Ethereum hacks still make it to the news even in 2025, when cybersecurity is sophisticated and crypto users are aware of potential dangers. Ultimately, the users are the ones who need to make sure their wallets are safe and to lower the risk of hacking as much as they can.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to generate an Ethereum paper wallet and how it can be used to keep your crypto funds and transactions safe. Those methods are available to anyone who has the basic tech skills.
What is an Ethereum Paper Wallet?
An Ethereum paper wallet is a physical printout of your ETH public address and private key. Public addresses are the ones you share in order to receive ETH payments. Private keys are used to spend ETH—those who have it control the funds.
Paper wallets are what’s called storage, meaning that they are kept offline and therefore they can’t be hacked in any way. Paper is often a metaphor, and the printouts don’t really need to be on an actual piece of paper.
Why Use an Ethereum Paper Wallet?
There are many advantages to using a paper wallet. It can’t be hacked, since it’s completely offline, which is why most users choose to create one. It’s also free to make, unlike most other security methods. It’s ideal for long-term storage, and most crypto investors just buy and hold their assets.
Cryptos are now widely used; some of the best crypto casinos allow Ethereum payments, and so do other online businesses. Cryptos are also used by traditional financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies. With such a wide new base, paper wallets are the best option for those who are less tech-savvy.
Downsides to Paper Wallets
There are also downsides to using paper wallets that the users should be aware of. There’s a chance you may lose the paper used to store the information, regardless of how technologically sophisticated the replacement for the paper is. It’s not convenient to store as you need to carry it with you. There’s no way of recovering it once it’s lost.
It’s best suited for those who want to keep and hold their accounts for a long time. They are also a good option for those providing secure gift accounts, and as a way of passing an ETH wallet on to someone.
How to Generate an Ethereum Paper Wallet
It’s easy enough to create an Ethereum paper wallet, but take a few additional steps to make sure that you’re safe while doing so.
Prepare a Safe Environment
Use the computer that you can trust for obtaining the addresses. The best way would be to use the computer that was never connected to the internet – “air gapped“. It’s somewhat expensive to get such a computer, and it’s not always a worthy investment.
If not, make sure that the computer is free of malware and not connected to the internet while you’re using it. The same should be done with peripheral devices, such as printers.
Disconnect from the Internet
The best way to disconnect from the internet for the purpose of this project is to simply pull out the cable used to connect the computer to the internet. This is safer than disconnecting the connection via software.
Download a Wallet Generator
A wallet generator is a tool that creates cryptocurrency wallet keys (public address + private key) for you. It can be an online tool or an application. Using the ones based on a browser can be compromised if the site is down or hacked.
Offline generators download the code, disconnect your computer from the internet, and run it locally. It’s a much safer option, even though it’s somewhat more complex to use. It’s easier to use a generator that automatically assigns QR codes to the keys.
Print out the Wallet
Connect the printer. Once the list is generated, print the page with both the private keys and the QR codes. Make sure that the print is legible, especially when it comes to the private keys. For redundancy’s sake, it may help to print out a few copies.
Verify the Wallet
Once you have the wallet printed out, verify that it works by using a separate, online device and scanning the public key QR code to confirm it matches the text.
At this point, you have the paper wallet ready.
Best Practices for Storing a Paper Wallet
Once you have the paper wallet ready, there’s also a matter of storing it in a safe, responsible, but convenient way. Experts, such as one from Webopedia, recommend the following measures:
- Keep the list in more than one separate location. That way, even if one of the lists is lost or damaged, you’ll have a backup. Make sure that all of the locations are safe and private.
- Laminate the paper in order to protect it from the elements, since that’s what’s most likely to damage it.
- It’s also useful to store the papers in a way that makes it easy to determine if they were tampered with. For instance, in envelopes that need to be ripped open in order to access the paper.
- Don’t scan the paper, don’t save a digital copy, and don’t take photographs of it.
- Consider redundancy – the copies stored in different locations and make them available to someone outside your circle, such as an attorney.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
There are a few common mistakes with creating a paper Ethereum wallet, and users should be aware of them before they start the process. That’s the best way to keep the funds safe from both those who would try to steal them and from mistakenly losing access to them.
- Never create the list while connected to the internet. It’s the perfect time for it to be hacked, and even if it’s less convenient, use tools that don’t require an internet connection.
- Never use public devices to create a list. Shared office computers or public wi-fi may seem the same as the private ones, but they are less secure.
- Don’t use alternative methods to store the keys. Even encrypted devices such as USB drives can be hacked and corrupted. Paper should be the only medium.
- Never expose the paper wallet to anyone you don’t trust, and without a clear reason to do so.
- Some users forget or neglect to verify the keys once they’ve made the list, and it’s a mistake to do so.
To Sum Up
Ethereum paper wallets refer to a method of storing crypto keys, allowing users to send and receive funds. They are a more secure way of doing so, since they can’t be hacked. However, there are still measures that users need to take to ensure their keys are safe.
The best way to go is to create the list while offline and to have redundant copies in case something happens with the main one. Creating such a wallet will keep your data and, therefore, your crypto asset safe.