Join me on a swift journey through history, where we uncover the story of paper—a fundamental material that has shaped our lives. Through my work with the Paper Project, I’ve grown fascinated by this simple yet significant material. While this is only a snapshot of paper’s long history, there is a timeline at the end of this post for a deeper dive into this story – and a history that started thousands of years ago.

Life Before Paper

Imagine a world without paper: no books, no sketches, no carefully folded love letters hidden in drawers. There would be no paper airplanes, sticky notes, or delicate origami cranes. No magazines, newspapers, or postcards sent from far-off places. Even the boxes that deliver your latest digital gadget would be missing. A world without paper means a world without menus, maps, wrapping paper, greeting cards, and the simple joy of flipping through pages. The list is endless, woven into the fabric of our daily lives in ways we often overlook.

While today’s digital age has revolutionized how we share information, it’s easy to overlook how this simple invention shaped civilization. To appreciate paper’s legacy, let’s start with its misunderstood origins and a material often mistaken for paper: papyrus.

Papyrus vs. Paper: What’s the Difference?

Interestingly, the word we use for paper comes from the word “papyrus”, which is not paper. Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian material made from the papyrus plant. To create papyrus, Egyptians harvested the tall stalks of the plant, sliced them into thin strips, and laid them out in overlapping layers. These layers were then pressed and dried into sheets, forming a sturdy, flexible material suitable for writing.

Paper, on the other hand, involves a completely different process. It is made by breaking down plant fibers into a pulp, suspending them in water, and then spreading the mixture onto a screen. Once the water drains, the fibers interlock as the sheet is pressed and dried, creating a smooth and versatile surface. This innovative technique set the stage for the paper we know today.

The Birth of Paper

True paper originated in China around 105 CE, credited to a court official named Cai Lun (K- i ee L-un). According to historical records, Cai Lun experimented with materials like mulberry bark, hemp, and old rags, developing a method to create a thin, durable writing material. His invention revolutionized record-keeping and communication in China, making it more accessible compared to costly silk or fragile bamboo. One of the legends surrounding the inspiration for this method was that Cai developed it after observing paper wasps building their nest. This is an interesting story and in fact, paper wasps make a form of paper that is used to build their nests.

During this period paper was a valuable commodity that was traded along the Silk Road. In time, paper slowly traveled westward, reaching the Islamic world by the 8th century. Here, craftsmen refined the process, creating stronger and more beautiful sheets. By the 12th century, paper mills had emerged in Europe, fueling the Renaissance and the spread of knowledge through innovations like the Gutenberg printing press.

Paper’s Evolution

Consider the artistry of traditional Japanese washi paper. Centuries ago, a craftsman named Kozo learned the skill from his father, who had spent his life perfecting the art. With a mixture of mulberry fibers and a natural plant-based adhesive, Kozo created sheets so strong they could be folded, shaped, or even illuminated as lanterns. Generations later, this same paper would inspire origami artists around the world.

Then there’s the tale of “The Tale of Genji,” written in 11th-century Japan on carefully crafted sheets of paper. Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman and author, wrote her masterpiece under the dim light of oil lamps. Each page, brushed with careful strokes of ink, reflected not only her skill but the elegance of the paper itself. It’s no wonder her work is considered the world’s first novel.

Fast forward to the 19th century, when inventors were racing to find a way to make paper faster and cheaper. Enter Friedrich Gottlob Keller, a German mechanic who figured out how to turn wood into pulp for paper production. His invention revolutionized the industry, enabling newspapers and books to reach millions. Imagine the excitement of someone picking up a fresh daily paper—a product made possible by Keller’s ingenuity.

Paper’s Hidden Gems

Paper has been our keeper of secrets for thousands of years. We have used it for a range of tasks and continue to rely on this flexible material even in the digital age. While not perfect, paper can be made into products that are easily recycled. Taking a closer look at paper also reveals hidden gems. A single sheet of paper can contain hundreds of tiny pieces of art when viewed under a microscope. The Paper Project has been exploring this hidden world for over twenty years, and some of these works can be viewed on this website.

Paper in a Digital World

Even in an era dominated by screens, paper remains invaluable. High-quality, acid-free paper can last centuries, preserving historical records and cherished memories. There’s also a tactile connection with paper that digital formats can’t replicate—the rustle of a page, the texture of handmade sheets, or the intimacy of a handwritten note.

Paper is more than a medium; it’s a link to our past and a tool for self-expression. Whether it’s holding a centuries-old manuscript or sketching an idea on a blank sheet, paper connects us to a tangible, enduring form of human creativity.

Final Thoughts on Paper

As we embrace digital advancements, it’s worth pausing to celebrate the humble sheet of paper. It’s not just a surface to write on but a testament to human ingenuity, bridging centuries of communication and creativity. The next time you hold a piece of paper, consider the journey it took to get there—from the hands of Cai Lun to yours. It’s a story worth preserving. After all, it has been and continues to hold our history, thoughts, and passions with each sheet.

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Timeline of Paper

If you want to dig into more details about the history of paper, below is a timeline that unfurls the pivotal chapters in the storied history of paper, from its ancient origins in the hands of Chinese innovators to the myriad technological breakthroughs that have shaped its production and use. Alongside the main narrative, discover the fascinating tangential technologies that have evolved in concert with paper, influencing how societies communicate and preserve knowledge.

200 BCE – 500 CE

c. 200 BCE	Rosetta Stone engraved in Egypt; Parchment manufacture refined in Pergamon.(Asia Minor); use of gears leads to invention of ox-driven water wheel for irrigation.
c. 150 BCE	Chinese make oldest known paper from macerated hemp fibers, plant bark, and old fishnets in a water suspension.
149	Hu Shin produces Chinese dictionary of 10,000 characters.
79	Mt. Vesuvius erupts: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae destroyed.
105 CE	Ts’ai Lun, in China, writes the first record of papermaking. The art is practiced in Tun Huang in 150, in Loulan by 200 and in Niya about 250-300.
250	Diophantus of Alexandria produces the first book on algebra.
c. 271	First form of compass used in China.
400	First records of Japanese history.
425	Founding of Constantinople University.
500	Mayans already using amatl (bark paper) by this time.
c. 500	Incense introduced into Christian church service.

500 CE – 1000 CE

521 CE	Papermaking was introduced into Japan via Korea from China.
535	Earliest Chinese roll paintings in Tun-huang (landscapes).
550	Aesop dies.
610	Papermaking introduced into Japan via Korea from China.
640	Arabs find at Alexandria the famous library with 300,000 scrolls; the book copying industry destroyed in the following year.
650	Chinese begin to use lamp-black ink for taking rubbings, which leads to introduction of wood blocks for printing.
700	Sizing introduced to give paper strength and cut down “feathering” of ink.
c. 700	Easter eggs come into use among Christians.
701	Li Po, the great Chinese poet, born.
707	Paper from China being used in Mecca.
731	Mayan Golden Age begins.
748	First printed newspaper appears in Peking.
750	Papermaking reaches Samarkand before 750, apparently revealed by Chinese prisoners of war.
c.750	Beds start to become popular in France and Germany.
751	Papermaking introduced in the Islamic world.
770	Earliest instance of text printing upon paper, the million printed dh ran of the Empress Shotoku. The paper was made from hemp and the blocks used in the printing may have been of wood, metal, stone, or porcelain. While the work was actually executed in Japan, it was accomplished under Chinese influence and therefore this earliest of all text printing upon paper should be regarded as almost purely of Chinese origin.
778	Charlemagne defeated by the Basques at Roncevalles in the Pyrenees.
793	Papermaking reaches Baghdad. Introduced by Harun-al-Rashid (766?-809), who acquired skilled artisans from China for the purpose.
800	Charlemagne named Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day; Irish travelers reach Iceland.
800	Paper used in Egypt.
807	Paper made in Kyoto, Japan.
810	Persian scientist and mathematician Muhammed ibn Musa al Chwarazmi writes a book on equations and coins the term “algebra.”
834	Danes raid England.
840	Danish settlers found Dublin and Limerick.
850	Gampi (Wikstroemia canescens) bark used for the first time in Japan as a papermaking fiber.
850	Groups of Jews settle in Germany and begins to develop their own language: Yiddish.
861	Norsemen reach Iceland.
863	Cyril and Methodius start their work in Moravia and invent a Slavic alphabet: the Cyrillic.
868	Earliest printed book, the Diamond Sutra, printed by Wang Chieh. The roll, the original form of the true Chinese book, is sixteen feet in length.
875	Toilet paper used in China.
895	Earliest known Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament.
900	Paper made in Egypt, using Chinese methods.
950	Paper used in Spain; papermaking reaches Damascus and Cairo. About this time, too, the Chinese began to make use of the first folded books.
950	Constantinus Cephalas collects the “Palatine Anthology.”
969	Earliest recorded mention of playing cards (China).
972	Founding of Cairo University.
1000	Leif Ericsson’s voyage to Vinland (Nova Scotia).

1000 CE – 1500 CE

1009 CE	Mohammedans sack the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
	1549 Spanish missionary Diego de Landa burned the library of the Mayas in Mani. The Mayas were making a sort of bark paper as early as the ninth century.1550 Probably date of the origin and use of marbled papers, a Persian invention.
1027	Omar Khayyam, Persian poet and scientist, born.
1035	Persian traveller Nasiri Khosrau, on a visit to Cairo, was astonished to see “sellers of vegetables, spices, hardware, provided with paper in which all they sold was immediately wrapped up, if it were not so already.” Perhaps the earliest recorded instance of “packaging.”
1052	Edward the Confessor begins building Westminster Abbey.
1066	Battle of Hastings; Normans conquer England.
1096	First Crusade.
1100	Paper mill established at Fez in Morocco, having been introduced from Egypt; paper used in Istanbul.
c.1100	The dialect of the Ile-de-France becomes the prevailing idiom of France, and Middle English supersedes Old English.
1102	Paper used in Sicily.
1109	Earliest existing European manuscript on paper (Sicily), a deed of King Roger, written in Arabic and Greek.
1126	Averroës, Arab scholar and philosopher, born.
1147	According to legend, Jean Montgolfier on the Second Crusade was taken prisoner by Saracens and forced to labor in a Damascus paper mill. He is supposed to have returned to France and in 1157 set up a papermaking establishment in Vidalon.
1150	First papermill established in Spain at Xativa. El-Edrisi said of the Spanish city of Xátiva: “Paper is there manufactured, such as cannot be found anywhere else in the civilized world, and is sent to the East and to the West.” Early paper was at first disfavored by the Christian world as a manifestation of Moslem culture, and a 1221 decree from Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II declared all official documents written on paper to be invalid. (The interests of wealthy European landowners in sheep and cattle for parchment and vellum may also have exerted some influence.) Only with the rise of the printing press in the mid 1400’s change European attitudes toward paper.
1162	Genghis Khan born; Thomas à Becket elected Archbishop of Canterbury.
1163	Building of Notre Dame in Paris begins.
1178	Snorri Sturluson, Icelandic poet and historian, born.
1191	Tea arrives in Japan from China.
1215	Magna Carta signed by King John.
1227	Building of Toledo Cathedral begins in Spain; the Japanese potter Toshiro returns home from China and starts porcelain manufacture.
1228	Paper used in Germany.
1268	Paper made at Fabriano, where it is still being made.
1271-72	Marco Polo sets off for Cathay.
13th cent.	Papermaking reaches Southern Italy, where until recently, some of the oldest handmade paper mills in Italy were operating near Amalfi, in the Naples area. First mention of the Fabriano, Italy, paper mills (1276). First mill established in Bologna, Italy (1293).
1282	By this year Florence has become the leading European city in commerce and finance.
1282	Watermarks used in Europe for the first time. They consisted of simple crosses and circles (Italy).
1289	Block printing practiced in Ravenna.
1290	Invention of spectacles.
1300	Dante and Giotto flourish.
1309	Paper used in England.
1313	Gunpowder invented.
1315	Lyons silk industry developed by Italian immigrants.
1322	Paper used in Holland.
1327	The Aztecs establish Mexico City.
1328	Invention of the sawmill.
1337	Animal sizing first used in Europe.
c.1340	Geoffrey Chaucer born.
1348	Paper made in France (Troyes).
139	Paper made by Ulman Stromer of Germany (Nuremberg), with the assistance of Italian craftsmen. A woodcut of this mill is given in Schedel’s Nurnberg Chronicle,1493.
1396	Manuel Chrysoloras opens Greek classes in Florence: beginning of revival of Greek literature in Italy.
1405	In Flanders a papermaker named Jean L’Espagnol mentioned at Huy, probably the first papermaker in this locality.
1414	The Medici of Florence become bankers to the papacy.
1428	Paper made in Holland.
1431	Joan of Arc burned to death at Rouen; Brunelleschi devises the cupola for the Florence Cathedral.
1433	Paper made in Switzerland.
1450	Vatican Library founded; Florence under the Medici becomes center of Renaissance humanism; and Mocha in southwestern Arabia becomes main port for coffee export.
1450-55	Johann Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible produced. The beginning of book printing in Europe and the beginning of the use of paper on a comparatively large scale. The paper used in the printing of this Bible has never been excelled for durability and remains to this day a monument to the papermaking craft.
1461	Leonardo da Vinci becomes a pupil of Verrocchio.
1463	Pico de Mirandola, Italian humanist born.
1465	Erasmus of Rotterdam, European humanist, born. Music printed for the first time.
1470	Bookseller’s advertisement issued by Peter Schoeffer is considered to be the first printed poster upon paper to be produced in Europe.
1473	Nicolaus Copernicus born.
1476	William Caxton sets up first printing shop in Westminster. All of the paper used by Caxton was brought from the Low Countries.
1480	Anthony Koberger, printer of Nuremberg, distributed a printed circular to his customer, probably the first use of this form of advertising.
1491	Paper made in Poland. By 1546 there were thirty-five paper mills in Poland.
1492	Columbus sailed from Spain to the New World; Granada conquered by the Spanish and extinguish the Moorish kingdom; Torquemada gives order that Spanish Jews have three months to accept Christianity or leave the country.
1493	Nurnberg Chronicle issued by Schedel. In the double-page image of the city of Nurnberg is shown a small picture of the Ulman Stromer paper mill (lower right corner). This was the first picture of a paper mill to be used in a European book.
1494-5	Paper first made in England by John Tate, in Hertfordshire. The first printer to make use of Tate paper was Wynken de Worde (1496).
1495	First watermark in England.
1495	Leonardo da Vinci begins “The Last Supper.”
1497	Cabot reached Canada; Amerigo Vespucci disputes Columbus’ claims.
1498	Vasco da Gama reaches India; Savonarola burned as a heretic in Florence; Michelangelo sculpts “Pietà in St. Peter’s.
1500	First black-lead pencils used in England.

1500 CE – Today

1501 CE	Michelangelo begins “David” sculpture.
1540	G. L. de Cardenas discovers the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Native Americans knew it was there all the time.
1553	The violin in its present form begins to develop.
1560	Visiting cards used for the first time by German students in Italy.
1564	Both Shakespeare and Galileo born.
1568	The date of the first delineation of a papermaker at work to appear in Europe, the picture by Jost Amman with a short poem by Hans Sachs. The book of trades published in Frankfurt in 1568.
1568	Gerardus Mercator devised cylindrical projection for charts.
1572	John Donne and Ben Jonson born in England; “Il Re,” one of the earliest cellos built by Andrea Amati of Cremona.
1575-80	According to Relacion del pueblo de Culhauacan desta Nueve Espana (1580), the first paper mill in Mexico was established in Culhuacan, it being “a mill with a hammer in which paper was made.”
1576	Paper made in Moscow, Russia.
1589	Forks used for first time at French court; Caravaggio paints “Bacchus.”
1591	Paper made in Scotland.
1606	Rembrandt born
1611	King James Bible printed.
1620	Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock (Mayflower).
1638	Torture abolished in England.
1639	Académie Française begins to compile dictionary of French language.
1648	Taj Mahal completed.
1657	Drinking chocolate introduced in London; first stockings and fountain pens manufactured in Paris; Christian Huygens designs first pendulum for clocks.
1680	Hollander beater “perfected” in the Netherlands.
1685	Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti born; James II crowned in England.
1690	Paper made in Philadelphia by William Rittenhouse (Willem Ruddinghuysen van Mulheim) on the banks of a small stream called Paper Mill Run, which flowed into Wissahickon Creek near Germantown, Pennsylvania. Most early mills in the American colonies were sarted by transplanted papermakers, like Rittenhouse, who modeled their operations on European mills of the day. These mills had to be located near populated areas that could provide a reliable supply of rags, the main raw material at that time. A generous supply of fresh water was also a requirement, both for washing the fibers and turning the mill machinery.
1703	Work begun on Buckingham Palace, London; Peter the Great lays foundations of St. Petersburg.
1705	First newspaper in the American colonies was the Boston News Letter.
1705	Young J. S. Bach walks 200 miles to Lübeck to hear the Abendmusiken, directed by Buxtehude.
1706	Benjamin Franklin born.
1710	William De Wees sets up second paper mill near Philadelphia.
1712	Slaves revolt in New York; Pope writes “The Rape of the Lock”; last execution for witchcraft in England.
1721	Swiss immigrants introduced rifles into America; Bach writes “The Brandenburg Concertos.
1726	William Bradford started a paper mill in New Jersey to supply paper for the New York Gazette.
1726	First circulating library established by Allan Ramsay in Edinburgh; Swift writes “Gulliver’s Travels.”
1733	Latin language abolished in English courts.
1735	John Peter Zenger acquitted of seditious libel in landmark trial for freedom of the press.
1755	Wove paper made.
1756	Formal declaration of French and Indian War; Thomas Rowlandson, English Caricaturist, born; first chocolate factory established in Germany.
1757	Reamur dies; he first suggested wood as a papermaking fiber.
1760	Marie (Madame) Tussaud born; Josiah Wedgwood founded pottery works in England.
1760	Watermarks used in wove paper.
1765	Spallanzani suggests preserving by means of hermetic sealing; the potato becomes the most popular European foodstuff; Lord Nelson’s future flagship, the H.M.S. Victory launched.
1769	Napoleon Bonaparte born in Corsica.
1770	Ludwig Van Beethoven born; civil liberties, international free trade, textile machines, and steam power lead in England to an industrial revolution that slowly spreads all over the world; Leonhard Euler writes Introduction to Algebra.
1771	First edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica published.
1776	American Revolution begins; first military ski competitions in Norway; the future Lady Hester Stanhope, English eccentric who settled among the Druses of Lebanon, born.
1776-1820	Nathan Sellers of Pennsylvania was a skilled wire drawer who applied his craft to the manufacture of paper molds. After 1776, he supplied molds for hundreds of American papermakers. This ability was so rare that when Sellers joined the American army in the fall of 1776, he was soon discharged by a special resolution of the Continental Congress, which sent him home to create the molds that were so desperately needed to make the paper used for powder wrappers and written orders during the Revolutionary War.
1777	“Stars and Stripes” adopted as Continental Congress flag.
1783	End of American Revolution.
1789	George Washington chosen president; French Revolution begins.
1790’s	By this date, American papermakers had begun experimenting with alternative raw materials, and many mills tested local sources of fiber as substitutes for rag pulp, including tree bark, bagasse (sugarcane waste), straw, and cornstalks. Wood pulp became a viable option thanks to the work of Mathias Koops in England and the increasing availability of mechanical wood grinders.
1799	George Washington dies; Rosetta Stone found in Egypt, making the deciphering of hieroglyphics possible; Balzac born in France.
1802	John Dalton introduces atomic theory into chemist; Beethoven writes his second symphony; Mme. De Staël writes Delphine.
1803	Louisiana Purchase.
1804	First book printed on machine-made paper.
1809	Elizabeth Seton founds Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph in US.
1810	By this date, there were some 185 paper mills in the United States.
1812	Napoleon invades Russia; Beethoven and Goethe meet at Teplitz; Elgin Marbles brought to England
1814	Francis Scott Key writes poem, “Defense of Fort McHenry,” later set to music of “Anacreon in Heaven” to become US national anthem (“The Star-Spangled Banner”),
1817	First paper machine in America erected in Thomas Gilpin’s mill near Philadelphia.
1824	Beethoven completes his 9th Symphony; Lord Byron dies at Missolonghi in Turko-Greek War; R.S.P.C.A. founded in London; beginning of German emigration to Brazil.
1827	Louis Baedeker begins publishing his travel guides; Joseph Niepce produces photographs on a metal plate.
1846	War between US and Mexico; first painted Christmas card designed; Smithsonian Institution founded.
1854	Thoreau’s Walden published.
1859	Harper’s Ferry seized; Darwin published Origin of Species; first oil well drilled at Titusville, Pennsylvania.
1860’s	Replacement of rag pulp paper with wood pulp.
1860	Lincoln elected President of US; Garibaldi begins to unify Italy; Gustav Mahler, German composer, born.
1863	The first US newspaper to be printed on paper made from groundwood pulp was the edition of the Boston Weekly Journal that appeared on January 14, 1863.
1865	Lincoln assassinated; Edward Whymper climbs the Matterhorn; first woman, Maria Mitchell, appointed as professor of astronomy, Vassar College.
1866	Ku Klux Klan organized; Alfred Nobel invents dynamite; Degas begins to paint his ballet scenes.
1871	Great Chicago Fire; Wilhelm I becomes Kaiser of Germany; P. T. Barnum open “The Greatest Show on Earth in Brooklyn, NY.
1881	Picasso born; flogging abolished in British Army and Navy.
1885	“Jelly Roll” Morton born; George Eastman manufactured coated photographic paper.
1886	Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Statue of Liberty dedicated.
1890	Battle of Wounded Knee; rubber gloves are used for the first time in surgery (Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore).
1895	X-rays discovered by Roentgen; Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey born.
1898	George Gershwin born
1903	Wright brothers’ first flight; Emmeline Pankhurst founds National Women’s Social and Political Union; Richard Steiff designs first teddy bears (named after Theodore Roosevelt).
1914	World War I begins.
1925	A copy of the Bible cost the equivalent of approximately $2,000 in the 14th century; in 1455, $500; in the 17th century, $100; by 1925, $3.
1928	First talking picture, “Lights of New York”; Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly across the Atlantic.
1942	First nuclear chain reaction at University of Chicago (Enrico Fermi and Arthur Compton).
1961	Bay of Pigs Invasion into Cuba; Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in orbit.
1963	John F. Kennedy assassinated.
1967	First human heart transplant; Mickey Mantle hits his 500th career home run.
1968	Martin Luther King assassinated; Charles de Gaulle resigns; Neil Armstrong first man on the moon.
1977	Jules Heller establishes first paper mill at Arizona State University.
1977	Voyagers I and II depart earth for deep penetration of our solar system.