paper

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Last updated

Apr. 22, 2026 •History

paper, matted or felted sheet, usually made of cellulose fibres, formed on a wire screen from water suspension. A brief treatment of paper follows. For full treatment, see papermaking. Although pressed strips of the papyrus plant had been used to make writing material since the time of the ancient Egyptians, the origins of paper and papermaking can be traced to China. The oldest fragment of paper—a map recovered from a tomb in Fangmatan, Gansu Province,...