What Is A Paper Wallet?
A paper wallet is a single private key and the corresponding bitcoin address written or printed on a piece of paper.
From 2011 to 2016, paper wallets were a popular method for storing bitcoin completely offline to protect it from being hacked or compromised. Paper wallets are almost obsolete as new methods of writing and storing private keys have become the standard.
Today, a seed phrase written down on paper is also often considered a paper wallet.
Why Use Paper Wallets?
Paper wallets are a unique type of bitcoin walletWhat Is A Bitcoin Wallet? A Bitcoin wallet is an app or software that enables you to send, receive, and store bitcoin. Although the term "wallet" is commonly used, bitcoin... because they are completely offline and are not able to connect to the internet whatsoever. They require the use of a mobile walletWhat Is A Mobile Wallet? A mobile wallet is a bitcoin wallet that runs on a mobile device such as an iPhone, Android, or tablet. Mobile wallets are free app..., desktop walletWhat Is A Desktop Wallet? A Bitcoin Desktop Wallet is a bitcoin wallet that runs on a desktop/laptop computer and provides the highest level of functionality for building and broadcasting..., hardware walletWhat Is A Hardware Wallet? A Bitcoin hardware wallet is a dedicated device for generating and storing private keys as well as signing bitcoin transactions in a secure offline environment...., or web walletWhat Is A Web Wallet A web wallet is an online wallet that stores your bitcoin on the cloud or under the custody of a trusted third party. They are... to send bitcoin. This makes the one of the most secure methods to protect your bitcoin from online attacks and hackers.
Since paper itself is not very durable and is easily damaged or destroyed by tearing, fading ink, water, fire, impacts, corrosion, electrical shock, and even acid, it is best practice to stamp or etch your private keysWhat Are Bitcoin Keys? Bitcoin keys are randomly generated strings of numbers and letters that are used to send bitcoin and/or verify ownership of a bitcoin address with a digital.../seed phrase into metal for long term storage.
The Best Paper Wallets
There’s a number of different types of paper wallets and they each have their own sets of pros and cons. Here are just a few of the best ways that you can use a paper wallet to write down your private keys or seed phraseWhat Is A Seed Phrase? A Bitcoin seed phrase -- also called a recovery phrase, wallet backup seed, or mnemonic phrase -- is a list of 12-24 common English words....
A Piece Of Paper
Paper is the oldest mechanism for storing private keys and seed phrases. Although it is not nearly as durable as metal seed storage devices, it is often considered more secure than storing your private keys on a web wallet. If you are holding a serious amount of bitcoin, it’s best practice to use a more robust method to store your private keys or seed phrase such as stamped or etched into stainless steel.
Shieldfolio Stonebook
The Shieldfolio Stonebook (Affiliate) is a small book that is comprised of water and tear resistant pages for writing down your seed phrase, raw private keys, 2FAWhat Is 2 Factor Authentication? 2 Factor Authentication or 2FA for short is a method of adding a second layer of security to an account such as a social media... recovery codes, usernames, passwords, decryption keys, dice rolls, pin codes, notes, and more. Shieldfolio also offers a special pen that has ink that is only visible with a black light so you can hide information in plain sight and use a black light to reveal it. In the unfortunate event that your Stonebook were ever to become compromised, your private keys/seed phrase would not be immediately visible to the naked eye.