How to make your own Bank Note?

August 18, 2010 2:31 PM

What are those cool swirly whirly patterns called on the back of playing cards and on Bank Notes? I want to create some, how do I go about finding how these are made? Is there source materials/tutorials for vector programs to get started?

I've searched everywhere on the web and can't find how to make your own back of playing card patterns or designing your own banknote!
I'd use an vector app like illustrator but I'd prefer to use the open source ink scape.

posted by flexiverse to computers & internet (11 answers total)

Maybe this doesn't have anything to do with playing cards or banknotes, but in architecture and sometimes elsewhere they're called arabesques.
posted by wayland at 2:36 PM on August 18, 2010

Flourishes.
posted by jedicus at 2:36 PM on August 18, 2010

or filigree
posted by wwartorff at 2:44 PM on August 18, 2010

Here's a tutorial for Illustrator that will let you do the series of lines in succession similar to filling space on banknotes.
posted by msbutah at 2:45 PM on August 18, 2010

You may also be interested in printer's ornaments.
posted by jedicus at 2:56 PM on August 18, 2010

Guilloché patterns.
posted by letourneau at 2:56 PM on August 18, 2010 [2 favorites]

Guilloché. There are even apps specifically made to create them.
posted by zsazsa at 2:59 PM on August 18, 2010 [8 favorites]

Wow, this is great stuff. Thanks!
posted by alms at 4:49 PM on August 18, 2010

I worked for a banknote printing organisation, and the term was sines or sine waves. On a banknote they are forgery detection devices, and are calculated precisely. Each different design has a name - and I'm probably getting into breaking official secrets act, three I remember were: butterfly, catastrophe and sinesine
posted by the noob at 8:03 PM on August 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Bezier Curve
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:35 PM on August 18, 2010

Part of the fascination of these complex whirls are the resultant Moiré patterns that result.
posted by IvyMike at 12:19 AM on August 19, 2010