Paper seems so mundane, especially in the age of the computer and the internet. Paper is so diminutive in stature, easy to destroy, so replaceable. Or are we just taking it for granted? Have we become used to tossing loads of paper products into the recycling bin, and along with it the awareness of its true value or potential? Paper is more than the standard white 8 1/2 x 11 inch photocopy grade sheet sitting in every office around the world. It is more than the thin grey sheets of newspaper delivering the latest finance and weather statistics. Paper is the result of an ancient process of recycling that has now taken on a life of versatility and artistry. Let's take a look.

Papermaking is one of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China (along with the compass, gunpowder, and printing), with its earliest appearance during the 2nd century BCE. Ironically it was not used for writing until the next century, but instead for wrapping silk for export. It wasn't until the 6th century BCE that paper began its use in hygiene. Later still, in the 9th century CE China was the first nation to issue paper printed currency. The use of paper finally made its way over to the Middle East and Europe during the 13th century CE, triggering the use of water-powered paper mills.

When officials from the Imperial court of the Han Dynasty began making paper they used a concoction of mulberry fibres, fishnets, old rags and hemp waste. At this point in time paper was an art form and the process of manufacturing was very labour intensive. By the time paper found its way over to the Islamic world of the era, other industries already had technology that could easily be applied to papermaking. Soon mass production of more refined paper was transforming the art form into a commodity. However, it would be another thousand years before a method of pulping wood fibres to make paper would be discovered. In 1844 two inventors working independently of each other (one Canadian and one German), developed much the same process for pulping wood to make paper.

Today there are several complicated steps for the industrial manufacture of paper, none of which are particularly interesting. What are rather fascinating are the seven categories of paper and how it is measured. For example, paper is classified by weight of each 500 sheet ream (in North America). A standard ream of 20 pound, 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper weighs five pounds but is referred to as 20 pound. Average printing paper is sold in 20, 24 and 32 pound weights. Card stock is 110 pounds and up, while cover stock is 68 pounds. The seven classifications of paper are as follows: printing, wrapping, writing, blotting, drawing, handmade and specialty.

Printing paper are those we generally use in printers, copiers and fax. Wrapping papers are not just those used for birthday and Christmas gifts, they are also the wax paper used in baking and the kraft paper used in crafting and mailing. Writing paper is perhaps the most diverse as it applies to all manner of stationary, as well as ledger books, banking papers, bond paper and fine paper used in carbon copying. Blotting papers are extremely thin, often sold without a size classification. Drawing papers are the most interesting as they are manufactured with texture and depth for use by artists and designers. Each medium of use requires separate compositions, thus the varieties of grain are vast.

Handmade papers are primarily decorative and easily identified by their lack of grain. Organic fibres such as leaves, pressed flowers and silk threads can be found woven into handmade paper. Specialty papers are those whose composition requires a particular function. For example cigarette and rolling papers are designed to burn at a certain speed and in a certain direction. Toilet paper is under the specialty category, as are industrial papers such as sand paper, litmus paper and electrical insulation paper.

Increasing attitudes of environmentalism within industry has brought a harsh light upon the papermaking trade. There has been pressure to use recycles materials in the manufacture of paper, which is ironic considering the early history of paper itself. Now there is a great push towards the discovery of entirely different raw materials to make paper with. Paperfoam is the latest formulation to come out of the environmental push. It is meant to replace paper as a packaging material, can be made in much the same process, is biodegradable and can be recycled along with regular wood-based paper. Corn protein is being explored as a possible substance for paper coating in food related packaging. Even synthetic products such as Tyvek had been tested as an alternative for mass printing applications such as newspapers and books. It is much more durable than wood-based paper, as proven through its use as a vapour barrier in building construction.

Next time you crumple up a scrap of paper and prepare to toss it in the recycle bucket, consider the 2000 years of substance and innovation that went into its existence. Paper is not boring; it has been the main medium by which we have recorded the history of the world. It is where we unleash our imagination, knowledge and spirit.