History of the creation of paper. Paper production

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The history of the creation of paper has more than one thousand years, and to this day it remains the most common means of transmitting information in a graphic or symbolic way. But it has also found its use in everyday life, as a packaging material, in interior design and for hygienic purposes.

With its help, graphic images were transmitted through drawings. If in the past these could be the first schematic sketches of objects and phenomena of the surrounding people, now highly detailed photos are printed on paper, reflecting the surrounding reality as close as possible.

But if we talk about writing, then it arose much earlier than paper appeared. In the past, this material had many alternatives. Some of them, to be honest, were much more durable. But paper also had its advantages, which allowed it to become so ubiquitous. This process was extremely heterogeneous. If in China they knew about paper even before our era, then European civilizations joined it only in the Middle Ages.

Papermaking changed with the advent ofnew technologies. Moreover, this was determined both by the requirements of the new printing technology, and by the methods of its production. If earlier it was necessary to process fabrics for its production, then with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the discovery of cellulose, everything changed.

The importance of paper in the development of society cannot be underestimated - through fiction and scientific publications. The availability of books has played a huge role in education, which has accelerated technological progress.

At the present time, the role of paper is decreasing, but even with the advent of electronic document management, all significant papers have their material embodiment, whether they are banknotes or any certificates.

What paper is for

In the modern world, we use paper products in our daily routine, sometimes without even thinking about it. We meet her at home and at work. It is used for advertising, it prints receipts for purchased goods, and, after all, more often we pay for purchases with paper banknotes.

The history of paper was originally intended to be used to preserve and transfer knowledge. Now this role has been given to books, brochures, newspapers and other printed information products.

For decoration purposes, paper is used for wall paper, photo printing, and as the basis for paintings and prints.

Paper cardboard is used as a packaging material. It is used to make both huge boxes for transporting goods, and small bags of juice or milk.

Paper with water markssigns and other degrees of protection is used for important documents that are provided in a single copy: passports, registration certificates, licenses, etc. Paper production using similar technologies is also used to make banknotes.

Paper in the form of a tape is used to take readings of measuring instruments in medicine and science. This is especially true for equipment that is not designed to work with digital media.

Look into the past

Ancient images of animals and hunting for them, made by primitive tribes, can be found on the walls of caves. The first Egyptian writing that has come down to us was also engraved on stone slabs. They were heavy, and working with them required a certain skill from the master. With the development of metallurgy, metal plates began to be used, but the text had to be applied to the casting mold each time, which was also inconvenient.

In Mesopotamia they came up with more convenient material for recording. The Sumerians used clay tablets for their cuneiform writing. It was a rather convenient way: soft clay is comfortable to write on, the dried tablets were relatively light. But they were quite fragile.

But the ancient Egyptians in the third millennium BC invented papyrus, which can rightfully be considered the forerunner of paper. It was made from a plant of the same name, growing off the banks of the Nile. For direct production, the inner fibrous part was used, which was separated from the stem. The separated fiber layers were applied transversely relative to each other.friend and put under pressure. Both the sap of the plant and the muddy Nile water, rich in silt deposits and mud, and softened bread crumb acted as a binding material. The resulting sheets were glued together into a scroll. It was a good way to keep records, papyrus was light, easy to transport, and it was possible to write texts of large content on it.

Birth of paper

The creation of the first paper from Chinese silk occurred presumably before our era. But its exact place of origin and time of occurrence is unknown. Archaeological excavations have unearthed scraps of paper in a tomb dating back to the pre-Han Dynasty era. But the first paper, just like papyrus, was very expensive. Therefore, at that time, wooden tablets were more common, on which the text was burned with a heated pen tip.

It is authentically known that in 105, the emperor's adviser Cai Lun was granted the title of minister and other honors for his contribution to the improvement of papermaking technology. Only discarded silkworm cocoons or fabric scraps obtained from the bast of mulberry wood were used for its production. They were divided into small pieces, after which they were crushed in a mortar almost to a state of powder. The resulting mass was mixed with pure water into a homogeneous gruel, which was then laid out in a forming bamboo sieve. The frames on its sides set the size of the sheet, and the holes contributed to ventilation, air flow and, as a result, rapiddrying out. To smooth out the mesh pattern, the paper was placed between two polished stone surfaces. Thus, it turned out smooth and thin at the same time.

After the invention of this method, the further process of creating paper improved quite quickly. In the production technology, special binders based on starch and glue of natural origin began to be used, which made the paper more durable. And the basis was not only silk fiber, but also other cotton and linen fabrics, as well as hemp thread, which was usually used to make ropes.

An alternative to paper

Together with the teachings of Buddhism from China, books were distributed to Korea and Japan, which were in close contact with it, respectively, they also adopted experience in paper production. Also, the production of paper and the technology of its creation were mastered by the neighboring countries of Central Asia and the Middle East. But the paper came to the European continent only after the conquest of Spain by the Arabs.

Of course, before its distribution, alternative materials were used to record texts. Since ancient times, expensive papyrus has been replaced with parchment and wax tablets.

The latter were wooden plates on which wax was applied in a thin layer. The writing tool was a hard metal stick, one side of which was sharpened for writing letters, and the second, flat, was scraped off, after which the text could be written again. This method was widely used for teaching writing and creating records of temporarycharacter until the Middle Ages.

For a longer-term use, parchment made from animal skins of a special manufacture was used. In the leather industry, the skin of sheep or goats was soaked in lye, softened and pressed. The main advantage of parchment was that it allowed writing on both sides. Therefore, the first European books were made from it.

Birch bark was used in ancient Russia. But, unfortunately, only a small number of letters written on it have survived to this day.

Predecessors of modern paper

The history of paper in its modern form did not exist until the 18th century. The technology of its production differed depending on the material used, whether it was rags or wood.

Attempts to use wood fibers directly did not give a significant result. Although bamboo was successfully used in China at the end of the first millennium of our era.

The primary raw material for book paper was old waste paper and worn canvas clothes. Cheaper material, for example, straw, went to newspapers. It got to the point that there was a shortage of them, some countries even introduced a ban on the export of rags. And in America, a situation arose when book printers sold books only to those who brought them raw materials for processing. Under the influence of such a rush demand, its prices rose, which led to the emergence of black markets.

The crushed raw materials were placed in a large vat of water, after which they were carefullymixed until the state of suspension, when the particles were placed in the mixture more or less uniformly. Initially, manual labor was used, and the work of a scooper was highly respected. He made sure that the semi-finished product reached the required state, after which he laid the gruel on a special sieve.

A little later, mills appeared, the water wheel of which set the shaft in motion. Its mechanical energy was transferred to the grinding of raw materials for paper pulp. Each mill used an imprint or watermark to indicate the exclusivity of its production. On a metal mesh scoop, a sign was sewn with wire, which appeared on the paper pulp after drying.

From Spain, paper business migrated to other European countries. Italian masters have learned to experiment with chemical reagents. The white paper was obtained by bleaching with chlorine, and the use of organic glue from boiled animal bones made it possible not to absorb the ink.

In the pre-Petrine era, our country bought paper from France and Italy, and only in 1714 the first water mill was laid to mechanize the production process. But, despite some lagging behind Europe from Asia, it was there that they came up with a way to create stamped paper with watermarks, which neither the Chinese nor the Arabs had.

Pulp and the Industrial Revolution

The history of paper making has undergone great changes after the study of the composition of wood and the appearance of roll paper without a tracemesh.

The discovery of cellulose in 1719 belongs to the French chemist René Réaumur. It was he who first proposed its use in the production process. Cellulose is a dense layer of polymeric glucose molecules that form a protective barrier within the cell wall. The process of its isolation from wood or grass fiber occurs under the action of reagents that break down less stable substances that make up cells. The higher the cellulose content in the plant, the denser paper will be obtained from it. But it was only with the advent of the paper machine that this raw material became widely used.

The first machine to make high-quality paper without traces of mesh appeared in England. But for the time being, it was still made from used linen rags, which were ground in a special apparatus called "roll". The paper mass was laid out not on a metal sieve, but on a special fabric of dense weaving. The resulting sheets were called "drawing paper" in honor of the owner of the factory, they acquired a characteristic roughness and velvety. This allowed the emergence of watercolor techniques for painting, moving the leading position of canvas and oil paints.

But the demand for paper was huge. To increase its quantity, paper machines arose. Rolls crushed sawdust, woodworking waste, which were then placed in an acidic or alkaline environment, where the reaction of splitting wood fibers took place and cellulose was released. The resulting mass of paper semi-finished product swelled,absorbing water well. After that, it could already conditionally be considered raw paper. But to give shape, the gruel was rolled between two oppositely rotating shafts with a copper mesh. Thus, paper in rolls was born. And just paper was obtained after cutting it with special knives. This process made it possible to create paper of a certain size and weight in a huge amount in an almost automatic way.

Depending on its purpose, special additives were introduced into the paper pulp. For example, special "photo" paper was processed with light-sensitive components, which is why the development of photographs was carried out in a room with red lighting. And the dyes gave the sheets the desired shades.

The role of paper in human development

For a long time paper production remained a trade secret of a limited circle of owners. The process of its manufacture was extremely laborious. The history of paper, as well as its use, was the privilege of the we althy class, who corresponded, read books, and improved their level of education.

The more accessible paper media became, the faster the rate of acquisition of new information by a wide range of people increased. For example, Marco Polo wrote a book about his travels, thousands of people read it, and their picture of the world around them expanded. Darwin described his conclusions about the origin of species that came to him in his youth when he went on an expedition on a shipBeagle.

This is how the level of education of society increased, which indirectly brought the current level of development closer. Book printing developed, the need for handwritten texts disappeared, later typewriters appeared, and in the computer age - printers.

Modern types of paper

The history of the creation of drawing paper has not changed much. For creativity, rough paper of manual and industrial production is still in demand. When choosing it, first of all, they take into account what the absorbent capacity is, how the fibers were crushed. The larger they are, the more the paper will fray when scraped.

Office lightweight paper primarily designed for laser or cartridge printing. Copying is carried out using a similar technology. But earlier carbon paper was used for these purposes, one side of which is covered with a thin layer of coloring pigment. Now it is used only for simultaneous duplication of handwritten text of certificates and receipts.

The printing of digital images has greatly influenced such a thing as paper. Photos printed on it have both a glossy surface and a matte finish. Based on whether a laser or inkjet printer, choose different types of paper by density. Also, paper quality must be considered when using certain inks refilled in the cartridge.

Disposable paper handkerchiefs are more practical than their cloth counterparts. Rolled toilet paper has been produced for more than a century. And in America there is a case wheninstead of a roll, volumes of cheap poetry made of soft paper were produced for hygienic purposes. Some were puzzled by this, but the manufacturer originally intended to combine these two processes.

Paper corrugated cardboard is made from relatively cheap raw materials - straw. Strength is achieved by an accordion-folded layer located between two sheets of cardboard. Thus, the pressure exerted by the weight of objects is dispersed due to the elastic layer resistant to deformation. But such cardboard has visible inclusions of fibers, due to the porous texture, boxes from it are deformed under the influence of water, although in all other cases they are very convenient for transportation.

Tetra Pak technology is used for food packaging. The inner layer of the package, which is in contact with a humid environment, is covered with a thin layer of food foil. And the outer one is a bright cardboard with a glossy surface, on which the name, composition, etc. are applied.

Prospects

Paper media are becoming obsolete. Despite the fact that reading is still very popular, paper books, magazines and newspapers are being bought less and less. They are gradually being replaced by electronic counterparts.

Measurement readings are increasingly stored electronically. Yes, and it is easier to create documents in digital form, and then confirm their authenticity using certificates.

But the use of paper as a packaging material is constantly growing: boxes, various packaging, wrapping paper….

Until she losesits relevance advertising through printed materials. Flyers, banners, posters, flyers, free gift calendars do not require large investments, but they increase brand awareness well.

In all industries where the use of a material carrier will be cheaper, paper will find its place. Also, do not forget about its application in the artistic field. Despite the obvious advantage of computer graphics, the paintings that decorate the interior, in most cases, are still written on paper or canvas.

While paper is disappearing from some areas of life, it is still in high demand in others.