PAPERS

Paper is a thin sheet material created by physically or chemically processing cellulose fibers taken from wood, rags, grasses, or other vegetable sources in water. The water is then drained through a tiny mesh, leaving the fibers evenly distributed on the surface, and the paper is then pressed and dried. Although paper was once created by hand in single sheets, practically all paper is now produced using massive machines, some of which produce reels up to 10 meters wide and up to 600,000 tonnes annually. Additionally, it can be utilized as filter paper, wallpaper, book endpapers, conservation paper, laminated worktops, toilet paper, money, security paper, as well as in a variety of industrial and construction activities.

The Han court eunuch Cai Lun invented the papermaking method in east Asia, most likely China, as least as early as 105 CE, while the first paper-related artifacts date from China’s 2nd century BCE. China leads global production in the contemporary pulp and paper sector, with the United States coming in second.