how was early paper made

A History of Paper: The First Paper

• Papyrus: Developed in Egypt around 2000 B.C. ...
• Parchment: It is thought that various forms of parchment were in use as early as 1500 B.C. ...
• Vellum: Unlike parchment, vellum was made using the entire skin of the animal and therefore was less expensive than parchment.

Full Answer

What was the first paper to ever be invented?

Nov 11, 2021 · Slow drying was considered essential to minimize cockling and subsequent problems with gelatin sizing. 71 The maturing of the paper under weights, and centuries of storage of artifacts on paper under pressure of one kind or another (most often in the binding of a book) have all contributed to a contemporary perception that early loft drying resulted in flat …

What was the earliest form of paper?

Jul 09, 2021 · Paper was first made in Lei-Yang, China by Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese court official. In all likelihood, Ts'ai mixed mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water, mashed it into pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung the thin mat to dry in the sun.

What date was the first piece of paper made?

This meant paper was made entirely from recycled fibers like rags and cotton. As time went on, the early innovators figured out how to shred plants like hemp and bamboo into fibers that could be made into paper. Paper reduced much of China's domestic need for silk, which was much more expensive than paper.

When was modern paper first invented?

Jul 03, 2019 · Early paper-makers in China used hemp fibers, which were soaked in water and pounded with a large wooden mallet. The resulting slurry was then poured over a horizontal mold; loosely-woven cloth stretched over a framework of bamboo allowed the water to drip out the bottom or evaporate, leaving behind a flat sheet of dry hemp-fiber paper.

How was paper made in ancient times?

In ancient times writings and inscriptions were generally made on tablets of bamboo or on pieces of silk called chih. But silk being costly and bamboos heavy they were not convenient to use. Tshai Lun then initiated the idea of making paper from the bark of trees, remnants of hemp, rags of cloth and fishing nets.

How did they make paper in the 1700s?

Just about everyone responds, "Trees," or "Wood." People assume automatically that paper is made from wood, that paper and wood are synonymous. But in fact, paper has been made from wood only since the mid-1800s; up until the 1850s, paper was made from recycled linen and cotton rags.

How was paper made traditionally?

Traditional papermaking in Asia uses the inner bark fibers of plants. This fiber is soaked, cooked, rinsed and traditionally hand-beaten to form the paper pulp. The long fibers are layered to form strong, translucent sheets of paper. In Eastern Asia, three traditional fibers are abaca, kōzo and gampi.

When and how was paper first made?

Papermaking can be traced to about ad 105, when Ts'ai Lun, an official attached to the Imperial court of China, created a sheet of paper using mulberry and other bast fibres along with fishnets, old rags, and hemp waste.

How was paper made in the 1500s?

The basic process of producing medieval paper consists of several steps. First, materials such as cotton would be soaked in warm water and mashed into a wet pulp. Then, papermakers would dip a wire screen held by a wood frame into the pulp and pull it out, draining out all the excess water.Jul 1, 2015

What was paper made of in the 1840s?

It was not until the 1840s that the initial development of the papermaking machine in England and experiments in ground wood pulping in Germany and Nova Scotia enabled the commercial production of paper, which used wood fibre as part of its composition.Jan 27, 2018

How is paper made in 5 steps?

Paper is made through the following processes: Pulping procedure will be done to separate and clean the fibers. Refining procedure will be followed after pulping processes. Dilution process to form a thin fiber mixture. Formation of fibers on a thin screened. Pressurization to enhance the materials density.More items...

Who made paper first?

Cai LunElmer L. GadenJohn DickinsonPaper/Inventors

How is paper made step by step?

Paper is made in two steps:Cellulose fibers are extracted from a variety of sources and converted to pulp.Pulp is combined with water and placed on a paper making machine where it is flattened, dried, and cut into sheets and rolls.Jul 17, 2017

When did paper become white?

It seems, instead, to have something to do with the fundamental reorientation in the Western colour system that took shape around the 15th century, when black and white became seem as distinct from all other colours.Jun 5, 2021

Why was paper created?

Traditionally, paper was invented in the early 2nd century CE, but there is evidence it was much earlier. As a cheaper and more convenient material than bamboo, wood, or silk, paper helped spread literature and literacy but it was used for many other purposes from hats to packaging.Sep 15, 2017

How did invention of paper and ink influence history?

It influenced the history in following ways: Many events were recorded in written formats. It gave birth to reading and writing culture ,people began to show intrust in the past human life. The enthusiasm about past life unravel many unknown events.Jul 27, 2018

When was paper made?

The following essay describes the materials and techniques used to make paper by hand in Europe between 1300 and 1800 CE. Some have questioned ending at 1800 when the real trouble with paper stability was just beginning. The 1300 through 1800 period, however, represents the rise and the slow but certain decline of hand papermaking as a major industry. In the late 1700s traditional methods were still in use in many mills. After 1800, however, the craft was rapidly changed by various “improvements,” including the papermaking machine, the universal acceptance of the Hollander beater, chlorine bleach, rosin and alum internal size, and the introduction of impure wood-pulp fibers as a substitute for rags.

When was paper made in Europe?

Attempting to describe the methods used to make paper in Europe between 1300 and 1800 in a short essay such as this is like trying to describe the methods used to make cheese throughout the continent during the same period. The raw materials, local conditions, routines, and traditions were almost certainly very diverse.

Why was chalk added to paper?

Ground chalk might have been added in small amounts as a whitener to counteract the yellowing effects of retting or iron in the water. Limed skins and other animal parts used to make gelatin size may have been another source. Finally, at least a portion of the calcium compounds entered the paper via the water supply.

What is the essential ingredient in white paper?

Alfred Shorter, in his work on papermaking in England, cites “plentiful, pure and clear or 'fair' water” as one of the essential ingredients in producing white paper of good quality. 7 Separating process water from water used for power was an alternative, and often a routine necessity.

What is the first change observed in the rags after they have been for some time in the fermenting vat

The first change observed in the rags, after they have been for some time in the fermenting vat, is the disengagement of a material resembling mucus, so sparingly soluble in water that it is not removed in triturating the rags, and is even found in the vat at the time of manufacturing the paper.

How many sheets of paper were in a spur?

After pressing, the paper was taken to the lofts to dry. “Spurs,” or groupings of seven or eight sheets, were hung over ropes made of horsehair or cow's hair coated with beeswax. The number of sheets in each spur varied with the size and type of paper.

What was the Dutch invention of the Dutch beater?

Hollander beater, Diderot Encyclopédie. 49. The Hollander beater, a Dutch invention from the mid-seventeenth century, was designed to use windmill power and replace the heavy water wheel powered stampers that had been the standard in the papermaking trade across Europe for at least three centuries before.

Where did pulp paper originate?

The oldest known archaeological fragments of the immediate precursor to modern paper date to the 2nd century BCE in China. The pulp papermaking process is ascribed to Cai Lun, a 2nd-century CE Han court eunuch.

What is paper made of?

Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed on the surface, followed by pressing and drying. Although paper was originally made in single sheets ...

How is pulp made?

To make pulp from wood, a chemical pulping process separates lignin from cellulose fibre. A cooking liquor is used to dissolve the lignin, which is then washed from the cellulose; this preserves the length of the cellulose fibres. Paper made from chemical pulps are also known as wood-free papers (not to be confused with tree-free paper ); this is because they do not contain lignin, which deteriorates over time. The pulp can also be bleached to produce white paper, but this consumes 5% of the fibres. Chemical pulping processes are not used to make paper made from cotton, which is already 90% cellulose.

What is mechanical pulp?

There are two major mechanical pulps: thermomechanical pulp (TMP) and groundwood pulp (GW). In the TMP process, wood is chipped and then fed into steam-heated refiners, where the chips are squeezed and converted to fibres between two steel discs. In the groundwood process, debarked logs are fed into grinders where they are pressed against rotating stones to be made into fibres. Mechanical pulping does not remove the lignin, so the yield is very high, > 95%; however, lignin causes the paper thus produced to turn yellow and become brittle over time. Mechanical pulps have rather short fibres, thus producing weak paper. Although large amounts of electrical energy are required to produce mechanical pulp, it costs less than the chemical kind.

What was the most common source of fibres before the industrialisation of paper production?

See also: wood pulp and deinking. Before the industrialisation of paper production the most common fibre source was recycled fibres from used textiles, called rags. The rags were from hemp, linen and cotton. A process for removing printing inks from recycled paper was invented by German jurist Justus Claproth in 1774.

What was the impact of industrialization on the cost of paper?

In the 19th century, industrialization greatly reduced the cost of manufacturing paper. In 1844, the Canadian inventor Charles Fenerty and the German inventor Friedrich Gottlob Keller independently developed processes for pulping wood fibres.

Why is alum used in paper?

Alum was added to paper to assist in sizing, making it somewhat water resistant so that inks did not "run" or spread uncontrollably. Early papermakers did not realize that the alum they added liberally to cure almost every problem encountered in making their product would be eventually detrimental. The cellulose fibres that make up paper are hydrolyzed by acid, and the presence of alum eventually degrades the fibres until the paper disintegrates in a process known as " slow fire ". Documents written on rag paper are significantly more stable. The use of non-acidic additives to make paper is becoming more prevalent, and the stability of these papers is less of an issue.

Who invented paper?

There are many theories as to who and when paper was invented, but the general concensus is that a Chinese gentleman named T'sai Lun was responsible, sometime around 105AD. He was rumored to have been inspired by bees weaving fibers together, which caused him to experiment on his own.

What was the first raw material for paper making?

By 1800, paper makers had discovered that that the raw materials for paper making could be an agricultural industry. Fibrous crops, such as flax were grown in some cases to provide the first consistent supply of raw materials to paper mills. This was an improvement, but really expensive.

What is paper made of?

At the time, these fibers were hard to come by. This meant paper was made entirely from recycled fibers like rags and cotton.

What was the Dutch invention that made the extraction of fibers from plant based materials efficient?

This problem was solved when the Dutch invented the Hollander Beater. This machine made the extraction of fibers from plant based materials efficient. It allowed new "virgin" fibers to be included in the paper making process. Although this did not replace "rag paper" it did help out with improving the sources of fibers.

What was the second invention that reduced the amount of time and cost required to make paper?

The yields were astounding. Second was the Fourdrinier Machine , a continuous paper making machine. Since trees can be easily grown in many parts of the world, and factories can be placed near forests, these innovations significantly reduced the amount of time and cost required to make paper.

Why was paper important to China?

Paper reduced much of China's domestic need for silk, which was much more expensive than paper. This allowed them to export silk to Europe, which was hungry for such luxuries. This contributed to a Chinese "Golden Age.".

Why was the Nuremberg paper mill built?

The Nuremberg paper mill, the building complex at the lower right corner, in 1493. Due to their noise and smell, paper mills were required by medieval law to be erected outside of the city perimeter. By the 13th century, the knowledge and use of paper had traveled to Europe.

Where was paper invented?

The historian Fan Hua (398-445 CE) recorded this version of events, but archaeological finds from western China and Tibet suggest that paper was invented centuries earlier. Samples of even more ancient paper, some of it dating to c. 200 BCE, have been unearthed in the ancient Silk Road cities of Dunhuang and Khotan, and in Tibet.

Where did paper originate?

The Spread of Paper-Making. From its point of origin in China, the idea and technology of paper-making spread throughout Asia. In the 500s CE, artisans on the Korean Peninsula began to make paper using many of the same materials as Chinese paper-makers.

What were the materials used to write?

Writing Materials Before Paper. Of course, people in various places around the world were writing long before the invention of paper. Materials such as bark, silk, wood, and leather functioned in a similar way to paper, although they were either much more expensive or heavier. In China, many early works were recorded on long bamboo strips, ...

What was paper used for in East Asia?

Meanwhile, in East Asia, paper was used for an enormous number of purposes . Combined with varnish, it became beautiful lacquer-ware storage vessels and furniture. In Japan, the walls of homes were often made of rice-paper. Besides paintings and books, paper was made into fans, umbrellas, even highly effective armor.

What color was used to dye paper?

They dyed paper for official records with a yellow substance, the imperial color, which had the added benefit of repelling insects that might have destroyed the paper otherwise. One of the most common formats for early paper was the scroll.

Where was the first paper mill in Europe?

In 1120, the Moors established Europe's first paper mill at Valencia, Spain (then called Xativa). From there, this Chinese invention passed to Italy, Germany, and other parts of Europe.

When was metal movable type invented?

Metal movable type was invented by 1234 CE on the peninsula. Around 610 CE, according to legend, the Korean Buddhist monk Don-Cho introduced paper-making to the court of Emperor Kotoku in Japan. Paper-making technology also spread west through Tibet and then south into India .

Where was the first paper made?

Ratisbon and Augsburg were other sites of early manufacture. Western Germany, the Netherlands and England, are said to have obtained paper at first from France and Burgundy then through the markets of Bruges, Antwerp and Cologne. The first paper-mills in France were established in 1189, in the district of Hérault.

When was paper made?

But papermaking was a closely guarded secret and it was not actually made there until after 751 AD. In 751 the Chinese lost a battle in Turkistan on the banks of the Tharaz River. It was recorded that among the Chinese prisoners were skilled papermakers. The craftsmen began making paper in Samarkan.

Why was Samarkan a good place to make paper?

Samarkan was a good place to make paper because it had an abundant supply of hemp and flax and pure water. (Hunter 1943,61) It has been conjectured that the first paper mill was established in Baghdad (http://www.al-bab.com/arab/literature/lit.htm) Papermaking then spread to Damascus and to Egypt and Morocco.

What is the oldest deed in the world?

The oldest known imperial deed on the same material is a charter of Frederick II to the nuns of Goess in Styria, of the year 1228, now at Vienna. In 1231, Frederick II forbade further use of paper for public documents; which were in future to be inscribed on vellum.

What is the oldest document on paper?

The oldest recorded document on paper was a deed of King Roger of Sicily, of the year 1102 ; and there are others of Sicilian kings in the 12th century. A notarial register on paper, at Geneva, dates, from 1154.

Why did the paper in the 15-16 Centuries not differ in size?

In the up to the 15-16 the Centuries paper did not differ in size, because of the limited demand for sheets of diverse dimensions. It was only after the widespread adoption of the variable letter printing press that paper began to be have a need for varying sizes. (Hunter 1943, 225)3. Secret Symbols.

What is true paper?

True paper is characterized as thin sheets made from fiber that has been macerated until each individual filament is a separate unit. Medieval paper was made of diluted cotton, linen fiber. (Hunter 1943, 117) The fibers are then intermixed with water and by the use of a sieve-like screen, the fibers are lifted from the water leaving a sheet ...

What is the process of making paper?

The process of making paper starts with a forest. A bulldozer is generally responsible for cutting down trees quickly and in large numbers. All different types of trees can be used, including birch, beech, and eucalyptus. Conifer trees are often used for paper, as they have long fibers that make the paper stronger.

Why is paper bad?

After all, the more paper that humans use, the more trees need to be cut down, which is bad because trees provide humans and nature with very important resources.

Why is cellulose important in paper?

Cellulose is an important ingredient in paper today. The length of the cellulose fibers plays a role in the quality of the paper. While the process of extracting cellulose from trees is complex, we can make paper from other sources as well. For example, cotton is often included in good quality papers for its long fibers.

How is cellulose made?

The cellulose is extracted from the wood chips and put into a machine called a digester that breaks down the wood. The bits are all made into a paste-like substance called pulp, which is then processed by a machine that flattens and dries it into paper.

How do wood chips get into wood?

They're sent through a large machine that removes the bark and turns the trees into wood chips. Then, the wood chips go through machines called digesters. Much like your stomach digests, or breaks down your food, these digesters break down the wood into a mushy mixture of cellulose and other wood parts.

Can you put paper in the trash?

Rather than throwing paper in the trash, make sure to put it in recycling. Then, it can be sent to a recycling plant and processed into reusable paper used in other paper products. Lesson Summary. To make paper, trees are cut down. The fibers from a tree are called cellulose.

Is cotton good for paper?

For example, cotton is often included in good quality papers for its long fibers. When you do the laundry at home, cotton fibers (as well as other fibers) collect in the form of lint. Paper can easily be made from the lint collected from the dryer at home.

What was the first paper made of?

Printing technology rapidly developed and created an ever increasing demand for paper. The early European papers were made from recycled cotton and linen - and a huge trade quickly developed around the trading of old rags. It is said that the black plague entered England from Europe on these old rags. Yet soon this source became insufficient and some curious attempts were made to source new materials - the most macabre of which was the recycling of Egyptian mummies to create wrapping paper! Others experimented with fibres such as straw, cabbage, wasp nests and finally wood, resulted in inexpensive - and replaceable - materials for paper making. Today, the long soft fibres of softwoods such as spruce have become the most suitable source of pulp for mass production.

Where did paper originate?

Egypt 3,000 BC. When we think of the origins of paper, our minds might wander back over 5000 years ago to the Nile river valley in Egypt. It was there that a marsh grass called Cyperous Papyrus flourished. The Egyptians cut thin strips from the plant's stem and softened them in the muddy waters of the Nile.

How does papermaking work?

Whether using recycled materials or fresh organic matter, the process starts by shredding the material into small strips and soaking them overnight to loosen the fibres.

Why did paper die out?

Earlier in the 20th century paper production from Khoi began to die out because of a shortage of Khoi trees.

What are the most suitable materials for paper making?

Others experimented with fibres such as straw, cabbage, wasp nests and finally wood, resulted in inexpensive - and replaceable - materials for paper making. Today, the long soft fibres of softwoods such as spruce have become the most suitable source of pulp for mass production.

What was the mass production of paper?

In Europe and America, the mass-production of paper became a thriving industry supplying huge volumes of paper for the production of newspapers, books, magazines, paper bags, toilet paper, money and a huge variety of other purposes - including clothing, chimney's and even coffins!

What was the demand for paper?

The demand for paper also created the need for greater efficiency in production . In the late 18th century the labours of Nicholas Luis Robert resulted in the creation of a machine that could produce a seamless length of paper on a endless wire mesh with squeeze rollers at one end.

Overview

Early sources of fibre

Before the industrialisation of paper production the most common fibre source was recycled fibres from used textiles, called rags. The rags were from hemp, linen and cotton. A process for removing printing inks from recycled paper was invented by German jurist Justus Claproth in 1774. Today this method is called deinking. It was not until the introduction of wood pulp in 1843 that paper production was not dependent on recycled materials from ragpickers.

History

Etymology

Papermaking

Applications

Types, thickness and weight

Paper stability