Hipschen, whose artwork was always on display in his childhood home, came to the bureau fresh out of high school in Iowa in 1968, for an apprenticeship for picture engraving.
"Technology hasn't really impacted us all that much," says Slaght. "We still engrave in steel. We still engrave backward. It is a very slow and tedious job."
After a hand-engraved steel image of a note is complete, it is subjected to an intense heat that hardens the steel so that it can no longer be engraved on. This hardened image is known as the master die. Multiple images of the master die are made and transferred to printing plates, which are covered in ink and used to print sheets of money.
Protecting the US currency from savvy counterfeiters is an ongoing effort. The government is considering further changes to paper currency, including putting a light tint on the bills.
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