Blog Post #4

 EOTO - Paper

Types of Paper

Stone cave walls, tree bark, papyrus and clay tablets, and animal skin all have one commonality - they were all written/drawn on before the invention of paper. The word "paper" is derived from the word "papyrus", which is an Egyptian-styled thick writing sheet. Paper throughout history hasn't just been used for writing, but as wrapping material, toilet paper, tea bags, napkins, and more. Cai Lun (202 BCE-220 CE) was a Chinese official (more specifically, a eunuch), that worked in the Imperial court during the Han Dynasty. Cai Lun, also known as Ts'ai Lun, is known for being the inventor of paper and the paper-making process, although there is some speculation that he may have, instead, improved an already-created process of paper-making. The paper that Cai Lun is said to have created was found to be better quality for writing on, and less expensive to produce.

Cai Lun

Cai Lun created his paper using mulberry and other fibrous materials from plants, along with old rags, hemp waste, bamboo, tree bark, and fishnets. His process went as so:

    1. Boil the ingredients together

    2. Beat the ingredients

    3. Mix the ingredients with water

    4. Process the mixture with wooden sieves

    5. Remove the excess water

Today, paper is made in a less time-consuming manner. Paper in our modern world today is mostly made from cellulose, a fiber from trees, though other materials such as straw, hemp, jute, cotton, flax, rice, wheat, esparto, and manilla are also commonly used. The typical mechanized production of paper today utilizes the following steps:

    1. Pulping from wood chips (manufactured chemically or mechanically)

    2. Removing excess water, causing fibers to be spread out ("sheet formation")

    3. Drying sheets over a series of cast-iron cylinders

    4. Applying a film of chemicals to the surface of the dried paper

Fourdrinier Paper Machine

Modern-Day Paper Machine

Paper was initially manually made as single sheets, one at a time, until the invention of the first paper machine by Nicholas-Louis Robert, in France in 1799. From there, in Britain in 1806, the Fourdrinier paper machine was improved and patented by Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier in Britian. Then, in 1809, John Dickinson invented the cylinder mould paper machine. Looking forward in history from here, inventions were created that allowed for paper-forms of media to be mass-produced as well, such as the printing press.

Printing Press

The use of paper is so wide and versatile today: printings, packaging, writing, cleaning, decoration, wallpaper, toilet paper, tissues, currency and security papers, paper plates (1904), cardboard boxes (1870), paper cups (1908), insulation, photography, and much more. Paper has changed how people live their day-to-day lives superfluously - activities and tasks have become easier and quicker to accomplish. Furthermore, communication has drastically changed - paper is one of the most important forms of media today. From newspapers, to books, to letters, paper allows for the thoughts and perceptions of individuals to be written/typed and physically held.

While there are many benefits from paper being used as heavily as it is today, there are some negative effects that come from it as well. Pulp and paper mills largely contribute to water, air, and land pollution. The process of making paper has negative extremities, such as the number of trees that are cut down, and the amount of water that is used. A great percentage of landfills, too, are filled with paper products. With all of this being said, paper has clearly greatly benefited our society throughout history, although it may be even better that so many things are transferring to being online.

Stack of Paper