Copy Machines Are Technologically-Incapable of Copying Money

Newly redesigned $100 notes lay in stacks at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on May 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The one hundred dollar bills will be released this fall and have new security features, such as a duplicating portrait of Benjamin Franklin and microprinting added to make the bill more difficult to counterfeit. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Believe it or not, copy machines will not copy money. While you might have trouble getting it to print that document you needed two days ago, you’ll most certainly have serious problems if you try to copy any denomination of U.S. currency. Or the currency of most developed nations, for that matter.

Of course, copying money is illegal. For those still determined to try it, there is a unique set of symbols that disable the copy machine from printing once its sensors have scanned them. The Eurion Constellation is a symbol comprised of circles that tip off the machine to the currency’s presence. It first appeared on the ten Euro note and has been rapidly applied to many other country’s currencies. Since the implementation of the Eurion Constellation, it’s been expanded to create a host of different anti-counterfeit measures to form what’s known as the Counterfeit Deterrence System. To learn more, watch the video below.