Paper

Early Communication Writing Materials and Tools

Paper

Ts'ai Lun, a servant, head of the imperial workshops, is credited with the discovering the process of creating the first real paper in the year A.D. 105.

Paper is made by pounding wood or cloth until the fibers separate from one another. The beaten fibers are then mixed with water to form pulp. The water loosens the fibers in the wood or cloth, allowing them to be reshaped into a sheet of paper. A screen (sometimes cloth is also used) is then stretched over a wooden rectangular frame to form what is called a "mold." Another frame called a "deckle" is placed on top of the mold. The deckle is designed to prevent collected pulp from running off the sides of the mold.

The mold and deckle are then dipped into the fiber-rich water. As they are pulled through the water-and-pulp mixture, a thin, even layer of intertwined fibers come to rest on the screen. A wet sheet of paper has been formed! When dried, the fibers become a sheet of paper, ready for use.

In the 12th century Chinese paper technology was introduced in Europe which made paper making faster, cheaper and easier. Which was of essential value in the recording and spreading of information.

Around 1400 paper was produced on a large scale in Italy and Germany. Cai Lun’s paper making discovery may be one of the greatest inventions of the last 5000 years. [|modern paper making] [|old way of Making Paper]