Additional Resources

Following are definitions of key terms that you may come across in browsing this Web site. If you have suggestions for other words or phrases to include in our glossary, please let us know.

Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)

The BEP prints billions of paper money bills each year at facilities in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to U.S. currency, the BEP produces several other security documents such as portions of U.S. passports, materials for Homeland Security, military identification cards, and Immigration and Naturalization Certificates.

Color-shifting ink

On the redesigned $10, $20 and $50 bills, this ink changes from copper to green when the bill is tilted. This new characteristic of money is found on the numeral in the lower-right corner on the face of the bill.

Engraver

A skilled worker who can inscribe designs or writing onto a surface by carving or etching. While the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s engravers take advantage of the latest printing, production and examining technologies, they also continue to use the same traditional tools that have been used by the United States Currency for over 125 years - the graver, the burnisher, and the hand-held glass.

Federal Reserve Indicators

A universal seal to the left of the portrait represents the entire Federal Reserve. A letter and number beneath the left serial number on paper money identifies the issuing Federal Reserve Bank.

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve, also known as the Fed, is the central bank of the United States. It was created by the Congress with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. The Federal Reserve is composed of a central, governmental agency--the Board of Governors--in Washington, D.C., and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation.

Intaglio Printing

The Bureau prints United States Currency on high-speed, sheet-fed rotary presses which are capable of printing over 8,000 sheets per hour. Printing plates are covered with ink and then the surface of each plate is wiped clean which allows the ink to remain in the design and letter grooves of the plates. Each sheet is then forced, under extremely heavy pressure (estimated at 20 tons), into the finely recessed lines of the printing plate to pick up the ink. The printing impression is three dimensional in effect and requires the combined handiwork of highly skilled artists, steel engravers, and plate printers. The surface of the bill feels slightly raised, while the reverse side feels slightly indented. This process is called intaglio printing.

Legal Tender

Section 102 of the Coinage Act of 1965 (Title 31 United States Code, Section 392) provides in part: "All coins and currencies of the United States, regardless of when coined or issued, shall be legal tender for all debts, public and private, public charges, taxes, duties and dues." This statute means that you have made a valid and legal offer of payment of your debt when you tender United States currency to your creditor. However, there is no Federal statute which mandates that private businesses must accept cash as a form of payment. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise.

Low-Vision Feature

The large, easy-to-read number “5” in the lower right corner on the back of the $5 bill, which helps those with visual impairments distinguish the denomination, is now enlarged in the new $5 bill design and is printed in high-contrast purple ink. The $10, $20 and $50 bills also have large numbers on the lower right corner on the back of the bill to help vision-impaired individuals distinguish the denomination.

Microprinting

Microprinting is very small text that is hard to replicate due to its size. The redesigned currency features microprinting. Please consult features facts sheets for each denomination to see details for the $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills.

Paper

United States Currency is one-fourth linen and three-fourths cotton and contains red and blue fibers.

Portrait

President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the redesigned $5 bill. The redesigned $10 bill features a portrait of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. President Andrew Jackson is on the front of the redesigned $20 bill, and the redesigned $50 bill features a portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant.

Security Thread

A vertical strip of plastic that is embedded in the paper and spells out the denomination in tiny print. On the $5 bill, the security thread runs vertically to the right of the portrait and glows blue under ultraviolet light; on the $10 bill the security thread glows orange and runs vertically to the right of the portrait; on the $20 bill the security thread runs vertically to the left of the portrait and glows green; and on the $50 bill the security thread glows yellow and runs vertically to the right of the portrait. While the $100 bill has not yet been redesigned, the current design also has a security thread, which glows red under ultraviolet light.

Serial Numbers

The unique combination of eleven numbers and letters appears twice on the front of the bill.

Series Year

The "series" date on paper currency appears on the face of the bill at the bottom right of the portrait. The series date without a suffix letter indicates (a) the year production started after approval of the original design, (b) when there was a major revision to the currency bill design, or (c) when the manner of printing changed. A minor revision in the design or a change in the signature of the Treasurer is indicated by an addition of a suffix letter to the series year. The series date does not change each calendar year as it does on coins. The year in which the currency is actually printed is not indicated on the bill.

Symbols of Freedom

A new American symbol of freedom has been added to the background of the redesigned $5 bill—The Great Seal of the United States, featuring an eagle and shield, is printed in purple to the right of the portrait of President Lincoln. An arc of purple stars surrounds the portrait and The Great Seal. The symbols of freedom differ for each denomination.

Two new "symbols of freedom"—images of the torch carried by the Statue of Liberty—are printed in red on the face of the new $10 bill. A large image of the torch is printed in the background to the left of the portrait of Secretary Hamilton, while a second, smaller metallic red image of the torch can be found on the lower right side of the portrait.

On the $20 bill a large blue American eagle is in the background to the left of President Andrew Jackson's portrait and is representative of those drawn and sculpted during his time period. The smaller metallic green eagle to the lower right of the portrait is a more contemporary illustration, using the same "raised ink" intaglio process as the portrait, numerals and engravings.

On the $50 bill the symbols of freedom represent images of the American flag. The traditional stars and stripes of the United States flag are printed in blue and red behind the portrait, while three red stripes are located to the right of the portrait. A small metallic silver-blue star is located on the lower right side of the portrait.

Vignette

The picture on back of the bill is called the vignette.

Watermark

A watermark is a faint image that is part of the paper itself and is visible from both sides when the bill is held up to the light. There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5 bill. A large number “5” watermark is located to the right of the portrait, replacing the watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on older design $5 bills. Its location is highlighted by a blank window incorporated into the background design. A second watermark—a column of three smaller “5”s—has been added to the new $5 bill design and is positioned to the left of the portrait.

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