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Call for questions: PAPERMAKING (Patreon)

Published:
2026-09-10 01:31:45
Edited:
2026-09-10 05:16:16
Imported:

Content

Yes, another urgent call for questions. This time let's get into papermaking and how plant fibers get turned into stuff like stationery, books, money, etc. I've only got a few hours to collect questions, leave 'em in the comments!

⚠️ Deadline: Wednesday, September 9 at 10pm PST

⚠️ QUESTIONS ARE CLOSED

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Comments

Mykenzie King

How has paper making changed over the course of history?

Yuri

🤣🤣🤣 bring it DadWard! We always have questions

Adam Foote

Maybe a little basic, but what makes something paper vs. parchment?

Austin Johnson

I visited a paper mill in Sri Lanka that made paper out of elephant poop. Is there any other weird or interesting material people have used to make paper?

Lisa Gorman

Could you theoretically make paper from any plant? What are the characteristics a good paper-making plant needs to have?

Cian verbridge

What are some common (non tree) plants in the US that you can make paper out of. The fibers from bullrush always reminded me of papyrus.

Michelle D

What's the weirdest/coolest plant or substance that you can make paper from?

Paulina Tarr

What are the psychological benefits of doing things on paper that could be done digitally?

Abby L :)

What’s the oldest evidence of paper use/paper-making we’ve found?

Daniella Napolitano

Yes! I’m so excited! One of my special interests (I’m a printmaker)! Please talk about “rice paper” and how it’s not actually made out of rice. I was a full adult before I learned that fact.

Mar and their Stars

I’m from New Hampshire, where Birch Trees are our state tree, and was always told you could soak the peely bark and use it as paper—was this a common practice prior to industrial paper making?

Breahna Lesemann

If there a difference in quality between homemade recycled paper and homemade paper from scratch?

Scott Pilkington

What the fuck is up with watermarks? How come they're sometimes only visible from one side?

ValBeListening

What type of plants are used? What type of plants can be used?

Riley McInnis

One of the lovely ladies at my Weavers Guild makes paper from aloe and then spins it??? There are so many cool ways to manipulate paper for art!! What's your favourite??

Jason

What does the ologist think about non tree sources for paper like bamboo or animal poop (PooPoo Paper)?

Lauren R

Not quite sure what to ask, but wondering about recycled paper…

Tony Thompson

A. How often does a paper making expert get asked about The Office? B. Do different species of trees/plant fibers make better quality paper? Which one is the best?

Ben Beardiac Fiore

I assume it's additives and maybe the rolling process itself, but how do they make paper in different gloss levels? Also how do we get the country to adopt the much cooler (mathematically at least) A-sizing system that Europe uses?

ValBeListening

I love books and paper even though I know it's not environmentally friendly. What does sustainable paper making look like? Is it possible?

MeganTheLibrarian765

How does poop get made into paper? I remember my aunt got me a journal made out of elephant dung, and I’ve always wondered!!

Peregrine

As an artist, what paper should I try? (For drawing and/or painting) Or should I try to make my own? How could I go about that? Thanks :)

Timothy Nolan

What is with that stone paper I keep seeing advertised? Is it legit or just a gimmick l?

Chris Ruble

Is it true that recycling paper has a net negative effect on the environment because of the bleaching agents and other chemicals used in that process?

Pooja

Are there certain trees that can make better paper? What does better paper even mean? Are there non tree plants we can use to make paper? What are some unique papers we can make? Why is newspaper paper so flimsy? How do we make paper glossy? Is it true paper has a lot of fiber if you eat it??

Yuri

Is paper used as a building material outside of Asia? How does washi paper manage to regulate humidity and temperature? What can modern paper be used for in regulating these kind of thins? Can paper help filter air?

Isabelle Fitzpatrick

What kind of plant/tree is most commonly used in modern day paper? And where in the world is this mainly sourced from?

ValBeListening

Are certain fibers better for certain products?

Jamie Hanna

What is the thinnest paper made? What’s the thickest paper that’s still considered paper?

Empress of Smallwood

How is paper made from poop white? What process does that go through and is that process worth it in terms of sustainability?

Rowena Z

How were waste rags turned into paper in the past? And what was that paper used for? I remember learning at one point that people would collect worn out linen & cotton fabrics to sell to paper makers.

Storm

how environmentally taxing is making paper? i got told once that ai uses less water/energy than making paper to write the same notes on but idk how true that is

Kelly Shaver

When and how did paper making become an industrial process?

Brēna FluoxeTina Jōnez

Hey, do you want to get in touch with my mom! She makes handmade paper from a plant, hesper aloe something or another, that she grows on her land. She has a paper making and letterpress print shop in paradise valley, Arizona called mummy mountain press. Message me and ill give you her details. She's in her 80s now but very excited to teach!

Ian&Alex’s Mom

I’ve heard that the paper making factories smell bad- why?

Brenna Lynch

How did we go from handmade paper to giant industrial spools and reams of paper? There had to be an in between

Storm

what’s the best way to make paper, i’ve done it once and it was quite a thick chunky piece that wasn’t super practical

The Grandmother Hypothesis

What is with elephant poo paper? What is the current stage of paper’s impact on the environment, like are there things much more important to worry about? What is the future of more sustainable paper?

redheadedscientist

alie, this is insane. so what plants work best for papermaking? any plant in theory? have different cultures throughout history used different plants? why do we have books instead of scroll? who sets the sizes of paper and why does the uk do it weirdly? how long has paper money been used and why does it feel more cloth-like than paper paper?

ValBeListening

How did humans figure out how to make paper in the first place?

Empress of Smallwood

How was paper made on a large scale before the Industrial Revolution?

Yuri

I've seen things on soy based non toxic inks but is some paper more toxic/ environmentally friendly? Why do paper mills smell so bad when trees smell so good? The Tacoma Aroma in Washington is infamous, from that paper plant

Erin Everton

i’ve heard about making paper from dryer lint, are there any other ways to make paper at home? or any other interesting materials that could be used to make paper

Shelby

What’s the most interesting fiber you’ve seen used for paper, and which fibers make the most interesting or pretty paper?

Seán Thomas Kane

Why do the pages of different paperback and hardcover books smell a certain way? I'm convinced that the books I own that were printed in Britain have a different smell that's nostalgic to me compared to those printed in America.

Kelly Shaver

Is it true that China and the rest of Asia had paper a thousand years before Europe?

Storm

opinions on those cards you can buy with seeds inside them? waste of paper or a cool gift idea? (ie is it better to put paper in the recycling than in the soil)

Kait

SO MANY QUESTIONS

Storm

how is paper recycled?

Kelly Shaver

Is there plastic in our cheap paper now? It feels like these is plastic in everything.

Jayson

When I send my paper to the recycling center, what happens to it?

Jamie Hanna

Do historians know how and when paper was first created? How did culture change because of its creation? How did the invention/practice spread?

ValBeListening

How is climate change impacting papermaking?

Storm

what goes in to making different types of paper? eg card vs tissue paper, or coloured paper

Peregrine

How does paper making affect the environment on a large scale? Are there better ways we should be doing things to make paper more sustainable?

Curious.Georgie

What is your favorite/most interesting paper you have ever made or been a part of making? - Lauren from your Books Arts class (if this is indeed Eileen from UGA)

Kelly Shaver

What makes wood pulp so desirable for making paper?

winslow

Where did standardized sizing (like A-sizes, "legal" sizes) come from?

Valerie Bertha

Could you talk to the sustainability issue of using bamboo instead of trees for paper products? For example, bamboo paper towels, or bamboo toilet paper

Adam Schmidt

When did bare footpaper making go out of style? What is the recycling process like, and what can be recycled? What's your favorite paper making term...even though some of them sound inappropriate? 😂 What paper products are not helpful to the environment, or more work than it's worth? Why do some paper mills stink? How do different trees affect the quality and environmental impact, especially eucalyptus? Why hasn't hemp been used more in paper making? How do very old and small paper mills stay running? Why does one team of paper cost more than another? Why do some pens work or bleed on some papers, and not on others? Grew up around paper mills in Kaukauna, WI, then spent the start of my chemical engineering career in them (3rd Generation) 😁 Kaukauna is known for their cheese spread and paper mill smell 😂

Jess Crane

How is paper distinct from fabric? Why does paper ruin my fabric scissors?

Kelly Shaver

Where does the acid in paper come from and why do we want acid-free papers for nice books and photo albums and things?

Yuri

Is the earliest paper made from reeds in egypt? The paperless society was obviously a bad prediction? Or has paper use plummeted? If you could put a letter in a thousand year time capsule, what kind of paper would you choose? Isn't money not actually paper?

Carrigan Richards

How does the process change between printer paper, newspaper, cardstock, glossy paper, etc?

Yuri

Why do old books smell so good? Will modern books smell as good that many years from now or has the paper changed?

Plant Predator

What is the weirdest thing they've seen get made into paper?

Ash Fox

What are the most unusual methods or materials for making paper? How did humans learn how to make paper? How important would you say paper making is to human cultural development?

Mouse Paxton

What are some more unusual materials used to make paper? Why is some currency paper and others (like Canadian money) plastic? How are softer papers like tissues made? Can you use sugar cane to make paper (that's the recipe in Minecraft and I always thought it was odd)?

Nick Battjes

Does paper ever occur in nature without human intervention? How the hell did someone come up with it otherwise?

Brēna FluoxeTina Jōnez

Why are we still cutting down pine trees to make paper when there are better plants that could at least be added to the process, hemp and/or papyrus for example? Also is there a less caustic way of "retting" the fibers. And why did Missoula smell so bad when the Fenchtown paper mill was up and running?

Alli B

Egypt didn’t make papyrus as the first paper, right? Or am I in de Nile?