Cotton paper
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Cotton paper (also known as rag paper) is made from 100% cotton fibers. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper, which may contain high concentrations of acids.
Properties
Certain cotton fiber paper is known to last hundreds of years without appreciable fading, discoloration, or deterioration; so it is often used for important documents such as the archival copies of dissertations or theses. As a rule of thumb, for each percentage point of cotton fiber, a user may expect one year of resisting deterioration by use (the handling to which paper may be subjected). Legal document paper typically contains 25% cotton. Cotton paper will produce a better printout than copy paper because it is able to absorb ink better.
Cotton paper comes in a variety of weights. 20, 24, 28, 32-lb (75, 90, 105, 120-gsm respectively), and tends to be more expensive than regular copier paper. Depending upon where it is purchased, it may cost as much as ten to seventeen cents per sheet.
Cotton paper is typically graded as 25%, 50%, or 100% cotton. Usually it be can checked by holding the cotton paper up to the light and looking just below the watermark for a number. 100% Cotton paper may contain small amounts of acids and should be tested or certified before use for archival documents.
Uses
Cotton paper is used in banknotes. Modern banknotes are typically made from 100% cotton paper, but can also be made from a mixture of 75% or less flax. Other materials may also be used and still be known as Currency paper. The US dollar is printed on cotton paper.
Cotton bond paper can be found at most stores that sell stationery and other office products. Though most cotton paper contains a watermark, it is not necessary for it to have one.
History
Cotton was first used with a mixture of silk to make paper called carta bombycina. In the 1800s, fiber crops such as linen fibres or cotton from used cloths (rags) were the primary material source, hence the name rag paper. By the turn of the 1900 century most of the paper was made from wood pulp, but cotton is still used in speciality papers.
