Written records have been an important part of communication since the beginning of civilization. Although various forms of writing have been found since centuries, it has not been the same for paper. Man tried all sorts of alternatives to write on; like cloth, bark, wood, leaves, ceramics etc. In fact, the early men used to make drawings on walls, tablets etc. for recording thoughts, but it was neither practical nor a portable method. About 5000 years ago, the Egyptians used strips of Papyrus plant found near Nile River to create smooth sheets for writing by macerating the plant into pulp, drying and pressing it whereas Greeks and Romans used waxed tablets. Pergamums are known to have used a substance made from sheep skin called parchments.

The word ‘paper’ is derived from the Greek term called ‘papyrus’ which was used by Egyptians. Tsai Lun, a Chinese, is credited to have invented paper in 105 AD which made it one of the four great inventions of the Chinese. He mixed water with bark of Mulberry or bamboo tree and kneaded them to make a paste and further to obtain sheets of paper. Thus, he improved the technique of making paper and used materials like bark, hemp, rags etc. which were lightweight and easy to make. The best known paper was the one that the Chinese used for painting and calligraphy called the Xuan Paper. Chinese made few other improvements to techniques of paper making like use of starch and yellow die.

In 6th century AD, paper making began in Korea as well. A Korean monk introduced paper making to Japan in 610 AD. Paper making got introduced in the west in the 8th century and the first paper mill was built in Europe in 1009. The invention of the printing press in 1448 by a German called Johannes Gutenberg, led to rapid increase in demand of paper with the advent of books and newspapers. It was in the 19th century though, that paper production became industrialized.

The paper available to us nowadays is a commodity made of amalgamated fibers made up of cellulose held together by hydrogen bonding. Usually the fibers are natural but synthetic fibers are often added to give it desirable physical properties. The common sources of natural fibers are wood pulp from trees, vegetable fibers like cotton, rice, hemp etc. and those of synthetic fibers are polypropylene and polyethylene. Paper has been put to various applications like educational, cultural, storage etc. since its invention and is now available in a range of grades. Even though paper can be made from cloth, grass etc., largely paper is made by using natural resources i.e. trees.

Paper has evolved over the years and is not limited to be used for writing. In fact paperboard, one of the paper products is used to shift more than 90% manufactured good. It is now one of the essential material in a lot of processes; handling delicate items like bulbs or glasses, storing food products, juices, storing goods etc.

Paper touches nearly every aspect of our lives and life without paper is unimaginable!

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