Here are photographs from some different paper mills around the world:
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Pictures of Lama Li Lokta Paper Being Made in Nepal
Pictures of Fabriano Paper Being Made in Italy
Picture of Larroque Paper Being Made in France
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Pictures and text courtesy of Savoir Faire and Fabriano |
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The journey of paper: The art of paper-making reached Fabriano from faraway China and from Fabriano it spread over the rest of Europe. |
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Handmade paper is still produced by the Fabriano master papermakers as it was centuries ago. |
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The art of watermarking has very ancient origins in Fabriano. From the middle of the fourteenth century, in fact, the forty artisans making paper in the city distinguished their products with their own particular marks. |
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The fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were a period of great prosperity for Fabriano paper-making activity. This fact is proved by the many surviving documents (the cash records of the paper shop of Cicco Antonio) and by the creation in this period of numerous watermarks. Many of these watermarks can also be found among the papers of famous artists such as Michelangelo Buonarroti. |
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Pictoral watermarks are an important demonstration of perfection achieved in the Mill. The starting point for the achievement of an artistic watermark, at one and the same time the most delicate and important in the whole working process, is the engraving on wax. |
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From the wax original bas-relief male and female dies are produced which, in their turn, serve to shape a very thin bronze wire mesh in a press. |
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Fabriano paper mill: the factory gates in 1901. |
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Fabriano, the Cloister in the Monastery of St. Domenico. Seat of the Paper and Watermark Museum. |
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The procedure for forming a hand made sheet remains unchanged over the centuries and its perfection relies on the vatman. With his skillful hands, he dips the mould into the slurry of rag pulp in a rhythmic steady movement that makes an even sheet. Removing the deckle, he then passes the mould over to the coucher who transfers the newly formed sheet onto a felt in a rhythm co-ordinated with that of the vatman. When enough sheets are formed to make a post, they are pressed to remove as much water as possible. The sheets are then dried by steam-heated cylinder and put through the sizing machine. The last phase of manufacture- the final drying- takes place in a special drying room and may take in some cases as long as two days. |
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The sizing process. |
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The Drying Room. |
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Inspecting Ingres paper. |
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The mill (which stands beside the existing one making special paper for securities, on the same site where seven centuries ago the first master papermakers of Fabriano worked) covers an area of 15,000 square meters and houses a very up-to-date machine producing paper for all kinds of printing- for photocopiers, duplicators, magnetic and optical readers, for continuous forms and for technical and industrial uses. |
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The new fourdrinier machine is 100 meters long. It has a useable width of 430 centimeters and can attain a maximum speed of 600 meters per minute. It produces paper ranging from 35 to 140 grams per square meter. This machine is used for commercial and high technology papers only. |
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The machine is equipped with a system of computers which enables various phases of the work to be controlled and continuously monitors the characteristics of the finished product. This guarantees absolute consistency in the more important factors such as weight, humidity, thickness and opacity. |
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The line for small reams has an output of 24,000 packs per day and a very interesting production cycle. Beginning with reels, the system cuts and counts sheets, packs in boxes, and palletizes the paper ready for storage in the warehouse in a surprisingly short time. The warehouse has a storage capacity of 6,000 tons and is completely automated. The operation of receiving and shipping the palletized paper is controlled by a computer. |
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The new factory in Rocchetta, close to Fabriano, for the preparation, storage, and shipping of Fabriano products. |
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Hand made French paper imported to the U.S. by Savoir Faire. |
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George Duchene, owner of the Moulin de Larroque in the town of Couze, in the Bordeaux region of France, makes hand made paper in the tradition of the 13th century, recycling fabric from the French garment industry. |
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Lama Li is a Nepalese lokta paper produced by a local paper collective in Nepal. Each of the families involved in the papermaking process owns a part of the company, helping improve the economic welfare of the people of rural Nepal. Photos and text courtesy of Savoir Faire and Lama Li. |
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Nepalese papers are hand crafted from from the bark of a local bush called lokta. Its western name is Daphne Cannabina or Daphne Papyraces, and it flourishes at an altitude of 6,000 - 9,000 feet. The bark's fibrous nature makes it an ideal raw material for papermaking. The cultivation of the lokta plant provides an environmentally sound, self sustaining natural resource for the hill people. If cut 8 inches above its base, the lokta bush grows back and can be harvested again four years later. The lokta fiber is very long and textured, making the paper extremely resistant and durable. |
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The dried bark is first cooked in an ash solution in order to soften the fibers. After being washed in pure Himalayan water the bark is cut into small pieces. The bark is then cooked and rinsed a second time. |
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A tradition in all Himalayan countries, papermaking has always been an important activity in rural Nepal. Spread throughout the high hill region, papermaking represents a great source of revenue for the hill tribes. |
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When the process of cooking, cutting, and rinsing the lokta bark is finished, the fibers are crushed on a large flat rock. |
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The lokta bush is mostly found amongst conifers or deciduous trees. In ideal climate conditions the plant can reach a height of 15 feet. The stalk's diameter caries between 2 1/2 and 4 inches, and its green leaves have a length of 2 to 4 inches with a width of 1/3 to 1 inch. A white flower blossoms from the plant that produces a very subtle fragrance. The plant also has the advantage of being a natural insect repellent. |
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The mixture is poured onto the surface of a screen that is half immersed in water. That screen is called a mould; its size determines the size of the finished sheet of paper. The mould is gently shaken in order to even out the pulp, and is then removed from the water. |
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The mixture is poured onto the surface of a screen that is half immersed in water. That screen is called a mould; its size determines the size of the finished sheet of paper. The mould is gently shaken in order to even out the pulp, and is then removed from the water. |
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The mould is lain in the sun to dry slowly and naturally. When the water has completely evaporated, the sheet of paper is complete. |
