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Talking About Paper

Some Helpful Words to Know

Acid-free - paper with a neutral pH balance (7.0).

Beating - the process of macerating materials into a pulp.

Bleach - solution used to whiten paper.

Bleed - the feathered edge of inks caused by absorption into un-sized paper.

Buffering - adding alkaline to paper to balance the pH.

Cockling - when the surface of the paper is undulated.

Cold pressed - when finished paper is pressed between cylinders resulting in a slight texture.

Colourfast - paper colour which resists change when exposed to light.

Couching - the process of transferring paper from the mould onto felt for drying.

Deckle - the frame that sits on top of the mould.

Deckle edge - the feathered edges which are distinct to handmade paper.

Dimensional stability - the degree to which paper maintains its dimension when wet.

Felt - the blanket onto which sheets are couched.

Formation - the arrangement of fibres on a piece of paper.

Gelatin - a sizing agent used to prevent inks from bleeding.

GSM - (grams per square metre) the weight of a square metre of paper.

Grain direction - in milled paper, the direction in which a majority of fibres are arranged.

Handmade paper - usually single sheets of paper made by hand using a mould to catch the fibres.

Hot Pressed - when finished paper is pressed between hot cylinders resulting in a smooth texture.

Laid Paper - light parallel lines seen in paper when held up to light.

Laminating - Bonding two or more sheets of paper together.

Machinemade paper - paper made on a "Fourdrinier" type machine.

Maceration - the process of reducing fibres to pulp.

Marbling - a decorative technique of making patterns on paper.

Masking - shielding an area of paper when applying selective colour.

Mordant - a chemical such as alum, which makes paper receptive to ink when marbling.

Mould - a frame with a screen stretched across it used to form paper.

Opacity - the degree to which ink shows through on the opposite side of printed paper.

Parchment - a type of paper made from animal skin.

Ply - a single sheet in laminated paper.

Porosity - the degree of a paper's openness, measured by its resistance to wind.

Pressing - the process of squeezing the water out of newly formed paper sheets.

Pulp - the materials used for papermaking when wet and unformed.

Recycled paper - papers made from pre and post consumer waste.

Rice paper - a common misnomer referring to traditional Asian papers.

Rough - a heavily textured paper surface.

Size - used to make paper less absorbent, usually gelatin, starch or cellulose.

Vat - watertight tub which holds pulp for papermaking.

Vellum - similar to parchment.

Watermark - a symbol or logo seen in paper as a lighter area when held up to the light.

Waterleaf - unsized paper which is very absorbent to ink.

Wove - paper with an even surface, as opposed to the lines in laid paper.

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