The basic ingredient of handmade paper is plant cellulose, which is hydrophilic--it loves water.

Anyone who has unfolded an old newspaper clipping from memorabilia knows the importance of making paper to an archival standard.

While papermaking in general is among the safest of crafts, there are a few considerations that will help avoid accidents and injury.

Embossing is a technique for altering the surface of a sheet of paper by adding sculptural and dimensional qualities.

Those interested in the papermaking process often focus on the preparation of materials and the forming of the sheets.

All material for papermaking--whether cloth, plant fiber, or paper to be recycled--needs to treated to separate the fibers. Beating is the most common and quickest way to do so.

Much of the early years of papermaking were documented by 20th-century papermaker, explorer, and historian Dard Hunter.

Grain is the term used to describe the inclination in a sheet of paper to curl, fold, or tear in one particular direction. Knowing the grain of a sheet of paper is particularly important whenever the paper is to be used as other than a flat surface: whether it be in books, paper crafts, or three-dimensional work.

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to harvest local fibers for papermaking. While the average person may look out the window and see yellowing plants, papermakers survey the fields for valuable fibers which can create unusual and beautiful papers.

The papermaking mould (also spelled "mold") may be thought of as the most important piece of equipment used in the papermaking process.

While some may think that the best paper comes from the vats containing only pulped fiber and water, there are many beneficial chemical additives which are used in hand papermaking.

The main ingredient in papermaking, the cellulose fiber which binds together to form the paper is available to hand papermakers in a number of different forms.