Handmade Paper Products
“Say no to plastic.”"Save energy, save the world.” “Global Warming, the new monster.”
Slogans echoing in today’s world, shibboleth of the world, which is heading towards a phase where the species called “Homo sapiens” will be an endangered one!! The “intelligent” human race is creating a serious threat to the ecological balance because of the increasing degradation of trees to match the ever-increasing demand for paper. Approximately 300 trees are cut for every one ton of mill-made paper. As a result the forest covered land of the earth has come down from 30% to around 16% in today’s date. Acting “intelligently”, as ever, mankind brought back the age old cult of handmade paper, as a respite, to reduce the drastic deduction of trees, to save the world.
Handmade paper, environment friendly and bio-degradable, is 100% wood-free. Made out of cotton and agricultural wastes, handmade paper has high tensile strength and a longer life compared to mill-made paper. Grass, jute and straw waste, banana stem, mulberry bark, sisal, weed and waste paper, are also used in the making of handmade paper. Infact any raw material can be used as long as it has fiber. Flourishing at its heights, today the wide range and kind of handmade paper include multifarious collection from plain paper to banana paper, embroidered paper to starch coated paper, hand printed paper to screen printing paper…creating a myriad of utilitarian paper products.
Following the hazy path of history, the ancient art of handmade paper making traces its roots from China through the Mid-East to Europe. Its invention in China dates back to the fifth century A.D. Known as Kagzis (paper-makers), the Muslim handmade paper makers, originally belonging to Arabia, migrated to India during the first Muslim invasions of Mohammed Ghazni (997-1030 A.D.). And that was the beginning of handmade paper industry in India which is looked upon as a country with maximum growth potential in handmade paper, with the largest population of handmade paper-makers in the present world.
Handmade papermaking is nearer to art than to the mechanics of industries because of the bewildering variety of natural materials and dyes, as well as finishing techniques, used in its making. The fairly simple process of handmade paper making can be basically divided into six stages – preliminary treatment, beating, sheet formation, pressing, peeling and drying, and sizing. The beginning marks the breaking down the raw materials like rags, straw, grass, etc. into small pieces which are then beaten in the second stage to disjoint the fibers, impurities are washed off and kept in abeyance to make a pulp. At the third stage the cast, which is inside a wooden frame, is doused into the tub containing the fiber-water mixture and the tub is agitated to make an even layer of the pulp, draining the remaining water out; the conjoined fibers give strength to the sheets. In the fourth stage the damp sheets are moved to a woolen felt and in this stage different patterns could be given to the sheets. Extra moisture is removed in the fifth stage and in the sixth stage the handmade paper is treated with glue and starch to restrain blotting and the process is complete with the drying of the sized sheets.
Just because handmade paper is not produced in a massive quantity, it turns out to be a little more expensive compared to conventional paper. But that is not worth counting when it comes to the much greater price which the entire human race has to pay if the demolition of trees is not barred at the first place, which is giving rise to the monstrous Global Warming. 100% eco-friendly and recyclable, handmade paper reduces pollution, saves trees, thus contributing to a much balanced and healthier environment.
Attractive and aesthetic, handmade paper has high bursting, tearing, shredding and double fold strength, and does not have brittle qualities of mill-made paper. Artistic feel and elegant natural look of handmade paper is for its natural unprocessed fiber content, which makes it more fashionable, more classy.
Recycled, reinvented and resurrected, handmade paper has come a long way from an antique handcraft to setting newer trends of fashion. Handmade paper products are a rage now. Handmade paper diaries and notebooks, slip pads, paper bags, wrapping papers, lanterns, photo frames, envelopes…the range of handmade paper products is ever increasing. What gives the handmade paper products a distinctive place is the attractive and aesthetic appeal, with a tinge of ethnicity and fashion.
Colourful handmade diaries, notebooks and slip pads can add life and vibrancy to the dull and boring working hours!! Handmade paper diaries and notebooks are decorated with stone work, zari work, string work, lac work, etc. which sprinkles an ethnic and artistic appeal wherever kept, be it your working desk or the center table of your living room.
A gift wrapped in handmade wrapping paper in a handmade paper bag would speak for itself in any party, any occasion, also verbalizing your artistic and designer outlook! Be it the embroidered paper or the marbled paper, handmade wrapping papers and handmade paper bags are creating a new cult…an eco-friendly way to wish your loved ones, saving the lovely earth too.
What could be more romantic than a dinner under a beautifully textured handmade paper lantern shade? Diffusing the light into the color close to your heart, handmade paper lantern shades can give a new meaning to any occasion, be it the vibrant party times or a romantic dinner. And capturing those moments in a handmade paper photo frame…a new dimension to relishing some of the life’s best moments.
Ecologically sensitive, imaginative and innovative, handmade paper is at its boom now, with its demand increasing in a rapid way in both domestic and international market. Its artistic and elegant appeal, mingled with the need of the century to save the world, lead to the resurrection of this antique art of handmade paper making creating a new cult in the history paper industry…ensuring that nature survives, forever.