What is a Banknote ink made of?
What is a Banknote ink made of?
Stiff intaglio paste ink pressed into the paper under tonnes of force, plus colour-shifting metal flakes.
Intaglio is the feature most people can check without any equipment: run a fingernail across a portrait or a large numeral on a genuine note and it is palpably raised, because the press forces ink into the paper at pressures no domestic printing process approaches. That tactile relief is also what makes notes usable by blind and partially sighted people, alongside size steps and tactile marks. The optically variable inks are made by a small handful of specialist suppliers under tight control, and their supply is restricted specifically to keep them out of counterfeiters' hands — which is a security measure in the supply chain rather than in the note.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| intaglio ink | pigment in a very high-viscosity varnish of resins and oils | The ink is forced into engraved lines and squeezed into the paper under great pressure, leaving a raised deposit you can feel with a fingernail. |
| colour-shifting ink | optically variable pigment — microscopic multilayer flakes of metal and dielectric | The layers interfere with light so the colour changes with angle; a scanner or copier records only one angle and cannot fake it. |
| magnetic ink | iron oxide pigment in selected areas | Sorting and vending machines read the magnetic pattern, which is a check no visual copy passes. |
| ultraviolet ink | fluorescent pigments invisible in daylight | It puts a whole second image on the note that is only revealed under a lamp, at negligible cost per note. |
| infrared features | inks that look identical in visible light but differ in the infrared | Automated cash handling uses infrared cameras, so a note can be authenticated by a machine without any moving parts. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Shampoo Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
Common questions
- What is a Banknote ink made of?
- Stiff intaglio paste ink pressed into the paper under tonnes of force, plus colour-shifting metal flakes.
- What is the intaglio ink of a Banknote ink made of?
- Pigment in a very high-viscosity varnish of resins and oils. The ink is forced into engraved lines and squeezed into the paper under great pressure, leaving a raised deposit you can feel with a fingernail.
- What is the colour-shifting ink of a Banknote ink made of?
- Optically variable pigment — microscopic multilayer flakes of metal and dielectric. The layers interfere with light so the colour changes with angle; a scanner or copier records only one angle and cannot fake it.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place