The word paper comes from the ancient Egyptian writing material called papyrus, which was woven from papyrus plants. Papyrus was produced as early as 3000 BCE in Egypt, and in ancient Greece and Rome. Further north, parchment or vellum, made of processed sheepskin or calfskin, replaced papyrus, as the papyrus plant requires subtropical conditions to grow. In China, documents were ordinarily written on bamboo, making them very heavy and awkward to transport. Silk was sometimes used, but was normally too expensive to consider. Indeed, most of the above materials were rare and costly.

The Chinese court official Cai Lun (蔡倫) described the modern method of papermaking in AD 105; he was the first person to describe how to make paper from wood pulp. Archeologically, true paper had been excavated in China dated from the 2nd century BC. It spread slowly outside of China; other East Asian cultures, even after seeing paper, could not figure out how to make it themselves. Instruction in the manufacturing process was required, and the Chinese were reluctant to share their secrets. The technology was first transferred to Korea in 600 and then imported to Japan by a Buddhist priest, Dam Jing (曇徴) from Goguryeo, around 610, where fibres (called bast) from the mulberry tree were used. After further commercial trading and the defeat of the Chinese in the Battle of Talas, the invention spread to the Middle East, where it was adopted in India and subsequently in Italy in about the 13th century. They used hemp and linen rags as a source of fiber. Rags from old clothing, etc. were commonly bought by rag collectors and sold to paper makers. As printing on rag paper became more popular, the supply of rags became more and more inadequate and other sources of fiber were actively sought. A great deal of experimentation took place. The oldest known paper document in the West is the Missel of Silos from the 11th century.

Some historians speculate that paper was the key element in global cultural advancement. According to this theory, Chinese culture was less developed than the West in early ancient times because bamboo, while abundant, was a clumsier writing material than papyrus; Chinese culture advanced during the Han Dynasty and preceding centuries due to the Chinese invention of paper; and Europe advanced during the Renaissance due to the introduction of paper and the printing press. Papermaking was one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China. Paper remained a luxury item through the centuries, until the advent of steam-driven paper making machines in the 19th century, which could make paper with fibres from wood pulp. Although older machines predated it, the Fourdrinier paper making machine became the basis for most modern papermaking. Together with the invention of the practical fountain pen and the mass produced pencil of the same period, and in conjunction with the advent of the steam driven rotary printing press, wood based paper caused a major transformation of the 19th century economy and society in industrialized countries. Before this era a book or a newspaper was a rare luxury object and illiteracy was the norm. With the gradual introduction of cheap paper, schoolbooks, fiction, non-fiction, and newspapers became slowly available to nearly all the members of an industrial society. Cheap wood based paper also meant that keeping personal diaries or writing letters ceased to be reserved to a privileged few. The office worker or the white-collar worker was slowly born of this transformation, which can be considered as a part of the industrial revolution.

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Going Green: Workshop On Papermaking @ The British Council Library (Wednesday 16 Dec) http://bit.ly/6gnBDX #kolkata
joy_kolkata (Asklaila Kolkata) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:56:52 -0000
Going Green: Workshop On Papermaking @ The British Council Library (Wednesday 16 Dec) http://bit.ly/6gnBDX #kolkata
@ImpossibleUSA Thank you!! Papermaking will be another art addiction to add to my ever growing list I think! :)
Moonsweetie (Jessica Shimek) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:59:20 -0000
@ImpossibleUSA Thank you!! Papermaking will be another art addiction to add to my ever growing list I think! :)
@ImpossibleUSA :) Some ink jet prints done on Kozo paper I made in a Japanese papermaking class: http://bit.ly/5RLNxG http://bit.ly/5obIF5
Moonsweetie (Jessica Shimek) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:56:13 -0000
@ImpossibleUSA :) Some ink jet prints done on Kozo paper I made in a Japanese papermaking class: http://bit.ly/5RLNxG http://bit.ly/5obIF5
Papermaking apparatus with variable pulse turbulation blades [5074966] http://bit.ly/8gmj6p
tweetalot (tweetalot) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:10:19 -0000
Papermaking apparatus with variable pulse turbulation blades [5074966] http://bit.ly/8gmj6p
@Lorinimus - Turkey (paper) Mill est. 17th century, in Kent; at one time owned by James Whatman who is papermaking icon.
pinknantucket (Alice) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:39:45 -0000
@Lorinimus - Turkey (paper) Mill est. 17th century, in Kent; at one time owned by James Whatman who is papermaking icon.
Fresh off the Blog! Amazing video an art book series created all by hand! Papermaking, printmaking & bookbinding http://bit.ly/7ke7Um
pinsandpaper (Kristen Hodges) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:13:43 -0000
Fresh off the Blog! Amazing video an art book series created all by hand! Papermaking, printmaking & bookbinding http://bit.ly/7ke7Um

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