Sophisticated New Feature Will Make U.S. Currency More Secure

September 6, 2007 -- The security strip on the United States' $100 bill will showcase a printing technique that creates the illusion of transverse motion. One of many security upgrades, this feature is expected to appear on the next version of the bill, due out next year.

This technique uses thousands of tiny embedded Fresnel lenses along with microscopic printing to display an image that moves side to side when the bill is moved up and down, and vice versa. It is designed to be easily recognizable but difficult to reproduce, which will help the nation stay a step ahead of counterfeiters.

A Path to the Next Generation of U.S. Banknotes: Keeping Them Real, a National Research Council report released earlier this year, identifies this type of plastic strip as effective against all types of counterfeiters, ranging from novice to professional. The report mentions that this embedded lens technology is highly rated for cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and difficulty of reproduction.

• A Path to the Next Generation of U.S. Banknotes: Keeping Them Real

• U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing