SECURITY FEATURES

I. Substrate

When we look at a certain banknote, the first thing that comes to our eyes is often the substrate, i.e., the material on which the banknote is being printed. Unlike the regular banknotes we use in everyday life, banknotes issued by micronations usually adopt rather simpler materials in order to facilitate the printing process and also reduce its costs, albeit some micronations also use specialized materials to enhance the aesthetics of their banknotes or as a security measure against counterfeiting. To summarize, these substrates can be briefly categorized into two braod groups, i.e., paper and polymer, whereas either group consists of a series of slightly different variants.

II. Ink

While most micronations nowadays tend to print their banknotes with a normal inkjet printer, it is not rare for some of them to incorporate special inks as an additional security measure, especially those with a higher budget for their banknotes. Despite some subtle differences between brands, special inks can be generally described as either colored (iridescent ink and most types of fluorescent ink) or colorless (invisible ink), all of which are used rather frequently by micronations around the world.

III. Watermark

A common security feature among all types of banknotes issued by macronations, watermark refers to a hidden image incorporated directly to the banknote paper that is visible only when it is held against light. Despite its relatively high cost, watermarked paper is also used by a number of micronations for their banknotes. It can be briefly categorized to the following three types: general watermark, local watermark, and fake watermark (i.e., hidden image).

IV. Hologram & Security Stripe

V. Stamping

Stamping often involves a special mark that is being pressed onto the banknote once it has been printed. While the mark pressed is usually an official seal or a date stamp, there is a wide variety of methods by which this mark can be applied to the substrate, from the most commonly seen ink stamping, embossing, to hot foil stamping, which requires a certain degree of professionalism.

VI. Other Add-on Features

A wide range of additional security measures can be applied to banknotes during designing and printing processes. Generally speaking, micronations tend to adopt simpler and more practical security features on their banknotes, the most frequently seen ones of which are as follows.


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