Should artists really use 'acid-free' paper?
纸 How is paper made today? Is acid-free paper just a myth? I think it is necessary for artists to understand why we can use just any paper available in the market today (Yes! Any paper that is made in the past two decades! Read further). So let’s dig in… The English word for ‘paper’ comes from Greek ‘ Papuros ’, but the modern paper is similar to the version created by Cai Lun, a Chinese guy in 105 CE. Bark from the Mulberry trees were mixed with hemp. Pulp produced through this process would then be soaked in water and flattened before drying, to form thin sheets of paper. Process of creating paper today stayed pretty much the same. These days Cellulose, Hemi-cellulose and lignin extracted from various plant based sources are converted to a pulp which is mixed with water and some chemicals. It is then flattened, dried and cut to make into individual sheets of paper. Major difference is in the chemicals and the additives, and the new and improved mechanica...