If you have always wondered how to make paper, or are simply looking for a fun project to do with your time, you've come to the right place. This can easily be enjoyed by yourself, or even with a friend or family member. It's always good to include others to enhance the enjoyment and learning experience that comes in paper-making.

Hand-made paper tends to show unique qualities, unlike regular paper, because it is more open to having textures and additives that make it unique. You could perhaps make a card, and send it to a family member or a friend to express thanks or care, or to just show them that you made them a piece of paper by your own hand.

The idea of paper comes from centuries, even millennia ago. The finest papers that were made came from Europe, and consisted of a processed livestock skin. Most other nations throughout the world tended to use vegetables in making their paper, which worked but was crude in comparison to paper made in Europe. Examples are Papyrus, which was used by the Egyptians; it consisted of a long and coarse grass, but made an ideal writing surface. Asiatic countries like Japan and China made papers from rice leaves, and are still famous to this day for their high quality paper made essentially from the same process that was used centuries ago.

The demand for paper-making became far more prevalent with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1436, thus allowing the use of paper to cost far less. Paper was originally used only by those who could afford it, and with the invention of the printing press paper was more easily accessible because of its increase in demand. The demand caused further innovations in materials used in paper-making, which led to the use of wood pulp, which required additives like glue and bleach, but was far cheaper than processed animal skins, or the use of coarse grains and leaves. Wood pulp based paper was poor in quality but became the prime medium of use with the invention of the printing press, which was probably the most important innovation in paper-making history.

Although paper making is an ancient practice, it is still extremely common nowadays, from printing newspaper, to paper found in copy machines in just about every office imaginable. Nonetheless, making your own paper is not only a fun experience, but an experience that allows you to learn a practice that has existed for millenia.

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To find out more about making your own paper, checkout How To Make Paper.