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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Did you know the starch in your diet is the same starch that is used in papermaking and adhesives? YUCK.
tarynrom (Taryn) Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:05:53 -0000
Did you know the starch in your diet is the same starch that is used in papermaking and adhesives? YUCK.
@Ingrim lol like the papermaking class from downstairs.
johnawesome (John Awesome) Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:47:34 -0000
@Ingrim lol like the papermaking class from downstairs.
Wow im an idiot... Forgot all of my stamps for papermaking!
XMisssRichiex (Ashley Sanders) Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:29:05 -0000
Wow im an idiot... Forgot all of my stamps for papermaking!
goodmorning twitter world! what's happening on this brisk and beautiful tuesday morning? cleaning and papermaking i think ;) b blessed!
nascarfan244888 (b bozarth) Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:44:35 -0000
goodmorning twitter world! what's happening on this brisk and beautiful tuesday morning? cleaning and papermaking i think ;) b blessed!
RT @chinatradeshows: China International Exhibition On Papermaking Chemicals, China: Date : 26 Oct 2009 - 27 Oct 2009http://bit.ly/147DWN
paperinsight (paperinsight) Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:12:40 -0000
RT @chinatradeshows: China International Exhibition On Papermaking Chemicals, China: Date : 26 Oct 2009 - 27 Oct 2009http://bit.ly/147DWN
Jobs: Process Production/Quality Manager for brown papermaking Paper Mill: Cairo, Egypt http://url4.eu/eLAo
lotsofjobs (David Hood) Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:56:10 -0000
Jobs: Process Production/Quality Manager for brown papermaking Paper Mill: Cairo, Egypt http://url4.eu/eLAo

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