Paper

Paper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Paper (disambiguation).

A Stack of Copy Paper
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Paper is a thin material mainlyused for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them intoflexible sheets.
Paper is a versatile material with many uses. Whilst the most common is for writing and printing upon, it is also widely used as a packaging material, in many cleaning products, in a numberof industrial and construction processes, and even as a food ingredient – particularly in Asian cultures.
Paper, and the pulp papermaking process, was developed in China during the early 2nd centuryAD by the Han court eunuch Cai Lun, although the earliest archaeological fragments of paper derive from the 2nd century BC.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Etymology
3 Papermaking
3.1 Chemicalpulping
3.2 Mechanical pulping
3.3 Deinked pulp
3.4 Additives
3.5 Producing paper
3.6 Finishing
4 Applications
5 Types, thickness and weight
6 Paper stability
7 The future of paper
8 See also9 References and notes
10 External links
History

Main article: History of paper
Further information: Science and technology of the Han Dynasty and List of Chinese inventions

Hemp wrappingpaper, China, circa 100 BCE.
The oldest known archaeological fragments of the immediate precursor to modern paper date to 2nd century BC China. Papermaking is considered one of the Four GreatInventions of Ancient China, and the pulp papermaking process is ascribed to Cai Lun, a 2nd century AD Han court eunuch.[2] With paper an effective substitute for silk in many applications, China could exportsilk in greater quantity, contributing to a Golden Age.
Paper spread from China through the Islamic world to medieval Europe in the 13th century, where the first water-powered paper mills were...