2015 Volume 69 Issue 6 Pages 634-642
Paper making process which landed in Spain spread in Europe. Linen rag was well pounded, from which wet sheet was formed on a mold. Sheets were stacked with a layer of felt between them, and pressed for dewatering. Then, they were dried in a room, being hung on a rope. They were further impregnated with gelatin and polished with stone. The process was improved in cost with refined use of water wheel, flow operation in a mill and standardized product size, which were prerequisites for the coming industrial revolution.
Paper was sized in each land with its own method. In Europe, paper was impregnated with gelatin as an after-treatment. Its surface had to be strong against scribing by pen to be a substitute to parchment. As printing became common in the fifteenth century, less sizing was required. Then, paper machine was invented and became prevalent in the nineteenth century. Internal sizing was invented and rosin sizing was developed. Further technical developments like tub sizing and modifications in printing press made gelatin sizing dispensable.
