Timeline of Paper and Papermaking

  • 3000 BC – Egyptians mastered the art of creating papyrus paper.
  • 2450 BC – Oldest surviving record of animal skins being processed into parchment.
  • 2200 BC – Oldest surviving record of Egyptian papyrus.
  • 200 BC – First parchment manufacture appeared in Ancient China, more precisely in Pergamon (Asia Minor).
  • 150 BC – First organized production of paper started in China. It was made from macerated hemp fibers, old fishnets, plant bark and water.
  • 149 BC – First dictionary produced in China by Hu Shin. It contained around 10 thousand characters.
  • 105 AD – First written record about process of paper manufacture created by Ts'ai Lun in China. His guidelines continued to be used for several more centuries.
  • 250 AD – First book about algebra written by Diophantus of Alexandria.
  • 500 – Mayans used paper created from tree barks.
  • 610 – Paper arrived and started to be manufactured in Japan.
  • 707 – Imported Chinese paper started being used in Mecca.
  • 748 – First printed newspaper appeared in Peking.
  • 751 – Arabs started producing paper after they learned its recipe from Chinese prisoners.
  • 868 – One of the earliest printed book was Diamond Sutra by Wang Chieh. It was a 16 feet long scroll.
  • 875 - Toilet paper used in China.
  • 800 – Paper being used and produced in Egypt.
  • 969 – First appearance of playing paper cards in China.
  • 1035 – First recorded reference of paper packaging found in the diary of Persian traveler Nasiri Khosrau. He witnessed street food sellers of Cairo packing up their goods in paper.
  • 1040 – Chinese inventor Bi Sheng created first Movable type during the Song Dynasty.
  • 1109 – Earliest European paper manuscript – deed of King Roger written in Arabic and Greek.
  • 1151 – Paper started being manufactured in Europe.
  • 1282 – Watermarks started being used in Italy.
  • 1450-55 – Gutenberg printed first bible with moveable type printing machine.
  • 1495 – First paper mill established in England.
  • 1549 – Spanish burned Mayan library of ancient texts.
  • 1636 – Blame for plague landed on linen and cotton rags that were imported by papermills.
  • 1690 – First papermill established in USA.
  • 1705 – First American newspaper - Boston News Letter.
  • 1798 – Paper machine created by inventor N.L.Robert.
  • 1804 - First book printed on machine-made paper.
  • 1806 - Fourdrinier machine patented.
  • 1844 – Paper started being made from grounded wood.
  • 1854 – Paper being made from cellulose fibres extracted from timber with caustic soda.
  • 1863 – First newspaper created from the “ground wood” paper.