Cyclical printing errors on BTY $10

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I specifically remember someone posting a thread about slightly misprinted $10 notes where there were white spots on every second or every third note in a run of consecutive notes.  I can't seem to find the original posting... was it taken down?  If not, please add this post to the appropriate thread.

Today, I received 22 consecutive $10 notes prefix BTY (9226008-9226029) with repetitive printing errors on the backs of the notes.  The same error does not appear on every note, but instead on every third note.  The first note in the cycle has a large white spot between the 1 and 0 in the big white 10 counter in the top left corner, plus there's a thin white line to the left touching the edge of the note.  The latter white line looks like the remnant of a detached security thread that peeled off the surface of the note after the note was printed.  The second note has a small white spot inside the 0 of the same 10 counter.  The third note in the cycle has no visible defects.

Here are close-ups of BTY 9226016 and 9226017:

{http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5739/btymisprintc1.jpg:http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5739/btymisprintc1.th.jpg}

{http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9513/btymisprintc2.jpg:http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9513/btymisprintc2.th.jpg}

Here is a scan of notes BTY 9226016-25 in order (from the bottom up):

{http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/2074/btymisprint.jpg:http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/2074/btymisprint.th.jpg}

*** The pattern is not 100% repetitive.  It is interrupted at one point.  Here is a summary of the errors:

BTY 9226008: large spots
BTY 9226009: small spot
BTY 9226010: no error
BTY 9226011: large spots
BTY 9226012: small spot
BTY 9226013: no error
BTY 9226014: small spot
BTY 9226015: no error
BTY 9226016: large spots
BTY 9226017: small spot
BTY 9226018: no error
BTY 9226019: large spots
BTY 9226020: small spot
BTY 9226021: no error
BTY 9226022: large spots
BTY 9226023: small spot
BTY 9226024: no error
BTY 9226025: large spots
BTY 9226026: small spot
BTY 9226027: no error
BTY 9226028: large spots
BTY 9226029: small spot


I can't quite remember the explanation given to explain the error and its cyclical nature.  Something to do with the ink being picked off the notes before it can dry, as I recall.  I can't see the error originating from the plates themselves because then every note would have the same errors, unless there is more than one set of plates...

The disruption of the three-note cycle is caused by one note with the large white spots going missing at 9226014.  Perhaps the sheet containing this note was removed from the stack of unnumbered sheets?  Remember that sheets are numbered after all the other printing is done, so defective sheets can be removed without needing to be replaced by an insert sheet.  The cycle continues as normal after the disruption in the pattern.

Comments about this minor error type would be appreciated.

- M

Edited Jan 10, 2013... images moved to ImageShack

IF YOU CAN'T view the pictures in the above post, rightclick and save them using these links:

http://www.give-a-buck.com/special/bty-misprint-c1.jpg
http://www.give-a-buck.com/special/bty-misprint-c2.jpg
http://www.give-a-buck.com/special/bty-misprint.jpg

mmars here is the original posting link. The photos are gone though.

http://www.cdnpapermoney.com/forum/index.php?topic=2461.msg14667#msg14667

Thanks!

That's not the posting that was made most recently, though.  The one I saw may have been deleted.  Clearly, though, it's the same kind of error.

Thanks!

That's not the posting that was made most recently, though.  The one I saw may have been deleted.  Clearly, though, it's the same kind of error.

It may be the pics I posted and I think since they were in the trading post and the post was closed the pictures were deleted as well... When I check my computer at home tonite Im sure I will still have the pics and will post it on this thread
FRIEDSQUID

I have seen cyclical printing errors on tens before. I think there are three or four significant examples of this.

Leads me to believe while printing, there are three drums at work, feeding into a stacking area where they get layered upon each other like ABCABCABCABC and so on....

Back in May i had noticed a white dot that appeared on the  soldiers left shoulder that appeared on every 3rd note of a block of BFC and noticed it as well in a few other blocks but don't recall the prefix.

MG

not sure if this is the one but different prefix

I already reported a such kind of error on 5$, repeating most of the time every 3 notes.

The explanation about the three printing drums could be good, but I don't see the point to put the three runs one of each in sequence. and it would need three printing machine...

My explanation relies on the fact that the tiny numbers are Position numbers, not Plate numbers.
So I would think that there is effectively three sets of "plates", but put on the same printing drum.  I think that because if you roll up a complete sheet, the diameter of the roll is quite small, (less than one feet), corresponding to a too small drum, probably too small to be usable for the printers.

 But if you put three sets on the same drum, you'll need a drum about 3 feet in diameter, much more usable.  And think that each "plate" must be curved to be put on the drum.  On a small drum, the plate must be quite curved (maybe too much to do a good printing), but on a large drum, the curvature is much less pronounced. 

And you just have to  sychronize the feeder to follow the rotation of the drum..If something sticks on one of the "plates" only the sheet printed by that plate will show the defect (no ink for instance), the two others will be OK.

And why there is some miss in this disposition (sometimes, you have only one good note between two errors, or three or even four notes), since the serials are printed in the last printing step,  nothing tells you that there was no sheet taken out after one of the preceding step by the QC...