How to Make Fake Money

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Counterfeit money is often used in games, educational activities, or stage performances. However, you must comply with the law when making counterfeit money yourself. Start by dyeing the paper or using light colored paper. Then, manually design the details of the bill or download the banknote template from the internet. Print or copy the fully designed banknote, cut out individual sheets and use.

Table of Contents

Dyeing paper

Mix water with coffee in a bowl or tray. If you do not want to use white paper to make money, you can use coffee juice to create a color that is close to the color of real money. Take a cup and fill it half full with water. Pour into a cup of 50ml instant coffee and stir quickly. Then pour this mixture into a tray. You will have a solution with a dark brown color. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you want the money to be only light brown, add a little warm water to the cup.
If you don’t have instant coffee, you can use a tea bag dipped in a cup of warm water.
To create a more complex color, add 1-2 drops of green food coloring and stir quickly. This method will make the note green.

Dip the printed sheets in water. Hold a sheet of paper on the tray and dip it in the solution. Try to dye both sides of the paper evenly to create an even color for the bill. Dip quickly and avoid soaking the paper for so long that you want to tear.

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Place 1 sheet of paper on the plate. Choose a microwaveable dish and place the paper on it. You need to lay the paper flat in the center of the plate. Each sheet of paper needs to be placed on a separate plate. Otherwise, you must wait until the dish cools after removing it from the microwave.

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Start the oven to dry the paper. Place the paper plate in the microwave and run the oven for 20 seconds on high power. Remove the disc and touch the paper with your finger. If it’s still wet, dry for another 10 seconds and repeat until it’s dry. Set the dried paper aside. Repeat this process with another sheet of paper. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Or you can dry the paper in the air. If you don’t want to use the microwave, dry all the sheets on a tray. Remember not to stack them on top of each other because the drying time will be longer. You can also hang them on a line like a clothes dryer.

Counterfeit money design

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Comply with all laws and regulations. Governments usually have regulations to govern the creation of any currency. In the US, counterfeit bills must be shrunk to 75% real money or smaller, or enlarged to more than 150% of real money. The government also encourages counterfeiters to print only one side. Consult local or national authorities before printing counterfeit money to ensure safety. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Note that some jurisdictions prohibit copying the color of money. Instead, you can just use black and white to make fake money. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Banknote design. If you don’t want to use a computer and printer, you can use a ballpoint pen to sketch the details of the bill on the paper. Place a real bill on the paper and draw along the edges of the bill. Use a sharp-pointed pen to draw details inside the real banknote frame.

This is the best way to make fake money for children’s games, because you or your child can decorate any picture on it.

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Download the toy bill template. Turn on the computer and search by the keyword phrase “toy money samples” or “counterfeit money samples”. Download the text and draw more details. Some sample notes allow you to change the date and text on it. You can also adjust the print size to comply with the law. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Some websites offer educational counterfeit money templates that allow you to insert your photo or any other image in the center of the bill.

Complete the counterfeit bill

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Print money. Place the stained paper in the printer input tray. Double-check the printer settings to make sure the bill fits the page. Then, print out one sheet at a time or print multiple sheets at a time. For the best quality, you should use a laser printer.

Make multiple copies. If you have a printed copy of a bill, you can make multiple copies. You can also photocopy real money, but it must be in black and white. To comply with the law, you must adjust the copier’s settings by magnifying 150% or reducing it to 75% real money. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can use a copier to copy both sides of a real bill.

Cut out the bill. If all the bills are the same size, put the stack of paper in the cutter and cut it into individual sheets. Cutting the entire stack will give the bills an even size and a straight cut edge. However, if the bills are of different sizes, you must use scissors to cut around the edges. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Wrap a piece of paper around the stack of money. Buy banknotes from your local bank or stationery store. You can also use a large rubber band. Use a marker to write the bank’s name on the tape. The final step is to insert the stack of money into the paper tape and use it.

Advice

Lamination will increase the durability of counterfeit money, especially when you use it in games.
If you are making toy money, you should use a different color paper for each denomination.

Warning

Never think about using fake money instead of real money. This is against the law in every country and you will face very heavy penalties.

Things you need

New printing paper
Coffee or tea
Plate
Water
Microwave oven
Printer
Document scanner (scan)
Drag
Ballpoint pens

Steps