Printer quality

You can buy an awfully nice printer at a pretty low price these days—sometimes for just a few dollars more a replacement ink cartridge.  When you consider the quality of the output compared to just a few years ago, this has got to be one of the consumer products with the most improved cost/quality ratio.

The proliferation of good inexpensive printers must be a nightmare for retailers and for the United States Secret Service.  Counterfeit currency has become much more common in recent years.  I started thinking about this after our most recent counterfeiting case.  Back in the days, counterfeiting was a rare but sophisticated operation.   In my rookie recollections, the appearance of a counterfeit bill in Lincoln resulted in a visit to LPD headquarters by men in dark suits.  Counterfeiters were portrayed in the movies as master artisans who labored over engraving plates wearing jeweler’s loupes and green eyeshades.

This all changed with the color photocopier, but has really taken off with the improvement in inkjet and color laser printers.  This week’s case is number 90 of 2010.  It has been slowly edging up beginning in the late 1990’s.  In researching the numbers this morning, I noted that we had a whopping two counterfeit cases in 1994--my first year as chief.  I also noticed that in the mid-1990’s we had quite a spurt in counterfeit traveler’s checks.  There’s a quaint financial device from a bygone era.  I wonder if there even is such a thing these days, and if so, would a clerk even know what to do if I presented one?

Interestingly, counterfeit bills turn up in Lincoln in virtually all denominations.  On December 17, we collected three $1.00 bills from a customer who used one to buy a drink at Sonic.  My favorite counterfeit bill case, however, dates from 2000 (case number A0-008940).  The suspect used counterfeit bills to post his bond at jail.