Cotton-Linen Substrate
Definition
The traditional banknote paper substrate made from cotton fibre (and sometimes linen), containing no lignin, non-fluorescent under UV, textured under magnification; used for RBI MGNS, US Federal Reserve Notes, and pre-2016 Bank of England notes.
- Composition
- Cotton fibre, sometimes blended with linen/flax
- Lignin content
- None (unlike wood-pulp paper)
- UV response
- Non-fluorescent under UV light
- Used by
- RBI (MGNS), US Federal Reserve, pre-2016 Bank of England
- Alternative
- Polymer/plastic substrate, used by Australia (RBA), Bank of England (post-2016), New Zealand
Common questions
Why is the absence of lignin useful for detection?+
Wood-pulp paper contains lignin, which fluoresces bright blue-white under UV light. Genuine cotton-linen currency paper has no lignin and stays dull under UV, so a counterfeit printed on ordinary office paper glows conspicuously under a UV lamp, a quick screening test used at bank counters and by field examiners.
How does cotton-linen substrate differ from polymer substrate under examination?+
Cotton-linen paper is porous and fibrous, so ink sits on the surface and the sheet tears with a ragged, fibrous edge. Polymer substrate is a continuous plastic film, non-porous, resistant to tearing and folding damage, and often carries a transparent window feature that paper cannot replicate.
Related terms
- BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene)
- The polymer film substrate for polymer-substrate banknotes (Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada). Distinguished from cotton-linen paper notes by FTIR-ATR (CH3 methyl peaks...
- Intaglio Printing
- A high-pressure printing process in which ink is forced into engraved recesses in a steel plate and transferred to paper, producing a...
- KINEGRAM
- A diffractive optically variable image device (DOVID) in holographic foil used on passport biographical pages and visa stickers; produced by OVD Kinegram...
- Latent Image
- A feature visible only at oblique viewing angle, produced by differential intaglio surface profile; on the US $100, tilting reveals 'USA' within...
- Microprinting / Microtext
- Text printed at 0.2-0.5 mm letter height, legible under a 10x loupe on genuine notes but smeared into an indistinct grey line...
- Multi-Tone Watermark
- A watermark produced by graded modulation of substrate thickness during papermaking, creating a range of light-to-dark tones visible in transmitted light; more...
- Optically Variable Ink (OVI)
- An ink containing thin-film interference flakes (metal + dielectric layers, manufactured by SICPA and others) that produce a visible colour shift with...
- See-Through Register
- The precise front-to-back alignment of partial printed elements so that they combine into a complete image when the note is held to...
- Windowed Security Thread
- A polymer strip embedded in the substrate that alternates between being below the surface (visible as a dark stripe in transmitted light)...