How to Start a Paper Factory

Paper has been considered by many as one of the greatest inventions of man of all time. It enabled us to communicate and express ourselves more easily and it made transmission of knowledge and information more efficiently and effectively. The art of making paper started in 102 A.D. by a Chinese scholar and government official named Ts’ai Lun. Today, many changes have evolved in making paper.

Technology today makes it easier for us to make paper than it was 2,000 years ago. However, there are still different ways of creating paper. One who is thinking of starting a paper factory has a number of choices in entering into the business. One can choose to franchise into a well-known paper making business and from there use the knowledge and experience of the franchised business in making paper. Another option is to build a paper factory from scratch. Buying one’s own equipment and learning either from books or from being taught in school or by experienced paper makers. One can actually start a paper factory at home or go into the big business of paper making by buying equipment specifically designed to make paper.

The equipment that would be used in paper making would depend on the size of the paper factory one is planning to make. A paper factory can actually be started at home, as Ts’ai Lun has proved thousands of years ago. Or it may be set up in large warehouses as the current major paper manufacturers are doing today.

It can be by hand or by machine, the art and the process of paper making is the same. It involves the basic equipment of used paper, deckle, and some implement to take out the water from the paper pulp. The used paper, which may be anything except for glossy paper, should be cut into small pieces and blended with warm water in a blender to form a paper pulp. The pulp may be added with spices or color for added texture and smell. The pulp will then be placed in a tub filled with warm water. The pulp will then be sifted out using a deckle which consists of a window screen over a wooden frame. The size of the deckle determines the size of the paper. The pulp must be evenly distributed in the deckle. Place the deckle and the pulp in a square fabric either felt or flannel. Let a sponge run through the screen to absorb the water. Sponge out until the pulp can be removed from the deckle. Dry the pulp and then use as paper.