Who missed the good old days of Paper wallets

[Takyeon]

I miss paper wallets

Back in 2017 I remember when I opened my first doge coin and Lite coin wallets, I use paper wallet online generator at that time and I have even forget how I did it then and even few new projects introduced paper wallet like Electroneum, I just feel safer using Paper wallet because honestly all I need is my Wallet address and Block explorer to check my balance, no need to connect to the internet and I've kept my ETN coins this way for years, the only way to get your wallet hacked then is losing your recovery seed.

I want Paper Wallets again, I have FLUX, Kadena, and other, I wish I can just generate a paper wallet for them instead

[jackg]

They were generally considered bad for security and for their utility (not lasting long and being quite vulnerable to things like light after a while).

You should be able to produce paper wallets yourself though - I wouldn't recommend making one for your private keys but your addresses or even master public keys you could print out qr codes for quite easily.

[Charles-Tim]

There is nothing bad in paper wallet but hierarchical deterministic (HD) wallet are safe and secure as long as the fault is not from your end. There are many as possible keys generated unlike paper wallet you referred to that only generate a single private key and an address.

You can still use HD wallet for a paper wallet if you want and see it as a paper wallet.

What is a paper wallet?

I do not know about altcoins, but you can still also generate paper wallet for bitcoin storage using some sites like https://bitaddress.org offline. For safety, you can follow this safe procedure on airgapped device.

But I would prefer using HD wallet for offline cold storage purpose.

[sheenshane]

The reason why Paper wallet was left behind other wallets (HD wallet or any open-source wallet) and there's no one to use this is just that it's very crucial for newbies to use especially if you don't have an idea how to use it.  The odds of losing your fund are very high upon using or creating this, that's why most of them preferred to use totally air-gapped wallet if you want to store it offline or much better hardware wallets that are safe because it has a security feature.

IMO, there's nothing that can beat a Hardware wallet which is you can choose which one you like.  [BIG LIST] Hardware wallets (80+)

[BitMaxz]

I want Paper Wallets again, I have FLUX, Kadena, and other, I wish I can just generate a paper wallet for them instead

You can do that manually by exporting the private key and address from your wallet for these coins and use software that can generate a QR code for you and then print them.
For safety, you can use a PC offline after you do these and printed the paper wallet just format the PC for safety purposes.

Don't forget to wipe your PC to make sure no leftover traces from your HDD you can use the Drive Wiper from Ccleaner it should work and effective.

[tranthidung]

Airgapped wallets and Tail OS are best options for you.

• How to Install Tails OS on USB flash drive for Wallet Purpose
• [Guide] Secure air-gapped crypto wallet storage method

You should create your wallet offline and for that purpose, airgapped wallet is helpful. Tail OS on USD flash drive is useful if you have to use your wallet on a public computer, not on your own private one.

[pooya87]

I use paper wallet online generator

For your information what you had was NOT a paper wallet. That was just something insecure you had written on a piece of paper.

A paper wallet is defined as a type of cold storage which mandates security both in its creation and storage. If you used an "online" generator then you didn't follow the basic requirement or the first step which would be an airgap system.

I want Paper Wallets again

Just download the wallet software of the shitcoin you want to store then go to an arigapped computer (you could use a live Linux offline), install it and generate a new key. Finally write down (or print) that key on a piece of paper and you have a secure paper wallet.

[NeuroticFish]

I miss paper wallets

Start Electrum, create a new wallet, write down the seed and one address from the addresses tab and there you are. If you do this on a safe environment (like Tails already described) it's the best paper wallet you can get, much better than those you've been using in the past.

I mean that the feature is not lost, it's actually improved.


I don't know what those "names" are, probably some altcoins; I am sure you can do something similar from those coins' wallets too, maybe saving/writing (the ugly) private key and address. It's not as nice and easy as the online tools, but you have a better chance to not lose your funds by theft from the owners of those nice online tools...

[ABCbits]

I use paper wallet online generator at that time

I just feel safer using Paper wallet because honestly all I need is my Wallet address and Block explorer to check my balance, no need to connect to the internet

Don't you see the problem with your setup?
1. You generate the wallet online, where you could use malicious website or infected device.
2. Usually you'll use online device to spend coin from your paper wallet. Unless you have airgapped setup where you use online device to create raw transaction and use airgapped device to insert private key (from paper wallet) and sign the transaction manually.

[Taskford]

I miss paper wallets

Back in 2017 I remember when I opened my first doge coin and Lite coin wallets, I use paper wallet online generator at that time and I have even forget how I did it then and even few new projects introduced paper wallet like Electroneum, I just feel safer using Paper wallet because honestly all I need is my Wallet address and Block explorer to check my balance, no need to connect to the internet and I've kept my ETN coins this way for years, the only way to get your wallet hacked then is losing your recovery seed.

I want Paper Wallets again, I have FLUX, Kadena, and other, I wish I can just generate a paper wallet for them instead

You can actually do that if you really want paper wallet but to implement it again to several or majority of the users well maybe other will not like the idea knowing that sometimes its hassle to do some transaction by using that type of wallet.

But for me this is old school thing and I like the current wallets exist since they are more convenient and I think much safer to use if you are careful upon handling your wallet.

[Kelvinid]

Upon searching on the previous discussion about bitcoin paper wallet, I've found an old thread, a very old thread if not mistaken,
Time to bust a myth. Paper wallets are less secure than normal encrypted wallets

That only it exists for a very short period of time and I don't think this will be used again or if there is someone would like. Not only in concerns about security but people are now wanting a very accessible wallet that can be checked anytime, they'll be preferred for an online wallet.

[istiak2277]

Paper wallets are not long-lasting, which makes them insecure. There is a safer wallet that we can use to secure our cryptocurrency. All of our main focus is to secure our funds, so it doesn't matter if it's a paper wallet or a digital device. If you think you can protect your security key with a paper wallet then go for it. Because in the end, it is you who will face the consequence of any damage to your wallet keys.

[Charles-Tim]

A paper wallet is defined as a type of cold storage which mandates security both in its creation and storage. If you used an "online" generator then you didn't follow the basic requirement or the first step which would be an airgap system.

Even I was shocked to see a bitcoin ATM printing paper wallet, but I do not know the principle behind it but I was guessing it would be online. Some people just make use of a site without generating the paper wallet offline on airgapped device which makes such wallet just an online wallet. Yes, paper wallet should be cold wallet.

I mean that the feature is not lost, it's actually improved.

Exactly, it was only improved. Even if encryption wants to be used like BIP38 encryption, the person can go for passphrase which is actually not an encryption but a way the keys can not be accessed only with the seed phrase unless the passphrase is known. Paper wallet generated on airgapped device is actually good but I have not seen a good reason I also should use it when there is modern option (HD wallet) that is safe and secure.

Paper wallets are not long-lasting, which makes them insecure.

Because in the end, it is you who will face the consequence of any damage to your wallet keys.

Paper wallet can be long lasting, but the HD paper wallet in which seed phrase backup is required rather than the private key would be better in my opinion, but as long as you have your private key to a paper wallet, there is nothing not safe about it.

Also the consequence of a lost seed phrase (+ passphrase if included) is the lost of the wallet the seed phrase generate and lost of keys which result to lost of coins. Although, I think I get your point, probably you meant that seed phrase is easy to backup if compared to private key. A seed phrase can easily be written down on a paper, replicate it on another paper, stored in different locations, but private key can not be easily written down on paper and this can make people to prefer backup online, on device or on flash, but which are all not recommendable.

[S3300]

Do not get too attached, it would be great if you are interested in a hardware wallet like you are interested in a paper wallet, nothing beats a hardware wallet this days, while trying to create a paper wallet the platform can be compromised without you knowing, you can also be spied on so don't think that paper wallets are 100% safe, if you do you are wrong.

[istiak2277]

Paper wallets are not long-lasting, which makes them insecure.

Because in the end, it is you who will face the consequence of any damage to your wallet keys.

Paper wallet can be long lasting, but the HD paper wallet in which seed phrase backup is required rather than the private key would be better in my opinion, but as long as you have your private key to a paper wallet, there is nothing not safe about it.

Also the consequence of a lost seed phrase (+ passphrase if included) is the lost of the wallet the seed phrase generate and lost of keys which result to lost of coins. Although, I think I get your point, probably you meant that seed phrase is easy to backup if compared to private key. A seed phrase can easily be written down on a paper, replicate it on another paper, stored in different locations, but private key can not be easily written down on paper and this can make people to prefer backup online, on device or on flash, but which are all not recommendable.

Actually its easy to expose some text if it written somewhere no matter it's on a steal plate or a paper. Also currently most of the ethereum wallet provider recommend users to back up seed phrase not privet key. If someone really wants to store his phrase in a paper wallet then my suggestion would be split all 12 phrase into 4 parts and keep them in 4 safe places. So if one card expose to someone it will not be any use for him.

[pooya87]

Even I was shocked to see a bitcoin ATM printing paper wallet, but I do not know the principle behind it but I was guessing it would be online.

This obviously can't be seen as cold storage but I suppose it must have a decent security otherwise the ATM itself is considered insecure and shouldn't be used at all. Besides you can always take the paper, go home and create an actual cold storage and move the funds there.

[Outhue]

Sigh, you don't even understand how the paper wallet works, you should always create them offline not online, I have never seen any paper wallet creator for a specific coin that uses online access, if it does then it's not safe.

[yazher]

They're not essential as they had before because right now we have multiple choices of hard wallets and each of them is safer to use than the traditional paper wallet we had in the past. When it comes to some high amounts of crypto assets it's better to use a hard wallet but if you only want to save some altcoins and you know all the necessary means to hide your seeds and keep them safe, you can always create one if you want.

[Yaunfitda]

Yeah, who wouldn't want to use paper wallet before? But it too has some flaws so it is not recommended unless you really know what you are doing because your paper wallet can be compromised by the hackers. So better used other methods to store your coins and maybe this is one reason one paper wallets are not being implemented by the majority of the altcoins that the OP mentioned.

[TribalBob]

paper wallets are very high risk compared to hard wallets, indirectly paper wallets are now abandoned by lovers who switch to hard wallets
although paper wallet prase seeds are easy to back up compared to private keys. but all storage methods are still insecure in their storage so no one is recommended for storing this password phrase itself