Fun PAPER Facts

Paper, by definition, is a complex matted web of cellulose fibers. Genuine parchment, authentic vellum, or papyrus are not true papers by this definition. Paper is made by gathering the plant of choice, and beating it into a pulp. Water is then added, until the pulp becomes a slurry. The slurry is then sifted against a screen until it forms an even layer. Once it dries, a sheet of paper is formed. Most paper contains sizing. Sizing is any glutinous material used to fill pores in surfaces that helps to make a stronger sheet of paper. The United States and Canada are one of the world's largest producers of paper and paper products. The U.S. consumption of paper and paperboard in 1999 was approximately 354 kilograms (about 800 pounds) per person. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 3000 gallons of water. Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than manufacturing paper from virgin timber. One tree can filter upto 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year. Good papers are rated as pH neutral. Better papers are called "acid free", based on the materials they were manufactured from. The best papers are "archival". Paper products use up at least 35 percent of the world's annual commercial wood harvest. Handmade paper are still made today with the same process as used earlier. Handmade Paper is made by gathering the plant of choice, and beating it into a pulp. Water is then added, until the pulp becomes a slurry. The slurry is then sifted against a screen until it forms an even layer. Hot Press is the term used to describe the smoothest surface of watercolor paper, as if it had been ironed using a hot iron to make it perfectly smooth. Soft Press paper has slightly more texture, but is still smooth, as if the hot ironing had been done, but using less pressure. Cold Press paper has even more texture than the previous two, as if it had been ironed using a colder iron, leaving more bumps. Rice paper is not really made from rice.