You have been posting great looking bank notes for a long time. I think close to 100% of them have color in them and some really impressive looking at that. Now I am assuming that its more costly and probably needs several different type of print procedures to produce them. Is that extra cost and work the reason why our currencly is so drab??? Also, some of the notes, like today's for instance, seem very delicate. Are they the same type of tough paper, or similar, that U.S. currency is printed on? Inquiring minds want to know. Ha Thanks Mike.

As far as color, you are right almost all are in color. There are a few currencies printed in black and white but they are usually notes that are expected to have a very limited lifespan such as temporary currency used during an occupation of a country or a provisional time. However there are a large number of notes printed in a single color (other than black) or a single color for the front and another single color for the back as in our own (older) currency.

Multi-color is more costly but represents just a small cost factor. A big cost factor is the special paper, and other anti-counterfeiting measures such as watermarking, color shifting ink, security threads, UV coding, etc.

Printing quality varies as well, from lithograph, to intaglio. Intaglio being used for the most intricate designs and micro-printing. Costs of production are weighed on value of the note as well, the more value the note has the greater the quality to protect it from counterfeiting. This is the reason the US One Dollar bill has less security features than the US Hundred Dollar bill.

The US currency is ‘drab’ because the colors and design have not changed (or only changed slightly) for decades. The inks used are a special color that is not used elsewhere (but the human eye can hardly discern the difference) and the formula is a closely guarded secret. The MOST recognized currency in the WORLD is US currency, that is why the Treasury has ‘resisted’ any change to it’s color or overall design. Even the design changes largely resemble the original.

Most notes are on paper made from a linen/cotton blend (US is 25% linen/75% Cotton). Japan uses mulberry tree bark in their blends; some of the (older) Asian notes are from thin rice paper, a few notes (old) were printed on cloth, and Maldives (because of their high humidity) have printed on a thick paper. Modern medias include Tyvek, and Polymer plastics.
US currency cost 6¢ per note any denomination (except the $1- it is 4¢ per note).

With hyper-inflation such as Zimbabwe, the cost of the paper alone quickly was worth much more than the value printed on it.

When the intrinsic value exceeds the declared value the media or the value changes- That’s why copper pennies are no longer copper, and silver dimes are no longer silver…

Thank for the question!