Offset Printing Counterfeit Money - Is it Possible?

Yes. It is possible with offset printing. It is done by many unscrupulous people throughout the world.

I worked in a sheet fed shop for a number of years with a man from Fiji.  He said that when he was young he worked in an offset sheetfed printing shop there. They printed commercial jobs during the day and printed Canadian $20 notes at night. This would have been in the 1970's.  

Today, people try do copy money with a scanner and a printer.  They even try using offset printing presses.  But real money is still difficult to duplicate.  Why?

Offset printing makes it look more real, but not enough.

Offset printing is part of the process to print real money.  A Simultan sheetfed press is used by the US government to print money.  The difference is that this is only the first pass.  Money has to look and feel real, and offset printing isn't enough to give it that real look/feel.  Here are the actual steps to print money as done by the US government.

Offset sheet fed printing press.

Step 1. A KBA Simultan sheetfed press will perform the first pass of the bank notes.  It is a 52 foot long and 14 foot wide press.  The sheets have 32 notes each. The maximum speed of the press is 10,000 impressions per hour.  

Besides having the right paper, any offset printing press can do the same thing.  But here is where it gets a little more complicated.

Step 2. After being left to dry for 72 hours, the bank notes then move to an intaglio press. Engraved plates then press an image onto the back of the bank notes.  The press is an Intaglio 10 Press. It's maximum speed is 8,000 impressions per hour. 

Because the ink is pressed into the paper by means of an engraved plate, it gives the note that special feel of quality.

 

Intaglio offset press.

Step 3.  The other side of the note passes through the intaglio press again, receiving that second deep impression.  The press is called the Super Orloff press. This once again gives that ink the "pressed" feel with finely engraved line work which acts as a security feature. Something that regular offset printing cannot do.

Step 4. A letterpress machine (yes, they still exist) called the Currency Overprinting Processing Equipment (COPE) is used. It gives each note a number and seal. 

Step 5. At this point the sheets are trimmed to single notes and packaged. They go onto pallets and secured in vaults until they are delivered to the banks.

The reason that offset printing alone cannot duplicate a printed bank note are steps 2 through 4.  An intaglio sheetfed and letterpress are required.  These printing presses give the note it's look and feel.  Having all three presses makes it difficult to duplicate.  Offset printing alone is not enough, not to mention all the security features that are added to money.

So in conclusion, printing money on an offset press is possible, but cannot produce what the two additional printing presses do.  Besides being illegal, the paper is also difficult to acquire.