On the classic article just put on the front page (“Were magnetic strips put in U.S. currency so the feds could track your money?”), I take issue with one of the statements. The microprinting type on bills made after 1990 is not unreadable to the naked eye. It is difficult, but I am capable of reading it. And it’s not just because I already know what it says either, as I can make out each individual letter and tell how many times in a row it is written.) However I do fully realize that it won’t be readable to everyone, and only people with really good close-distance vision can probably read it (I wear glasses, but that’s only for things that are far away and it isn’t a severe case).
Welcome to the SDMB, Number.
A link to the column you’re commenting on is appreciated. Providing one can be as simple as pasting the URL into your post, making sure to leave a blank space on either side of it. Like so: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_030.html
Keep in mind that Cecil’s column was written in 1994 and the microprinting has been changed since then.
I too have good close vision, but only in one eye. Under very good light I can read the microprinting around the bottom part of the oval around the portrait in a series 1996 $20 bill.
In a series 2004 bill I can read most of the dark microprinting under the Treasurer’s signature, including the “USA” inside the large zero. But the tiny “20” that lies between the 2 and the 0 of the large “20” looks more like a “25” to my unaided eye. The light blue microprinting around the large light blue TWE and USA to the right of the portrait is devilishly hard to read. I can see that it’s there but I can only make out a few letters and numerals without a magnifying glass. I could guess that it repeats the same “USA20” thing over and over, but I wouldn’t have been able to swear to it without a magnifying glass.
Huh, I didn’t realize the newest bills had that much microprinting locations on them (though I hadn’t examined one that closely before). I can, in fact, read the microprinting on the older small-head bills (I first noticed it on a 5), and did not need unusually good lighting to do so.