page_title: History of the United States dollar
section_title: Color and design
hierarchical_section_title: History of the United States dollar / Color and design
caption_attribution_description: Images of various US dollars. Although the dollars themselves are public domain (with restrictions of usage in the USA by non-copyright laws), it is unclear what the license for the compilation is.
context_page_description: The history of the United States Dollar refers to more than 240 years since the Continental Congress of the United States authorized the issuance of Continental Currency in 1775. On April 2, 1792, the United States Congress created the United States dollar as the country's standard unit of money. The term dollar had already been in common usage since the colonial period when it referred to eight-real coin used by the Spanish throughout New Spain.
context_section_description: The federal government began issuing paper currency during the American Civil War. As photographic technology of the day could not reproduce color, it was decided the back of the bills would be printed in a color other than black. Because the color green was seen as a symbol of stability, it was selected. These  were known as "greenbacks" for their color and started a tradition of the United States' printing the back of its money in green. The author of that invention was chemist Christopher Der-Seropian. In contrast to the currency notes of many other countries, Federal Reserve notes of varying denominations are the same colors: predominantly black ink with green highlights on the front, and predominantly green ink on the back. Federal Reserve notes were printed in the same colors for most of the 20th century, although older bills called "silver certificates" had a blue seal and serial numbers on the front, and "United States notes" had a red seal and serial numbers on the front.
  In 1928, sizing of the bills was standardized (involving a 25% reduction in their current sizes, compared to the older, larger notes nicknamed "horse blankets"). The Secretary of the Treasury directed a reduction in paper currency from a ​7 ⁷⁄₁₆ inch by ​3 ⁹⁄₆₄ inch size to a ​6 ⁵⁄₁₆ inch by ​2 ¹¹⁄₁₆ inch (6.31' x 2.69') size, which allowed the Treasury Department to produce 12 notes per ​16 ¹⁄₄ inch by ​13 ¹⁄₄ inch sheet of paper that previously would yield 8 notes at the old size. Modern U.S. currency, regardless of denomination, is 2.61 inches (66.3 mm) wide, 6.14 inches (156 mm) long, and 0.0043 inches (0.109 mm) thick. A single bill weighs about fifteen and a half grains (one gram) and costs approximately 4.2 cents for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to produce.
  Microprinting and security threads were introduced in the 1991 currency series.
  Another series started in 1996 with the $100 note, adding the following changes:
  A larger portrait, moved off-center to create more space to incorporate a watermark.
  The watermark to the right of the portrait depicting the same historical figure as the portrait. The watermark can be seen only when held up to the light (and had long been a standard feature of all other major currencies).
  A security thread that will glow pink when exposed to ultraviolet light in a dark environment. The thread is in a unique position on each denomination.
  Color-shifting ink that changes from green to black when viewed from different angles. This feature appears in the numeral on the lower right-hand corner of the bill front.
  Microprinting in the numeral in the note's lower left-hand corner and on Benjamin Franklin's coat.
  Concentric fine-line printing in the background of the portrait and on the back of the note. This type of printing is difficult to copy well.
  The value of the currency written in 14pt Arial font on the back for those with sight disabilities.
  Other features for machine authentication and processing of the currency.
  Annual releases of the 1996 series followed. The $50 note followed on June 12, 1997, and introduced a large dark numeral with a light background on the back of the note to make it easier for people to identify the denomination. The $20 note in 1998 introduced a new machine-readable capability to assist scanning devices. The security thread glows green under ultraviolet light, and "USA TWENTY" and a flag are printed on the thread, while the numeral "20" is printed within the star field of the flag. The microprinting is in the lower left ornamentation of the portrait and in the lower left corner of the note front. As of 1998, the $20 note was the most frequently counterfeited note in the United States. The new design of the $5 and $10 notes were released in 2000.
  May 13, 2003, The Treasury announced that it would introduce new colors into the $20 bill, the first U.S. currency since 1905 (not counting the 1934 gold certificates) to have colors other than green or black. The move was intended primarily to reduce counterfeiting, rather than to increase visual differentiation between denomination
caption: U.S. Federal Reserve notes in the mid-1990s
exif: {}