Cotton Paper
Cotton Paper
is, as its name suggests, is the paper made from 100% cotton fibers.
Cotton is a tropical plant which is commonly swon in April-May and
picked in September-October. This plant is the most popular option while
manufacturing handmade paper as it can even be cultivated in adverse
growing conditions and requires less nutrients as compared with any
other crop. The cotton plant possesses a seed hair fibre which is
perfect for fine paper production, as it comes with ideal strength,
lenghth and flexibility; it is naturally soft and feels distinctive.
These attributes allow cotton paper to embark an important impression
that stands above ordinary papers. Cotton papers are considered to be superior in terms of durabilty and strenghth as compared to other wood pulp-based papers, which also consists of high concentrations of destructive acids. However, its just not the natural and recyclable aspect of cotton paper which makes them special and favored through out the world, but also the built-in strength of interlocking cotton fibers that allows these papers to withstand the roughness of any printing process. Even after undergoing through the printer or press, a number of times, cotton papers tend to remain crisp and fresh.
Cotton fibers bind together more strongly than wood fibers. They are known to last for many years without any kind of discoloring, fading and deteriorating; hence, they are perfect for use as archival copies. Many historical documents have been preserved because they were printed on 100% cotton paper. A cotton paper is naturally brighter than wood-fiber paper (which requires greater chemical processing to achieve a clean, bright appearance).
Cotton is not grown specifically for papermaking. Mostly, cotton papers are made from recovered and recycled cotton fibers from the garment and cotton seed industries that would otherwise end up as waste. Cotton can also be mixed with other recycled paper fibre for a high quality paper type.
