money is just ...

When I first took a closer look at the dollar bill, I noticed how it was different from how an ordinary

piece of paper appeared. After doing some research, I realized that the paper was actually created differently from the type we are all very used to writing on. 

Unlike ordinary paper, which is generally made of wood pulp, dollar bill money are actually made of 75% cotton and 25% linen. Special fibers are woven throughout the two materials. In these two pictures, the fibers the weave the materials are clearly shown in a white color.

In order to put the image onto the bills, a process called "intaglio" is conducted in which the images are first engraved onto soft steel plates called "master dies".

Ink is then spread on the printing plates (where the images are transferred to preserve the master dies) and then wiped off. The paper is then pressed onto the plates at 20 tons of pressure. As seen in these pictures, the ink is able to be seen up close including the various marks that were left on it as well.