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Currency Features for Visually Impaired People (1995)

Chapter: Appendix F: Description of the New Design Concept

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Description of the New Design Concept." National Research Council. 1995. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4828.
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Appendix F:
Description of the New Design Concept

On July 13, 1994, the Secretary of the Treasury announced a new design concept for the $100 banknote, due for production by 1996. The lower denomination banknotes will also be redesigned. These will be introduced at the rate of approximately one new denomination design per year. Since the design for the $100 notes was announced prior to completion of this study, it does not incorporate the recommendations included in this report. Several new features in the new design are of interest to the current study, so a brief description of the new design is included in this report.

In addition to traditional numerals, titles, and engraved borders similar to the current design, the new design will have a larger, off-center portrait and a portrait watermark (see Figure F-1). In addition, several other features have been chosen for inclusion in the design. All of these features will require some development and feasibility analysis, so the final design chosen after all the development work may not contain all the features proposed in the original design. These features are as follows:

  • Distinctive, machine-detectable fibers. Special fibers with specific properties are often added to security papers for forensic purposes. Modern security fibers can be designed to incorporate many types of machine-detectable characteristics.
  • Iridescent planchettes. Traditional planchettes are colored pieces of tissue paper a few millimeters in diameter incorporated directly into the paper, either in rows or randomly distributed. In newer planchettes, such features as microprinting and iridescence are used to enhance the security.
  • Security thread: A security thread is a thin thread or ribbon running through a banknote substrate. It is a versatile feature, and there are many types currently available, including microprinted, metallic, magnetic, windowed, and imbedded. The thread currently in use in U.S. currency is an embedded, microprinted thread that can only be seen when held to light. This characteristic makes it impossible to copy with a color copier, which uses reflected light to generate an image.
  • Watermark. A watermark is an image formed by purposely creating localized variations in the paper density during the papermaking process. The image is visible as darker and lighter areas when held against a light source. Like the embedded thread, it does not copy on color copiers.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Description of the New Design Concept." National Research Council. 1995. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4828.
×

Figure F-1

Design concept for the new $100 bill, as introduced by the Department of the Treasury.

  • Color-shifting inks. These inks change color when viewed from different angles. For instance, an ink that appears gold when viewed directly may change to green when viewed obliquely.
  • Moiré-generating line structures. These types of line structures appear normal to the human eye but cannot be properly resolved by scanning equipment. This results in the creation of spurious images, or moiré patterns, in the digital output, producing a copy that is noticeably distinguishable from the original.
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Description of the New Design Concept." National Research Council. 1995. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4828.
×
Page 117
Suggested Citation:"Appendix F: Description of the New Design Concept." National Research Council. 1995. Currency Features for Visually Impaired People. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4828.
×
Page 118
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The Committee on Currency Features for the Visually Impaired evaluated features that could be incorporated in the production of U.S. banknotes that would enable blind and visually disabled people to more easily determine the denomination of a banknote. This volume describes several features and the assessment methodology used to determine which features could be recommended for inclusion in the short term, which could be recommended for research and possible inclusion in future currency redesigns, and which features were impractical for use in U.S. banknotes. Also included is an outline of the various types of visual disabilities that impair an individual's ability to denominate banknotes. Recommended features and areas of research are described in detail. Banknote and other security document producers, and people interested in addressing needs and opportunities for visually disabled people in the United States will find this book useful.

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