Think of all the wear and tear your bills go through. In and out of pockets, wallets, vending machines, exchanging hands countless times before the final blow is dealt via a rip in the paper or a trip through the washing machine. Including a blend of polymer in the banknote paper allows banknotes to last much longer. Though more expensive to print initially, these hybrid notes are more cost-efficient in the long term. In addition to longevity, one of the additional advantages of this technology is that all of the banknote’s security features can still be clearly identified, even after long period of circulation, both by the general public and by automatic banknote processing systems. Fortress Paper recently released the news that their Durasafe banknote paper will be unveiled shortly:

The official launch of Fortress Paper’s Durasafe banknote paper will occur at the Banknote 2009 Conference to be held on December 6 – 9 in Washington D.C. Durasafe is an innovative hybrid banknote substrate, which consists of two 100% cotton paper layers, which contain all the security features common to traditional banknote paper but with a polymer core. This three layer substrate dramatically increases the durability and design options as compared to conventional paper banknotes. Durasafe adds the unique ability to implement security features consisting of semi and fully transparent windows of different shapes, sizes and positions. This product is anticipated to be commercially available in 2010.

Fortress paper CEO Chad Wasilenkoff

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