Handmade Paper Process

Some facts and the art of handmade papermaking From Ecology.com Take a minute to look around the room you're in and notice how many things are made out of paper. There may be books, a few magazines, some printer paper, and perhaps a poster on the wall. Yet, if you consider that each person in the United States uses 749 pounds of paper every year (adding up to a whopping 187 billion pounds per year for the entire population, by far the largest per capita consumption rate of paper for any country in the world), then you realize that paper comes in many more forms than meets the eye. The fact is, world consumption of paper has grown four hundred percent in the last 40 years. Now nearly 4 billion trees or 35% of the total trees cut around the world are used in paper industries on every continent. Besides what you can see around you, paper comes in many forms from tissue paper to cardboard packaging to stereo speakers to electrical plugs to home insulation to the sole inserts in your tennis shoes. In short, paper is everywhere. And now why handmade paper ? because it's all recycled RAG CLEANING   Rags received from hosiery mills, preferably white in color, only 100 % cotton rags are accepted.   These rags need cleaning to remove synthetic fabric, pins, buttons, elastic, and color threads etc.     RAG CUTTING   Cleaned rags are cut into small pieces [1” in length] to ensure uniform beating.     PULPING   Rags are put in water in a beater machine.   After 4 to 5 hours of beating and with marginal input of organic chemicals pulp is ready.       LIFTING     Pulp is discharged into tanks and according to the grammage of the paper, a certain quantity of pulp is put into a mould.    It is spread evenly on a steel net and then pressed on a piece of fabric.    At this stage, the paper is ready but contains a lot of water.     PRESSING   A pile of paper and fabric is put into a hydraulic press to remove excess water.     DRYING     After pressing the paper is separated from the fabric and is put for drying.  Natural drying is preferred.     CALENDERING     Fresh dried paper has coarse texture; this is polished in a calendaring machine.     CUTTING / PACKING     All polished paper is sorted out for quality and cut into given sizes and then it is packed in any desired quantities.      RAW MATERIALS Rags / Water / Organic chemicals like Alum Diacol , Vegetable dyes. Regular size of handmade paper is 22” x 30” Packing is ream wise i.e. 500 No – 1 Ream, 250 No – 1/2 Ream.

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