History of Paper Making

When it comes to environment friendly products, paper is among the most preferable materials. Today, we see different kinds of paper with different level of thickness and durability. Paper's usage is not limited to writing any more. It now ranges from personal hygiene products to packaging material. Wax packaging, seafood packaging and even the poultry boxes are all made up of paper. With its many usages, it would be interesting to track back to the history of this invention.

It is a commonly known fact that paper has been around since ancient times. The name paper itself came from papyrus, which means the bark of a plant. It is obvious that the bark was the first kind of material used for writing. However, the scribbling on rocks and stones were used even before that. The actual paper making process was developed in China during the Han dynasty in around 200BC. The very first paper is said to be made from mulberry leaves, fishnets and rags. During the third century, the usage of paper became more common, and it was also used for wrapping purposes as well.

During the Tang dynasty (around 600AD), the domain of paper usage was even more expanded and it was now used in tea bags, napkins, baskets and other decorative purposes. By that time, toilet paper had already become a necessity in China. It was not until the Song dynasty that paper money was actually printed, thus further signifying the value of paper.

Although kept secret by the Chinese, the art of paper making did reach Japan by the 610AD. However, it was the Arabs who took paper manufacturing to the next level by introducing bulk manufacturing methods during 751 AD. It became a major industry of Baghdad and Samarkand. From there on, Arabs introduced many calligraphic and book making styles as a form of art.

After the first crusades, the art of paper making further spread into the western world. However, historical evidence proves that the Mayans also developed the paper making technique during the 5th century. This technique was similar to the Chinese method, but was purely made of tree bark.

During the 1400's, many printing techniques were transferred from fabric to paper, and paper making became an industry around the world. Water powered paper mills were common all around Europe and the Middle East. Yet, paper was still expensive and not as common as it is today.

During the 19th century, the advent of the steam engine brought new power to the paper making technique. The steam powered paper mill could make paper out of wood pulp, the latter which soon became a norm which lead to a faster way of mass-production of paper, which in return reduced the price. The paper and printing presses was now everywhere. Newspaper and books became common.

Although, times have again changed, and most of the work is done on softcopies rather than papers, nothing has been able to completely replace paper. The demand for paper is ever increasing, and hardcopies are still much more reliable than their soft counterparts.

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