6th Definitive Series - Paper

Basic paper-making
Put simply, to make paper, fibres from a raw material are suspended in water following a chemical, mechanical or combination pulping process that involves beating for some hours, which gradually splits the fibres apart, cutting them until they are small enough for the purpose of making paper. The resultant soft mass is known as ‘stuff’, or ‘stock’, which is then processed into paper.

The main ingredient of paper, aside from water, is cellulose, which comes from plants and trees. Many thousands of species are suitable for paper-making, but few are economically viable or practicable, therefore only a limited number are used. These include cotton, esparto, flax, hemp, jute, old rags and wood.

Why is the paper of postage stamps of special interest to collectors?

Paper is especially interesting to collectors who seek the varieties and kinds used for printing postage stamps. Since the papers may vary in thickness, texture, watermarks, or kinds, the rarity of stamps ofter varies with the type of paper. A knowledge of papers ofter helps to detect the scarce stamps.