# Fresh Fiat (DD-622) > US paper money is made by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, part of the Treasury Department, which has printed the nation's currency since 1862. All of it comes from two plants, in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, Texas. Coins are a separate job, made by the US Mint. The notes are Federal Reserve notes, and the Federal Reserve Board, as their issuing authority, sends the BEP an annual print order. The 2025 order, approved on July 16, 2024, called for 4.1 billion to 5.9 billion notes worth $83.2 billion to $113 billion. The Board says the main driver in recent years has been replacing unfit notes destroyed in normal processing, along with demand at home and abroad. The BEP reported finishing the 2025 order at 4.8 billion notes. The 2026 order ranges from 3.8 billion to 5.1 billion notes, and a redesigned $10, the first of the 'Catalyst' series, is due in 2026. The dollar is 'fiat' money because its value rests on law and trust rather than a promise to swap it for gold. The last link, letting foreign governments convert dollars to gold, ended on August 15, 1971, when President Nixon suspended convertibility. The footage shows a currency plant: sheets on presses, stacks of printed notes and bundles moving along conveyors. - Department: History - First published: 2025-07-24 - Last updated: 2025-07-24 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/fresh-fiat/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **1862**: The BEP's currency work begins - **Aug. 15, 1971**: President Nixon suspends the dollar's convertibility to gold Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=fresh-fiat ## Quick facts - **DD-622-F01**: All US paper currency is printed in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, Texas. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Two plants))_ - **DD-622-F02**: The Federal Reserve Board sends the BEP an annual print order. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Ordered by the Fed))_ ## Write-up Money gets printed to order. The Fed's 2025 order asked for 4.1 billion to 5.9 billion notes. 1. **Two plants**: All US paper currency is printed by the BEP in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, Texas. 2. **Ordered by the Fed**: The Federal Reserve Board sends the BEP an annual print order for Federal Reserve notes. 3. **The 2025 order**: The 2025 order called for 4.1 billion to 5.9 billion notes. 4. **Replacing worn notes**: The Board says replacing unfit notes is the main driver of recent orders. 5. **Off gold in 1971**: The dollar's last link to gold ended on August 15, 1971. ## Related case files - [Digital ID (DD-667)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/digital-id/): I paired it with another government system people use every day - [Print Precision (DD-005)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/print-precision/): I linked more high-precision printing - [Money Isn't Real? 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The Board says replacing unfit notes has been the main driver in recent years. ## Video: Fresh Fiat: Money Gets Printed to Order - Duration: 20.6 s · Published: 2025-07-24 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DMgC3sHSnb5.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The creation of physical paper US dollars or fiat currency, is handled by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, or BEP, an agency of the US Department of the Treasury. Each year, the BEP prints new Federal Reserve notes, based on orders from the Federal Reserve System, which determines how much cash is needed to replace worn out bills and meet changing demand in the economy. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: Where is all US paper currency printed?** A: Coins come from the US Mint instead. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Two plants) · Bureau of Engraving and Printing: The Buck Starts Here: How Money is Made)_ **Q: Who sends the BEP its annual print order?** A: It's the issuing authority for Federal Reserve notes. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ordered by the Fed) · Federal Reserve Board: 2025 Federal Reserve Note Print Order)_ **Q: How many notes did the 2025 print order call for?** A: The BEP finished it at 4.8 billion. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The 2025 order) · Federal Reserve Board: 2025 Federal Reserve Note Print Order; BEP: FY2025 Annual Financial Report)_ **Q: What's been the main driver of recent print orders?** A: Worn notes are destroyed in normal processing. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Replacing worn notes) · Federal Reserve Board: 2025 Federal Reserve Note Print Order)_ **Q: When did the dollar's last link to gold end?** A: President Nixon suspended convertibility. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Off gold in 1971) · Federal Reserve History: Nixon Ends Convertibility of US Dollars to Gold)_ ## Sources - [Bureau of Engraving and Printing: The Buck Starts Here: How Money is Made](https://www.bep.gov/currency/how-money-is-made) - [Federal Reserve Board: 2025 Federal Reserve Note Print Order](https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/2025_currency_print_order.htm) - [BEP: FY2025 Annual Financial Report](https://www.bep.gov/system/files/documents/FY25%20Annual%20Financial%20Report%20FINAL%20with%20audit%20report.pdf) - [Federal Reserve History: Nixon Ends Convertibility of US Dollars to Gold](https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/gold-convertibility-ends) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Fresh Fiat." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-622, last updated Jul 24, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/fresh-fiat/