The Complete Papermaking Guide: How To Make Eco-Friendly Hand-Made Paper From Recycled Materials
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make recycled paper using things you probably have lying around the house. This is how I started making paper at Terra Tag and with time, you can build upon these basic skills to create the most beautiful objects, like stationary or artwork. Hey, you might even start yourself a little side hustle!
Whether you’re a parent looking for an activity with the kids, a fellow paper enthusiast, or a creative soul seeking a new pastime, I hope that you find learning the ancient craft of papermaking rewarding.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
First things first, you need to gather a few things. The beauty of eco-friendly papermaking is its simplicity and the use of readily available materials. Don’t buy anything new. Instead, head to a second-hand shop for anything that you don’t have on hand.
What you’ll need:
Water: The essence of the papermaking process.
Scrap Paper: Think old receipts, junk mail, envelopes, and used copy paper. Open up the desk drawer to see what’s there or raid the recycling bin. There’s paper everywhere!
Fancy-schmacy inclusions: Got some confetti, old maps, kid’s colorful construction paper, or sheet music hanging around? What about some small plant seeds, like thyme, forget-me-not’s, or oregano? Grab em. Let’s use it!
A Kitchen Blender: Grab one from a second-hand shop (don’t use the one for your morning smoothies). This transforms paper scraps into pulp magic.
A scoop, strainer & bucket: For separating the pulp and water after blending. And for scooping pulp from the bucket into the vat (cut off the top of a milk container for a perfect scooper)!
Mould & Deckle: Essentially a screen attached to a frame. Make a cheap and dirty one here or buy one from our top pick Papergoround.
A Plastic Storage Tub or Vat: This is our workspace and where, with a mix of water and pulp, you’ll dip the mould and deckle to form sheets. It needs to be larger than your mould and deckle so you have room to dip and at least 15 cm deep.
Absorbent Materials: Old towels, sheets, wool blankets, or Viveda Cloths. These help in the couching and drying process. Note: the texture of the cloth surface transfers to the paper, which can produce beautiful results!
A big sponge: For soaking up water once you’ve pulled a sheet.
A rolling pin: To flatten the newly formed sheet, remove any air bubbles and create a firm sheet.
💡 Expert Tip: Choose a strong paper. Drawing, watercolour and printmaking papers are ideal, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of paper and color combinations. You really can’t go wrong!
Step 2: Prepare Your Paper
Let's get our hands dirty.
Cut or tear your scrap papers into small 3-5 cm pieces. If you can, soak them for a few hours or overnight. This softens the fibers and prepares them for blending. If you can’t soak it, don’t fret! Papermaking is forgiving.
💡 Expert Tip: Soaking time varies based on the type of paper you're using. Thicker papers like cardstock might need a longer soak, while thinner paper is ready within an hour. The goal here is to allow the fibres to absorb some water.
Step 3: Blend To Create Your Pulp
Fill blender 3/4 with water, then add a big handful of the paper scraps.
Blend until it reaches a pulpy consistency, like a thick banana smoothie.
Transfer the pulp into a strainer over the sink. Once the water has drained, pop the pulp into the plastic bucket.
Repeat until you have a good amount of pulp to work with.
💡 Expert Tip: You don’t need to squeeze the pulp in the strainer. Just drain off the majority of water.
Step 4: Pulling Sheets
Here’s where the magic happens. Have your mould and deckle on stand-by!
Fill the vat with a 1:3 ratio of pulp to water. Add any inclusions you want in the paper (e.g., confetti, glitter, colourful bits of kids’ construction paper, seeds etc.)
Agitate and mix the water and pulp in the vat thoroughly. The pulp will settle to the bottom, so you gotta move quickly!
Hold the mould screen side up and place the deckle on top. At a 45° angle, scoop underneath the surface while pulling towards yourself and up/out. Give it a fast, gentle shake right to left and top to bottom to distribute the pulp.
Let the water drain until the pulp settles onto the screen
💡 Expert Tip: As you pull sheets of paper, you must add back in more pulp to the vat. Remember, the ratio of pulp to water dictates the thickness of your paper.
Step 5: Couching …
'Couching' (pronounced 'coo-ching') involves transferring the wet sheet from the mould to a flat, absorbent surface, like a towel.
Remove the deckle and lay your mould face down on the absorbent material, pressing down gently.
… and Pressing
With the Mould on top of the newly formed sheet, use the sponge to press down and absorb as much water as possible, squeezing the excess into the bucket
Gently grasp the end of the mould and roll it slowly away, revealing the sheet
Lay another absorbent material on top of the sheet and gently use the rolling pin to absorb more water. This will also fuse the pulp fibres together for a stronger sheet.
💡 Expert Tip: Don’t be ‘too shy’ with the sponge pressure. You want to get as much water out of the sheet as possible.
Step 6: Drying Your Paper
There are several ways to dry your paper, each giving a different texture and finish. You can surface dry on a flat, non-porous surface such as wood, use exchange drying where you alternate absorbent materials, or go for no-restraint drying for a more textured finish.
For this guide, I recommend hanging your formed sheets on the absorbent material on the clothesline in the sunshine.
Once the sheets are completely dry, gently peel them away from the material. Voila, you’re a magician!
💡 Expert Tip: Drying times can vary greatly depending on the method and the thickness of your paper. Patience is key!
And there you have it – your very own handmade, recycled paper! Remember, each piece of paper you make is unique (like you), and can be infused with your own creativity. Start experimenting.
Happy papermaking!
