Ever tried to take a high-res picture of a 20 dollar bill for a graphic design project or a quick social media post? You probably noticed something weird. Your scanner might have refused to work. Your photo editing software likely threw a cryptic error message. Maybe the image just looks "off" in a way you can't quite put your finger on.
It isn't a glitch.
It’s by design. The $20 bill, specifically the Series 2004 and later versions featuring Andrew Jackson, is one of the most technologically advanced pieces of paper on the planet. Most people just see it as "gas money." But once you look closer—and I mean really close—you realize that taking a simple picture of a 20 dollar bill involves navigating a complex web of international security protocols and anti-counterfeiting laws.
Honestly, the Federal Reserve doesn't want you having a perfect digital copy.
The EURion Constellation: Why your printer is ghosting you
If you look at the back of a modern $20 bill, near the White House, you'll see small, yellow or green circles scattered like stars. They look like random confetti. They aren't. This is the EURion constellation.
It’s a pattern of five small circles found on most major world currencies. When your photocopier or scanner "sees" this specific arrangement, it literally shuts down the imaging process. It’s a hard-coded "no." This pattern has been around since the mid-90s, but most people never notice it until they try to make a copy for a school project or a prank.
Hardware manufacturers like HP, Canon, and Xerox aren't just being difficult. They are part of the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG). This group developed the Counterfeit Deterrence System (CDS), which is the software layer that prevents your computer from opening a high-resolution picture of a 20 dollar bill.
If you open Photoshop and try to import a raw scan of a $20, you'll get a pop-up directing you to a website about currency regulations. It’s a little unnerving. It makes you feel like the Secret Service is watching your screen. They aren't—well, probably not—but the software is doing its job.
Andrew Jackson’s Face and the Art of the Intaglio
The $20 bill is the workhorse of the American economy. It’s the most frequently counterfeited note within the United States. Because of that, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) pours an incredible amount of detail into Jackson’s portrait.
The portrait is created using intaglio printing.
This isn't like your inkjet at home. Huge plates are engraved with fine lines, and the ink is pressed into the paper with massive force. This creates a raised texture. You can feel it. If you run your fingernail across Jackson’s shoulder on a real bill, it’ll feel scratchy.
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When you take a low-quality picture of a 20 dollar bill, these lines blur. A camera sensor, even a good one on an iPhone 15 or 16, struggles to capture the sheer depth of those engravings without perfect lighting. That’s why photos of money often look "flat" or "fake" even when they are real. You’re losing the third dimension of the ink.
Microprinting: The "USA 20" you can't see
There is text on the bill that is so small it requires a magnifying glass to read. This is microprinting. On the $20 bill, you can find "USA TWENTY" along the border of the first few letters of the blue "TWENTY USA" ribbon and "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 20 USA 20" in the border below the Treasurer’s signature.
Try to photograph that.
Unless you have a dedicated macro lens and a tripod, your picture of a 20 dollar bill will just show those areas as solid, blurry lines. It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem.
The Color-Shifting Ink Mystery
Take a $20 bill. Tilt it. Look at the number "20" in the bottom right corner.
It changes from copper to green.
This is done using Optically Variable Ink (OVI). It’s incredibly expensive and highly regulated. If you are looking at a digital picture of a 20 dollar bill, that ink will only ever be one color: whatever color it was when the shutter clicked.
This is the easiest way to spot a fake in person, and it’s why a static image can never truly represent the security of a physical note. The light has to hit the metallic flakes in the ink at different angles to create the shift. A digital screen just displays RGB pixels.
The Legal Minefield: Can you actually use that photo?
So, you managed to get a good shot. Maybe you used a high-end mirrorless camera and found a way around the CDS. Now what?
You can’t just do whatever you want with it.
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The Counterfeit Detection Act of 1992 (18 U.S.C. § 474) lays out very specific rules for reproducing images of U.S. currency. If you ignore them, you're technically committing a felony.
The rules are pretty strict:
- The image must be significantly larger (150% or more) or significantly smaller (75% or less) than the actual bill.
- It must be one-sided.
- You have to destroy the digital files (or plates/negatives) after their final use.
Why 150%? Because it makes it impossible for someone to accidentally (or intentionally) print the image out and try to pass it off at a dark bar or a busy gas station.
Does the Secret Service actually care about your blog post?
Usually, no. They have bigger fish to fry, like international cartels printing "Supernotes." But if your picture of a 20 dollar bill is used in a way that deceives people, or if you are printing high-fidelity copies on both sides of a piece of paper, you will get a knock on the door.
They take it seriously.
Even "prop money" used in movies has to follow these rules. If you look closely at movie money, it usually says "FOR MOTION PICTURE USE ONLY" and the portraits look slightly like a caricature of Jackson rather than the real man.
The Evolution of the 20: From Greenbacks to "The Tubman Note"
We’ve had the current "big head" design of the $20 since 2003. Before that, it was the small-portrait version that had remained largely unchanged for decades.
There has been a lot of talk about the "Tubman Note."
In 2016, the Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. It’s been a slow process. Bureaucracy, political shifts, and the sheer technical difficulty of redesigning security features have pushed the release date back.
Currently, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing expects the new $20 design to be unveiled around 2030. When that happens, every picture of a 20 dollar bill currently in circulation will become a historical artifact.
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It’s not just about the face. A redesign means new security threads, new 3D ribbons (similar to the $100 bill), and likely new chemical compositions in the paper itself.
How to take a "Safe" photo of money for your business
If you are a blogger, a business owner, or a social media manager, you might actually need a picture of a 20 dollar bill for a post about savings or finance.
Don't risk the legal headache of scanning it yourself.
- Use Stock Photos: Sites like Unsplash, Pexels, or Adobe Stock have thousands of high-quality images that already comply with federal law.
- Focus on Detail: Instead of a full-frontal shot, take a macro shot of just a corner or the "20" numeral. This is often more artistically interesting and less likely to trigger software blocks.
- Use Props: Buy a "money fat" or a stack of prop bills that are clearly labeled as fake.
- Blur it: If the money is just a background element, use a shallow depth of field (bokeh) to keep the currency out of sharp focus.
Actionable Tips for Identifying a Real 20 vs. a Printout
If you find yourself looking at a picture of a 20 dollar bill and wondering if the physical note in your hand is legit, do these three things immediately.
First, hold it up to the light. You should see a faint image of Andrew Jackson in the blank space to the right of the portrait. This is the watermark. It’s embedded in the paper, not printed on it. If you see it in a photo, it was likely taken with a backlight.
Second, look for the security thread. It’s a thin vertical strip that runs to the left of the portrait. It says "USA TWENTY" and has a small flag. Under ultraviolet (UV) light, this thread glows green.
Third, check the paper. U.S. currency isn't wood-pulp paper. It’s a blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen. It also has tiny red and blue security fibers scattered throughout. In a high-res picture of a 20 dollar bill, you can actually see these fibers "floating" in the texture.
If you are a collector or just someone interested in the "why" behind the money, pay attention to the Series year. A 2017 series bill might look identical to a 2013, but the signatures of the Treasurer and Secretary of the Treasury will change.
Next Steps for Handling Currency Images:
- Check your software: Try opening a high-resolution image of a bill in your photo editor. If it blocks you, now you know why.
- Verify your stash: Use the "fingernail test" on the raised ink of any $20s in your wallet to feel the intaglio printing for yourself.
- Review Federal guidelines: If you are using currency images for advertising, visit the official BEP website to ensure your image size and resolution meet the "150/75" rule to avoid legal trouble.