The History of Handmade Paper and Its Role in Printmaking
Dave Smith
Paper is so fundamental to printmaking that it is easy to take for granted. Every print ever pulled has depended on it: the way it absorbs ink, how it responds to pressure, whether it holds a crisp impression or bleeds at the edges. Yet the story of how paper came to exist, and how it shaped the prints made on it, is one of the most fascinating threads running through the entire history of the craft.
Handmade paper and printmaking did not just coexist. They evolved together, each advancing in...