Paper Making: Then and Now
Paper is an overlooked form of media because we’ve used it for so long that it’s become
an integral part of our lives. Imagine what life would have been like if there were no paper. We
could have probably documented life changing events on clay tablets! Sounds preposterous, but
if it wasn’t for paper, our lives could have been completely different. From the early beginnings
of paper it was the best way to record, inform, and entertain. When and how did paper get
invented and why was it invented? How different is paper making like before the Industrial
Revolution? Has the process of paper making changed since then?
The Birth of Paper
Before paper was invented, in 3000 BC Egyptians used a plant called Papyrus (where the
word paper came from) to produce a material that was easy to write on. Papyrus grew wild all
over the Nile River and Egyptians cut thin strips from the plant’s stem and softened them in the
muddy waters of the Nile. These strips were then layered in right angles to form a kind of mat.
The mat was then pounded into a thin sheet and left in the sun to dry. The resulting sheets were
ideal for writing on. Since they were also lightweight and portable they became the writing
medium of choice of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for record keeping, spiritual texts and
works of art.
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Compared to the clay tablet, this type of material was easier to store and transport.
It was a popular form of media at the time, so it was used by Greeks and Romans to record
spiritual text and produce works of art. It was widely used, but not cheap. Although papyrus was
functional, it was not economical. People all over the world tried to come up with a better
standard of writing material. It wasn’t until the era of the Han Dynasty in the year 105 AD, a
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“All About Paper” (n.d.) Retrieved from http://hqpapermaker.com/paper-history/
Chinese inventor by the name of Ts’ai Lun (or Cai Lun) was said to be the man who first
invented paper and papermaking. He did this by mixing water with the inner bark of a mulberry
tree and bamboo fibers then pounding them together with a wooden tool.
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This method spread
very slowly through Asia. During the 8th century the Empress Shōtoku of Japan was so
impressed with this material that she ordered the printing of one million Dharani prayers on to
individual sheets of paper which were mounted on to wooden pagodas (Hyakumantō Darani) and
then donated to several temples in Japan. These are the oldest traceable publications in the
world.
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It took several centuries for this method to find its way to Europe in the 12th century. The
Europeans learned this method of papermaking and began producing their own. Along with the
invention of paper and papermaking came the ability to inform and entertain on a grander scale.
The Industrial Revolution
