Paper And Papermaking Essay, Research Paper

Paper and Papermaking

Raw materials for paper

Basic process of papermaking

Birth of papermaking

Papermaking in Europe

The main material for paper in the European countries was cotton and linen fiber from rags. It was washed, bleached, and soaked in an alkali solution before pulping. The basic process for papermaking was dipping a mold of wire into a vat of stock and lifting it out. Once that was finished it was removed and placed on wooden cloth for pressing. Sometimes one stack 2 feet high was reduced to 6 or 8 inches. After drying the paper was sized and prepared for printing. It is theorized that paper was first created in 100 BC, but it is credited to a Chinese man by the name of Ts’ai Lun. Early paper was made with hemp waste in water and beaten with a wooden mallet. After decades of evolution the product called paper finally made its way to Europe. Paper was not readily accepted in Europe, in 1221 the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared everything written on paper to be invalid. Things soon would change when the printing press was invented.