Concepts Paper is made from plant fibers such as wood, cotton, and linen. Some properties of paper are how opaque, absorbent, tear-resistant, and smooth it is. The desired use of a paper determines the importance of, and quality specifications for, each property. Steps in hand and machine papermaking include preparing the fiber, beating and preparing pulp, sheet forming, pressing and drying, and finishing. People from different cultures have made and continue to make contributions to the science and technology of paper.
Paper is a major renewable resource.
Steps needed to make paper from recycled paper include collecting, sorting, removing contaminants, cleaning, and deinking. Additives are mixed with refined pulp to give paper special properties. Papermaking variations include embedding and embossing. Steps in technological design include identifying needs and opportunities, generating a design, planning and making the product, and testing and evaluating the product. Technological designs have constraints that can limit design choices.