| Hand Made Papers |
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Prices are subject to change without notice |
| The handmade papers listed in this catalog have been developed by the
various papermakers to suit some commonly-encountered conservation needs.
Certain factors contribute to the appropriateness of a paper for a particular
need, and these factors are what hand papermakers take such care to
control. Briefly, these factors include: |
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Type of fiber |
In choosing fiber, the papermaker considers the strength, stability, color, thickness, "rattle" and other factors of the desired resulting sheet. The hand papermaking fibers commonly used for conservation are linen rag (usually produces the strongest papers) and cotton rag (also very strong). Other fibers used for color interest and dimensional stability are abaca and hemp. Raw flax is often used for color interest; cotton linters may be used but are not a strong as cotton rag. |
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Beating |
Depending on the fiber it needs to be processed (retted, and cooked) and beaten in water. The processing breaks down the fibers and prepares them to allow for infiltration of the cellulose fiber to maximize the cellulose/cellulose binding to attain strength. The methods and materials used, length of time of processing and beating, as well as the source of the water affect the final quality of the paper. After beating, the pulp is washed which often lightens the color. Bleaching, which destroys the cellulose and weakens the paper is rare in handmade papers, in particular for conservation applications. |
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Type of mould |
Modern moulds, used to scoop the pulp from the vat and on which the sheet of paper is formed, are usually one of two types: laid or wove. The laid mould produces the laid and chain lines that are often visible in handmade papers. The wove mould does not leave any regular watermark lines in the sheet of paper. The hand papermakers that are the sources of the paper in this catalog use a variety of older moulds which can produce papers that more closely match historical papers. |
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Method of drying |
The traditional method, loft drying, is also called "rough" dried since it imparts a rougher texture to the surface than either "cold-pressed" or "hot-pressed". Loft drying provides paper that more closely matches the surface texture of older papers, is more pliant and is uniquely useful in binding. Its primary disadvantage is that the resulting paper is not as dimensionally stable as the restraint-dried papers, and it may expand more than others during pasting or other dampening and humidification treatments. |
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Sizing |
Sizing, necessary to reduce the absorbency of most papers, is accomplished by most hand papermakers by adding an archival size to the pulp before the paper is made (this paper is referred to as internally sized). Gelatin is another type of size which better balances absorbency versus water resistance: however, it must be added to the sheet after it is made and thus adds to the cost. |
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Color |
Hand papermakers use the color from the fiber or rag itself, or when necessary, use aqueous-dispersed pigments which have been perfected for handpapermaking. These pigments are considered fairly colorfast. |
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Buffering |
Buffering to raise the pH level of paper is done in some handmade papers. |
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Weight |
One of the most visible aspects of either handmade or machine-made paper is its thickness or weight. Where known, we have shown weight in grams per square meter. |
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BookMakers International - bookmakers@earthlink.net - 301.345.7979 fax 301-345.7373 |
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