The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is the government’s only resource for paper currency manufacturing. Not only does the BEP print all paper money, but it also prints military commissions and award certificates and other printing of official documents for other Government agencies. The BEP has two production facilities, one Washington, DC, and the other in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was founded in 1862 to print paper currency after Congress authorized the Secretary of Treasury to have money printed instead of using gold and silver because there was a coin shortage from the civil war. The paper notes were called demand notes. At the time the department did not have its