The post papers are seldom sold retail in the folio, Le. the original size, as quoted in the foregoing list; being usually cut in half; folded, and ploughed round the edges, forming, in that state, quarto post, the letter-paper of the shops. This, cut and again folded, forms Octavo poet, or notepaper; another foldins forms I ftmo. or small note, &c., and so on to any required extent,—for this repeated folding is frequently carried so far as the production of 64mo. post, or lilliputian note paper. After the paper has been ploughed, the edges are left plain, or they may be gilt or blacked, according to fancy. When are folded the broadest way, they are described as broad folio ; but if folded narrow way, they are termed long folio. The other foldings are distinguished in like manner, as long or broad quarto, or octavo. These terms are mostly used in describing account-books.
Writing paper is made in all parts of England ; but Maidstone, in Kent, is noted for producing the finest qualities ; here all the best drawing papers ere made, the celebrated manufactures of " J. Whatman," and the Turkey Mill," being most in repute.
Printing Paper.—At the head of this extensive and highly useful class must be placed the plate papers. They are of the same size, weight, and quality as the drawing-papers, described in the foregoing list, differing from them, how ever, in being of a particularly soft and absorbent nature; the process of sizing, which gives the firmness so necessary in papers intended to be written on, being wholly omitted in manufacturing plate-paper. Plate-paper is not made smaller than medium, which is the size necessary for the plates of,a dem)? book. These papers, as their name implies, are used for copper-plate printing. When the plates are to be coloured, drawing-paper is usually employed, then technically termed hard-plate, in contra-clistinetwa to the former, or. When plates that have been printed on soft paper require to be colon it is neces sary first to size the paper, which may very readily be done with a clear solu tion of isinglass.
For taking proofs from engravings, a paper of Chinese manufacture is em ployed, well known in the trade under the name of India-paper. In conse quence of its peculiarity of fibre, this paper possesses a wirier degree of ductility, which enables it to enter the finest lines of an engraving; in addition to this peculiar softness and flexibility of texture, it also appears to have an absorbent and congenial quality for fixing the ink, which causes it to take every light and shade with much less colour and pressure, and, what is of the utmost importance to printers, allows the ink to set and dry in considerably less time than any other paper. India-paper is imported in sheets, fifty-one or fifty-two
inches long, by twenty-six inches wide ; the weight varies; but one hundred sheets usually weigh about from ten to eleven pounds.
The following is a list of the other papers in this class, the weights and sizes of which vary greatly, according to the choice of the manufacturer.
The three last of these are always made in the double size. Printing-papers are generally of a yellow-wove texture, and are not so well sized as the writing. papers; but the sizing is not wholly omitted, as, without some portion of it, they would not possess sufficient strength for ordinary purposes.
We come now to speak of the Wrapping or P ' . This class includes an almost endless variety of sorts and sizes, whic for the sake of per we shall notice under the following heads; viz., Cartridge-papers, Blue papers, Hand papers, and Brown papers.
There are a variety of papers for particular purposes, which do not properly to any of the classes hitherto described; we therefore proceed to notice the principal of them, commencing with Blottiwaper, which must be well known to every; it is made of three sizes, viz. medium, post, and foolscap ; the ;alley, and colour vary greatly, but the pale red is by far the most used. Blotting-paper, especially the colourless description, is much used in chemical experiments, for the purposes of filtration ; there is, however, a paper made expressly for this purpose, known by the name of filtering paper; it is generally made the size of double crown, and is of a thick, woolly texture.
Tune-paper is also too well known to need description, beyond stating that it is made the size of crown, double and single, and demy. A particular species of tissue-paper is manufactured and sold under the name of copying post; it is wholly destitute of size, and is of a thin absorbent texture ; its size is medium ; its use is for copying newly-written letters. For this purpose it is slightly mois tened, and laid on the letter written with copying-ink, and then subjected to' the action of a press, kept in counting-houses for that purpose; on removing the letter from the machine, an accurate facsimile is to the copying paper, which pasted in a book, answers all the purposes of the more tedious and laborious methods of transcribing formerly practised.