Raw Materials

Cellulose fibres (mainly from the cotton plant but can also be jute, hemp or wood pulp) are ground up and mixed with water. This mixture of fibres and water is called pulp.

Handmade Paper

After the pulp is made, it is passed into a vat and agitated mechanically to give an even concentration. The papermaker stands by with a pair of moulds (a wooden frame covered in a fine wire mesh). The mould is then dipped into the pulp and lifted out with a shaking action by the papermaker. The water drains off, leaving a mat of fibres in the mould.

The outer edges of the mould are covered by a removable frame during this operation, which is called a deckle. The edge of the sheet is at the deckle, but fibre seepage occurs under the deckle. Thus, the edge of the sheet is not a sharp edge, but a rather ragged gradation down to nothing — this is called a **deckled edge** and is the natural edge obtained when paper is made by hand. Because of the method of manufacture, the fibre orientation is random, and there are no significant differences in properties of the sheet in the long or short direction.

Mould-Made Paper

Using the same pulp and raw materials as handmade paper, the process is now automated. The pulp is passed into a vat that contains a rotating cylinder (called a **Cylinder Mould**) partly immersed in the pulp. Similar to the handmade method, it is covered in a fine wire mesh. As the cylinder rotates, the fibres form into a mat on the outside of the cylinder. Just after the highest point of rotation and before re-entering the vat, this mat of fibres is couched off onto a felt and removed continuously from the point of manufacture to be further processed. Because of the nature of the machine, there are usually very slight differences in the long and short directions on each sheet.

Machine-Made Paper

Using a principle developed by the Fourdrinier brothers (hence why the machine is called a **Fourdrinier machine**), this machine offers the most economical production when producing paper at a high speed. The same materials and pulp are used, but this time with a lower concentration of water. Commonly, but not always with machine-made paper, the pulp is of lower quality than for either of the above methods. This is now passed onto the Fourdrinier machine, a horizontal fast-moving wire mesh through which the excess water drains, leaving the sheet formed on the wire.

Paper Weight (GSM)

Paper today is referred to as **GSM (Grams Per Square Metre)**. The lower the GSM, the lighter the paper. Typically, the most popular weight of paper used is 300 GSM.

Paper Surfaces

• HP = Hot Pressed (also known as smooth, satine or silk) – Pressed between two hot plates to create a smooth paper – Suitable for high detail work.
• NOT = Not Hot Pressed (also known as cold pressed, Fin or CP) – A Matt, Smoothish/Roughish paper – Suitable for most types of work, the most popular surface of paper.
• Rough = Rough (also known as torchan) – A rough textured paper – Suitable for textured work, landscapes or seascapes.

Acid-Free Paper

A term used on some of the finest papers to slow down degradation and stop yellowing, ensuring the longevity of your artwork.

Paper Formats & Types

• Sheets/Rolls – Traditional watercolour paper usually with 2-4 deckled edges.
• Pads – Convenient bound collections of paper.
• Blocks – Pre-stretched paper, glued on all four sides to prevent warping of the paper whilst painting.

The highest quality papers usually contain **Cotton**, offering the best archival standard and durability. The cheapest, more student-quality papers are often made from wood pulp (confusingly called "wood-free").

Whiteness

Extra white or High White papers usually have a little bleach added into the manufacturing process, sometimes with titanium dioxide pigment. Even when this is done, the paper is still not truly white and will have a slight creamy colour to the paper.

Recommended Papers

Coming Soon!!