List of Main Ingredients of Paper

Here are the basic ingredients in papermaking:

Basic fiber component – Wood is the basic component of the entire modern paper industry, and half of the fibers needed have come from the wood that was purposefully cut for that purpose. The remainder is collected from recycled paper (specially processed to remove inks, dyes and all other often harmful additives). With hundreds of years of experience, modern paper industry can now create paper from almost any type of paper. Species with longer fibers are called “softwood”, and they enable creation of stronger paper. Species with shorter fibers are called “hardwood”.

Additional fiber component – Significant percentage of the wood pulp contains fibers taken from wide variety of other sources. Those sources can vegetable matter, wood fiber from sawmills, recycled cloth.

Basic fiber for high grade paper – High grade paper is created from the fibers from cloth! Cotton and linen are today used for all kinds of high-end paper, including wedding invitation paper, paper for drawing and more.

Bleach – Natural color of paper is not a white one, so bleach must be added to get precise shade of white that manufacturer wants.

Dyes and inks – Various dyes and inks are added to the mix if manufacturer aims to create paper of specific color.

Sizig agents – With all the various components present in the recipe, industrial manufacturers of paper have to add special sizing agents to make the structure firm and stronger. Those agents are Rosin, Gum and starch.

Fillers – Added to the recipe to increase mass of the paper and give it stronger structure. Most common fillers are clay, chalk or Titanium Oxide.