History of Paper and Types of Paper
Before the paper we know today, when people communicated through pictures and symbols, they used carved tree bark, cave walls and papyrus or clay tablets. In line with all this, the need for a portable and more comfortable object that could be written on and drawn on, namely paper, emerged for humanity. Humanity, which has invented many things by following such needs over time, set out in the same way for paper.
As it is known, the first foundation of the paper we use today was laid in China approximately 2000 years ago. Chinese inventors needed to record their drawings and writings and discovered that they could prepare cloth sheets for this, thus taking written communication to the next level for humanity.
The first object that can be described as paper was made by Ts’ai Lun in China. Ts’ai Lun was a Chinese court official at the time. According to history books, Ts’ai Lun mixed mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water and made a puree, and then pressed the resulting liquid to form a thin layer. Finally, it is known that he dried the resulting thin wicker-like object in the sun. At that time, the first used object that could be described as paper was produced with Ts’ai’s recipe.
In the 8th century, approximately 300 years after Ts’ai’s first discovery of what could be described as paper, the secret of paper making spread to the region now called the Middle East. Still, it took about 500 years for Europeans to become acquainted with paper and paper production. Following these developments, the first paper factories were established in Spain, and soon developments towards paper production took place in factories all over Europe.
Later, since paper was easier to make, paper was used to print important books, such as religious books and legal documents.
England began producing paper in large quantities in the late 15th century and provided paper to many countries for many years.
Finally, the first paper mill in the USA was built in Pennsylvania in 1690. At first, American paper mills used the same method used in China. To make paper, they shredded old rags and clothes into individual fibers, mashed them with a mixture and dried them. However, over time, the areas of use of paper expanded greatly and the demand for paper increased, and factories started to use fiber because wood was cheaper and much easier to find than fabric.
Today, paper is produced from trees in sustainably managed, industrially grown forests. Paper, which is intended to be recycled in every field, has always been a part of recycling in the world. Today, many campaigns are carried out for paper recycling, and these campaigns save a lot of paper.
What are the Types of Paper?
Acid-Free Papers: A type of paper whose pH value is kept neutral or alkaline around 7.0 during production. Acid-free papers are mostly used in traditional crafts, fine art prints, and areas such as photo albums and library materials. The main source of acid in paper is the wood pulp of the tree, but acid-free papers do not contain lignin. Acid-free papers do not necessarily mean long-lasting permanent paper, but papers that are intended to be permanent are always produced without acid. Ready-made murakka papers can also be given as an example of acid-free papers.
Japanese Papers: Japanese (Washi) paper is one of Japan’s most basic and often overlooked artistic products. It has formed the backbone of many other Japanese art forms throughout its 1,300-year production period. As the name suggests, Japanese papers are produced from a reed-like plant that grows near water in Japan. The fibers of this plant are carefully separated and Japanese paper, a cream-colored, shiny, very durable and expensive type of paper made entirely by hand, is produced. It is especially used in the repair of manuscripts.
Elephant Papers: The idea of elephant papers, which originated from the Taman Safari Indonesia Zoo in Bogor, Indonesia, uses the feces of Sumatra elephants, which are native to the Sumatra Island, and these feces are naturally converted into paper in seven stages. These papers, produced entirely from elephant feces, are one of the paper types that contribute the most to recycling. In the workshop set up in the zoo called Safari Poo Paper, feces of Sumatran elephants are collected. The paper making process starts with washing the feces and then after boiling and disinfection processes are applied, the fibers obtained from the feces are dried. The papers, which are mixed with water in the machine and made homogeneous and pressed, are dried as the last stage and become ready for use. Thanks to elephant papers, which are one of the most durable and preferred paper types, thousands of trees are saved from being cut down every year. It is a type of paper. With its rich texture and high quality, it is a very popular paper among handmade papers. Mitsumata, laurel tree and fern leaves are used in the production of Bhutan paper. Each plant among the components of Bhutan paper is thought to add a different feature to the paper. Thanks to these plants, it is very important for the toughness, flexibility and absorbency of the paper. The production of Bhutan paper involves some processes, but it is done with completely natural methods and no chemicals are used in the production process. For this reason, Bhutan paper is also an environmentally friendly paper in terms of sustainability. It is quite easy to recycle compared to paper produced with modern methods. Since Buthan paper is a handmade paper, its production is quite difficult and time-consuming. It takes three days to make a single sheet of Buthan paper. For this reason, it is one of the most meticulous papers.
