and blue fibers.

4. Print on the inside face the Water-mark layer of the template. This
layer includes a light black image of the print of the security thread,
this does not need to be removed as it will help you line up your
stencils correctly. If you have MICR Black toner or ink-jet loaded in
your printer you may activate the bold security thread text layer and
simply print all in one go.

5. Load the Sheet into an HP 51645A (HP 45) compatible inkjet printer
so the the inside face with the water-mark is lined up properly.
6. Print the UV background of the security thread layer of the template,
using setting set to print black only with the red UV inkjet cartridge in
the black slot of the printer.

7. Remove from printer and allow time to dry.

*NOTE: steps 8-11 are optional, as a heavy printing of MICR toner or inkjet will
suffice for the security thread's purpose.*

8. Line up the stencil for the text portion of the security thread.

9. Mix glue and Sparkle silver pigment at a ratio of 9:1

10. Apply silver mixture to inside face over stencil.

11. Remove stencil and allow time to dry.

12. Dampen inside face using a sponge roller

13. Dampen inside face of second sheet, set aside

14. Mix Elmer's School Glue and distilled water at a ratio of 20:1

15. Apply glue mixture to inside face of the first (printed) sheet.

16. Line second sheet with first so that the inside faces meet. The
middle of the second sheet should be lowered first and a spatula
used to gently press out air bubbles as both sheets are glued to
each other.

17. Clean up any excess glue and blot gently until barely damp.
Allow time to dry.

18. Once dry, Stick sheet in a carrier envelope and run through a
lamination machine at medium heat. This will ensure the glue is
cured and also compress the sheets making the finished
thickness correct.

19. Load the paper into the printer so that when you print the front
of the bills the water-mark and security thread are aligned
properly.

20. Print the front of the template, making sure the serial number
layer is adjusted so that each bill has a unique number.

21. Flip the page in the printer and print the back of the bills.

22. Mix duo-tone green-gold pigment powder and transparent

medium in a ratio 1:6 or so that it is opaque.

23. Line up your 100 stencil to the lower right of the front of the
bills. The front template printed a faded image of the 100 to
guide your stencil placement.

24. Apply the duo-tone mixture to the front of the bills over the
stencil.
25. Remove the stencil and allow time to dry.

26. Mix Interference gold, sparkle gold, and transparent medium in a

ratio of 2:1:6

27. Line up your lacey overlay stencil to the 100 you just printed.

28. Apply gold mixture to the front of the bills over the stencil.

29. Remove the stencil and allow time to dry.

30. Mix Lanolin, Grain alcohol, and UV absorber in a ratio of 2:10:1

31. Apply mixture to front and back of bills ensuring the entire sheet
is saturated completely while remaining damp allow to dry and
repeat until test piece results in negative from counterfeit pen
.
32. Cut out individual bills using a rotary paper cutter.
Troubleshooting:

Q: I saturate my bills with lanolin mixture and the counterfeit pens keep
detecting my bills.

A: Increase the amount of lanolin in your solution. Running your sheets

through a lamina tor at medium heat after the lanolin solution has dried
will sort of melt the lanolin into all of the fibers better
waterproofing them. If this does not solve your problem try
spraying with a light dusting of canvas sealant after you run through
a lamination machine and allow time to dry.

Q: The colors aren't coming out right I print.

A: Go into the color layers and adjust the lightness, color balance,
brightness, saturation etc. until you have a perfect result. Only save
these changes when you have obtained a consistently perfect result
with the changed settings. This is the reason for the structure of layer
groups in the template included with this guide. Not all printers print
colors at the same settings so adjustments have to me made.

Q: I'm lazy, can't I just print all my bills with the same number or in a series
of numbers, or just use the same random numbers over and over, as
long as I'm using them at different places?

A: NO! As soon as good counterfeits are finally detected (and they will) the
first thing the Secret Service does is create a new file for that area,
 cataloging the new counterfeits. The first thing the look for is repeated
numbers and direct lines of numbers in order. Once they find these
they can narrow the search area and they will eventually catch up to
you, especially since they can lift fingerprints off of bills. If you keep
your numbers completely random with NO REPEATS, as well as your
mixture ratios just a little shoddy, and you keep your prints off of them
and stay away from cameras you'll stay about as safe as possible.

Q: How do I keep my prints off my bills? Won't I have to handle them

sometime?

A: During the making you should be wearing powder free gloves. If you
have to handle them in public, you can make a simple set of false
prints by obtaining a latex paint color matched to your finger area.
Apply this to your fingers with a paintbrush and allow it to dry enough
to be tacky. When it is tacky enough but not quite dry, press different
parts of your hand, different fingers etc across the painted areas firmly
enough that an impression is made. Allow this to dry completely. Since
the new prints are reversed from random parts of your own hand, it's
impossible to track. Once this is dry treat with makeup foundation or
blender to better simulate the look of skin. Once this is done on all
your fingers and palm areas you will need to stick your head over
some steam until you start sweating, blot this sweat to your fake prints
and you should now be leaving fake prints until you remove them.
These will stay for about 3-4 hours.

Q: My prints are coming out blurry.

A: Adjust your ink volume settings. If this doesn't work you may need to
switch to a tighter weave paper, or a durabrite ink-jet, or a color laser
printer. Note, there is a huge difference between a color laser-jet
printer and a color laser printer. The former is basically an ink-jet
printer that uses a laser printer head to print black. The later is a true
color laser printer using colored laser toner. Co lour laser printers are
most highly recommended for this application.