[ANN] bitaddress.org Safe JavaScript Bitcoin address/private key

[osmosis]

Bitaddress Bill Sized PDF

Goal: Creating a bounty proposal to get a PDF print out option in the bitaddress javascript bitcoin address generating software that allows for the easy creation of paper wallets which are dollar bill sized so they can fit in wallets, and has a good design or multiple design choices. This is also a call for sponsors for this bounty.

Specifications:
Print outs will come in the same size as US dollar bills, or about 6.5cm by 15.5cm. (Could also consider paper currency sizes for other countries.)
Design layout does not in any way need to resemble US bills. Just the same size is needed so that they fit in wallets.
Some basic usage instructions should be included in the layout, or a url for info.
Something cool looking enough that I could get my friend to accept them.
Two-part printout. Have one segment for an "invoices" with the Public Key only, and a second bill with both the Public Key and the Private Keys. 

Usage:
Private key would be exposed. For hand to hand exchanged between trusted parties.
If for use between parties with lack of trust, amount can be withdrawn from the paper using a mobile phone in realtime...like an instant check deposit, and the paper bill can be discarded.

Text:
This note allows you to access stored money.
If private key may have been disclosed, you should retrieve the money immediately.
Anyone who has had to this note may retrieve the money first.
To learn more about bitcoins go to: weusecoins.org or lovebitcoins.org
Bitcoin Address: 1xxxx Use this address to send more money to this address.
Private Key: 5xxxx Import this key to retrieve the stored money.
Best printed on paper that's cotton based 50% or better and acid free.
Use in conjunction with bitcoinnotify.com  ( sponsor? )

Resources:
bitaddress.org
printcoins.com
http://bitbills.com/
https://github.com/pointbiz/bitaddress.org
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=43496 (bitaddress discussion)
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=43496.msg538311#msg538311 (sgornick paper PoS)
For international cash paper sizes: http://www.dirjournal.com/info/cool-money-collection-from-around-the-world/

[casascius]

Bitaddress Bill Sized PDF

Goal: Creating a bounty proposal to get a PDF print out option in the bitaddress javascript bitcoin address generating software that allows for the easy creation of paper wallets which are dollar bill sized so they can fit in wallets, and has a good design or multiple design choices. This is also a call for sponsors for this bounty.

I know there aren't too many fans of Microsoft here, but this is something I could do in 10 minutes with Microsoft Access and amateur skills.

1. Create CSV file at Bitaddress.org
2. Import it into a new table in Microsoft Access using the built-in csv import wizard
3. Use the report wizard to turn it into a report
4. Manipulate the report in "design view" so it formats it like a check, three or four to a page, including pasting images and text and shapes so each check is identical except for the per-piece things you want different.

I suppose getting the QR code right is a minor obstacle.  Not that it can't be overcome, but it does push it slightly past amateur.  MS Access uses "ActiveX" to embed third party stuff in their reports - A quick Google search shows there's an ActiveX QR code generator which is payware, but probably has a 14-day trial - long enough to pump out a huge batch of these items before trashing the OS (you are using a throwaway OS to generate this stuff with no internet, and wiping the drive when done, right?)  (Same thing goes for MS Office, which is payware, but is offered as a free trial download and/or gives you a similar grace period).

One such company gives a step by step on how to use their widget to get barcodes into a report... so it doesn't seem too difficult... http://www.barcodetools.com/faq/barcode-activex/using-barcode-activex-in-ms-access-2007.html

[casascius]

I am replying to the same message a second time with a second idea...

it ought to be trivial to modify Bitaddress.org to make checks, simply by using CSS and javascript to change the "paper wallet" screen into individual checks... which then you could just print out.

I happen to own Adobe Acrobat, so I suppose that makes PDF easy, but surely there's got to be free print-to-PDF solutions out there, and it looks built in to Macs...

[osmosis]

I am replying to the same message a second time with a second idea...

it ought to be trivial to modify Bitaddress.org to make checks, simply by using CSS and javascript to change the "paper wallet" screen into individual checks... which then you could just print out.

I happen to own Adobe Acrobat, so I suppose that makes PDF easy, but surely there's got to be free print-to-PDF solutions out there, and it looks built in to Macs...

Yes, that is the route I am considering. Working with the existing PDF generation code in bitaddress.org to redraw the print outs to be bill sized. This approach would have the added benefit of being able to be pushed upstream back into the bitaddress code base.  If anyone has looked at the source and wants to give some tips here on usage, that would be helpful.

[Stephen Gornick]

Bitaddress Bill Sized PDF

This will likely be a topic worthy of its own thread, no?

Also remember, BitAddress has been entirely open-sourced.

Two-part printout. Have one segment for an "invoices"
[...]
printed on paper that's cotton based 50% or better and acid free.

Should the scenario where these are printed in different denominations for use as private currency also be considered?  Think of a loyalty program where the customer is given these -- proportional to their volume of purchases.  They would be redeemable only with the merchant that issues them though.  The "invoice segment" might then need to be on durable paper.

I learned of these two products (from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_L0O5uWsgXU#t=380s )
 - http://www.amazon.com/Rite-Rain-Weather-Copier-Paper/dp/B0016H1RYE
 - http://www.amazon.com/Thermanent-Digital-Polyester-2x11-5mil/dp/B0042F6HFQ

[Stefan Thomas]

I don't know what the license information is for the window.Bitcoin function as that information is not available on github for bitcoinjs-lib.

Fixed - BitcoinJS is released under the MIT license, I've added the license to the repository: https://github.com/bitcoinjs/bitcoinjs-lib/commit/9353e4aaf5b2076f8077aab8d9f0796084f9be6d

[osmosis]

This will likely be a topic worthy of its own thread, no?

I have launched a new thread here:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=55169.0

[pointbiz]

Working with the existing PDF generation code in bitaddress.org to redraw the print outs to be bill sized. This approach would have the added benefit of being able to be pushed upstream back into the bitaddress code base.  If anyone has looked at the source and wants to give some tips here on usage, that would be helpful.

First tip there is no existing PDF generation code at bitaddress.org 

I'm having a hard time determining if your proposal is about:

1) Paper wallet that fits in your physical wallet
2) Paper wallet that looks like a negotiable instrument (check, note, currency, etc) that fits in your physical wallet
3) An invoice or paper point-of-sale system
4) Generating PDF wallets

I'm not sure why PDF is involved unless there is some printing advantage over HTML...

Thanks for your input and ideas, you have sparked my interest in JavaScript-to-PDF

[BkkCoins]

PDF generally allows more accurate control and layout of printed material than html.

Note, there are already "label making" programs around that can take a list of data values and merge to produce PDF output bulk coupons. A tool like that may satisfy some users already with no programming needed.

Usually you can create a fancy layout and then pump it with data to generate bulk output. I did this for a batch of ISBN barcodes once. (I used glabels, in linux, which supports various barcodes and can produce any sized repetitive printed blocks. It uses libzint so can insert QR codes from given data.)

[osmosis]

pointbiz - replying to you on the other thread.

[pointbiz]

Bruce Wagner of The Bitcoin Show has produced a video on securing your bitcoin and he recommends using paper wallets generated with bitaddress.org

http://onlyonetv.com/2011/12/security-for-your-bitcoin-the-bitcoin-show/

[pointbiz]

https://www.bitaddress.org/bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html

v1.4
 - Wallet Details Tab: Allow for a deterministic wallet to be created by entering a passphrase on
   the wallet details tab. If you input text that is not a valid private key you will
   be prompted and asked if you want to use the entered text as a passphrase to
   create a private key. If you select OK then it will perform a SHA256 of the passphrase
   to generate your private key.
 - Wallet Details Tab: Added QRCodes. Added Public Key.
 - Bulk Wallet Tab: added FAQs.
 - Version number now shown in footer.

[BkkCoins]

openssl dgst -sha1 bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html
SHA1(bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html)= e7c3f3f47c6bbe4a130412b45e974fc8e83510dc

I must be doing it wrong?

[pointbiz]

openssl dgst -sha1 bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html
SHA1(bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html)= e7c3f3f47c6bbe4a130412b45e974fc8e83510dc

I must be doing it wrong?

I did some investigating. If you download the file in the zip from github you should get the correct SHA1 hash of 5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf
When I downloaded the file through bitaddress.org with IE9 or Chrome those browsers saved an altered copy of the HTML. When I downloaded the file with Firefox it was saved unaltered and the SHA1 hash matched.

[BkkCoins]

openssl dgst -sha1 bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html
SHA1(bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.html)= e7c3f3f47c6bbe4a130412b45e974fc8e83510dc

I must be doing it wrong?

I did some investigating. If you download the file in the zip from github you should get the correct SHA1 hash of 5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf
When I downloaded the file through bitaddress.org with IE9 or Chrome those browsers saved an altered copy of the HTML. When I downloaded the file with Firefox it was saved unaltered and the SHA1 hash matched.

That's odd as I'm using Firefox 9.0.1 on Ubuntu. I just saved the page and then tried this.
But wait - I just tried this again. This time I noticed that Firefox has an option at the bottom for how to save. When you select "Web Page Complete" it is altered. When you choose "HTML Only" it doesn't alter and the digest is correct. The "Complete" method was default and it saved as 165745 bytes whereas the "HTML only" version is 170094 bytes.

Anyway, now I see that it works. Just have to remember to be careful about that in future.

openssl dgst -sha1 bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.only.html
SHA1(bitaddress.org-v1.4-SHA1-5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf.only.html)= 5c120c0860032e88a8fd81b802d6f53a5fc082bf

Note also that if you "view source" and then save the raw text to file it also does work correctly.

Thx!

[pointbiz]

But wait - I just tried this again. This time I noticed that Firefox has an option at the bottom for how to save. When you select "Web Page Complete" it is altered. When you choose "HTML Only" it doesn't alter and the digest is correct. The "Complete" method was default and it saved as 165745 bytes whereas the "HTML only" version is 170094 bytes.

Confirmed. This same behavior (Complete vs HTML Only) occurs in Chrome and IE9.

So it's best people save the "HTML Only" to disk locally so it's unmodified.

[phathash]

Could any of this js code be used to spend a coin? Or must I use pywallet or third-party site?

A tx in js would would be nifty. Exporting a tx (via QR code) which I could then move to an insecure PC (for relay) would be neat.

[dooglus]

I have a feature request:

I like the idea of using a paper wallet, but I don't like that to keep funds safe I have to keep the paper somewhere inaccessible, like a bank vault.  That's inconvenient when I need access to the funds.

I'd like to be able to provide a passphrase to BitAddress, and have a sheet of paper wallets generated which have the private key encrypted using that passphrase.

Then I can keep a copy of the paper wallets in my house and not worry about having the funds stolen in the event of a burglary, since the passphrase (which is only in my head) would be needed to get at the real private key.

The 'Wallet Details' tab could then recognise when I typed in an encrypted private key and prompt for the passphrase before decrypting it and showing the same details that it currently shows.

What do you think?

[Stephen Gornick]

What do you think?

Encryption-protected paper wallets, excellent!

[Red Emerald]

What do you think?

Encryption-protected paper wallets, excellent!

+1