Who Invented Paper, and Why Did they Keep it a Secret for Years?

If you had a valuable secret, would you share it with others – or keep it to yourself? That’s the same question China faced many centuries ago when their leader invented paper, which was a highly coveted and precious item.

Today, you might not consider paper “precious” with Americans using an average of 675 pounds of paper annually. But in 105 A.D., it was the secret that everyone wanted.

The Hidden Origin of Paper

Paper was invented in 105 A.D. Records show that the Eastern Han Emperor Ts’ai Lun developed paper by harvesting bark and fibers from a mulberry tree, and pounding those materials into a sheet. Later the quality was improved by adding hemp and old fishing nets to the pulp before the pounding process.

Paper was used for writing within a few years, with the Chinese developing the first printed newspaper. But the country knew they had something special, and guarded the secret closely.

Why so Valuable?

Paper allowed China to develop their civilization faster. Other countries wanted to learn how to make paper, after viewing China’s new invention. But China refused, and continued to guard their valuable secret carefully. However, this all changed in 751 A.D.

The country’s army was defeated, and Chinese soldiers and paper makers were captured. The result? The Arabs were the new owner of powerful secrets of making paper. In fact, the Europeans didn’t learn how to make paper until several centuries later.

Today’s paper is a lot different than the old paper style. Centuries ago it was thick and bulky, and now it’s thin and produced by smaller fibers. But it continues to be a valuable item in our civilization, and is still used daily by most people across the world.

If you were the only person in the world who knew how to make paper, would you keep it a secret? 
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These Glo-tone Envelopes are so attractive you won't want to keep them a secret!

Will the Practice of Using Paper Disappear?

Technology has evolved quickly. And with this evolution, some people wonder about the practice of using paper – will it disappear? A few decades ago, this question would have seemed crazy. The word “email” wasn’t in our vocabulary, “tweet” was a sound that birds make - and the idea of connecting to family and friends through social media would have seemed impossible. But this has all changed.

With our ability to market and send messages online, you can’t help but wonder about paper: Will it face the same fate as records and VHS tapes?

The Marketing Impact

Marketers have more tools than ever to reach prospects. They have traditional channels, like direct mail, print, billboards and commercials – plus everything the Internet has to offer. But with the new options, will companies stop printing marketing materials and direct mail? Probably not.

In fact, using paper along with other types of media can increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. That’s why, even despite technology advances, businesses still rely on paper products for over 35 percent of their marketing budgets. The majority of this is spent on printing direct mail pieces, which 81% of consumers read daily, according to the Printing Industries of America and the Direct Marketing Association.  

Paper Preferences

Even better for paper, most Americans still favor reading on it. According to the Manufacturers Association, 66% of Americans prefer reading materials on paper. So, even with the evolution of the Internet, social media and other platforms, the practice of paper is here to stay.

Do you think paper will disappear in the future? 
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Business Envelopes are great for direct mailings!

The Upside of Paper

Have you ever wondered what it would be like, if instead of using paper – you were paper? It’s a crazy thought. Would you end up in the landfills, or continue getting used and recycled for many years to come? The answer may surprise you.

Since paper is one of the few truly sustainable  products on earth, and requires little to no fossil fuels  for production, you would likely have a very long life. And that process would start with a tree.  

Living among the Trees

Your life, as a piece of paper, would start with the trees. In the forest, you would grow and wait to be harvested. But don’t worry, you wouldn’t be alone. The United States grows more trees than they harvest, with the U.S. forestland remaining about the same over the past 100 years – even though the American population has tripled.

After years of growth, and watching landowners manage the forest responsibility, you’d likely move away from the forest. The transformation from tree to paper would begin.

APEC has 100% Recycled Envelopes

The Next Stage

Eventually, you’d end up in a pulp mill, which would transform you from a tree into paper products. From there, you’d travel to a store, and then someone’s home or office. But don’t despair, your story doesn’t end here. About 57.4 percent of all paper products consumed in the U.S. are recovered for recycling, which is nearly 340 pounds for each man, woman and child.

So, more than likely, your journey would continue.  

And that continuation would begin at a recycled paper processing mill, where you would be converted into new paper products, made from the recovered fiber. Fiber can be used 5-7 times before it becomes too short, so you’d continue this process for quite a while.

Forest Responsibility

Ok, so you like being paper. But not all of your friends back in the forest want the same career choice. Some want to house bird nests, and homes for wild animals. Rest assured, that forest responsibility, which makes forestlands subject to government regulations – is keeping many of those trees healthy and rooted in the ground. In fact, the industry has taken these regulations a step further to promote responsible forest management.

For example, Forest Management Certification, is a non-regularity alterative that promotes the responsible stewardship of forests. The program provides a private incentive to encourage land owners to use responsible forest management practices that benefit the environment and society.

To qualify, the forest manager must undergo a rigorous process to ensure the forestland conforms to regulations, which includes a detailed review of the forest management systems and their results on the ground. Every five years, this process is repeated.

So overall, the life of paper is long, made from renewable resources, and usually produced responsibly. This gives paper many advantages over nonrenewable alternative materials.

What do you think about paper and the environment? 
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What Emotion is your Color Choice Triggering? You Might be Surprised…

Color is a powerful tool for ads, direct mail and other types of marketing and advertising materials. For every color, there’s an emotional response  – which allows people to feel something, without reading a single word.

That’s probably why research has found a connection between color and purchasing decisions. So, you might be wondering: Are my color choices making the right impact? Read on to find out.

Unlocking the Secrets of Color
Understanding the vocabulary and psychological associations  of specific colors is powerful knowledge. KISSmetrics, a research company that organizes person-centric data, decoded the feelings associated with commonly used colors, including:

Yellow: This color is perceived as optimistic and youthful. It’s often used to secure the attention of people window shopping.

Red: The emotion most associated with red is energy. This color choice tends to increase the heart rate and create a sense of urgency. That’s why many companies use red to promote clearance sales.

Blue: Trust and security are the feelings most associated with blue. Banks and other businesses often select this color in their marketing materials and branding.

Green: This color is often associated with wealth, and it’s the easiest color for eyes to process. If you want to make consumers relaxed, green is usually a smart choice.

Orange: Consumers interpret the color orange as aggressive. Many businesses use it to create a call to action, to subscribe and buy or sell something.

Pink: Pink is often interpreted as romantic and feminine, and commonly used to capture the attention of women and young girls.

Black: This color is perceived as powerful and sleek. Black is used to market luxury products.

Purple: Purple is a soothing and calming color, often used to sell beauty or anti-aging products.

The Gender Color Connection
The KISSmetrics study also uncovered a connection between color and gender. For example, studies show that women commonly respond well to blue, purple and green. However, they don’t like orange, brown and gray.

Color also plays an important role with men. For example, men love the colors blue, green and black. But they don’t like brown, orange and purple.


What do you think about color and the emotional impact?
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5 Fun Ways to Re-Use Envelopes

You arrive at the mailbox, open the door – and find another stack of mail. Within seconds, you sort through the mail or throw it into a stack to review later. Either way, there’s no shortage of used envelopes around your house. Fortunately, there’s something you can do with these envelopes that won’t cause waste and saves you money.

From storing your spices to home improvement supply tips, we’ve shared five fun ways to reuse your envelopes.

Convert them into funnels. Have you ever tried to transfer bulk spices into small containers? If so, you know the importance of a funnel. But what if you can’t find your funnel? The answer is simple: use envelopes. Cut the envelope in half diagonally and cut off the corner of each half.

Solve the “curly sandpaper” problem. Sandpaper has a way of curling into tiny tubes, despite your best efforts to keep it flat. Solve this problem by storing sandpaper in your old cardboard mailing envelopes.

Create damage-free bookmarks. Little creases in the pages are convenient for bookmarking, but truth be told, they damage your pages. Solve this problem by cutting old envelopes into bookmarks. Create a fun craft for children by allowing them to color or paint the bookmarks.

Design file folders. The next time you receive a cardboard envelope, start a pile. Then, when you run out of file folders, you can conveniently pull the folder from the stack, turn it inside out and cut off the top. Now, you have a clean file folder ready to use.

Recycle old receipts faster. Shredding piles of old receipts is time consuming and boring. Make this task faster by piling them into an old envelope, and shredding the whole thing at once. This is fast, easy, and saves time AND your sanity!

Do you have creative uses for old envelopes? If so, please share by leaving a comment below.

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Do you know the “Carbon Footprint” for Paper?

Today, you hear a lot about the “carbon footprint” of products, people and businesses. And rightfully so, since this measurement has an impact on the environment. But do you know the carbon footprint of the items you use daily, like paper? If not, you aren’t alone.

The carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses that a person or business creates and releases into the atmosphere, both directly and indirectly. But what’s surprising about paper, is the carbon footprint isn’t what you’d think.

The Life Cycle
To understand the carbon footprint of paper, you need to look at the entire life cycle. This includes three basic elements:

·         Greenhouse gas emissions

·         Carbon sequestration

·         Avoided emissions

Each of these elements is influenced by factors that make the carbon imprint of paper smaller than you’d expect. For example, paper is manufactured from renewable resource that store carbon and manufactured using mostly renewable energy. Plus, paper is recyclable. Together, these factors create a smaller environmental impact for paper.

But what about greenhouse gasses?
You might be wondering if these harmful gasses are created during the paper manufacturing process. Nearly all greenhouse gas emissions from forest products in the U.S. are the result of fossil fuel combustion. The forest industry also burns large amounts of biomass fuels; however, the CO2 released from this type of combustion isn’t calculated into the greenhouse gas totals.

That’s because it contains “biogenic carbon,” which is created from living or recently living sources. Since this is part of the natural life cycle, it’s considered to be “carbon neutral.” 

Overall, because of the responsible practices of the forest industry, use of renewable resources – and your ability to recycle, the carbon impact of paper is less than most people think.  

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How is Paper Made?

Most people use paper daily. They print documents, take notes and mail letters. But have you ever wondered how paper is magically transformed from tree to paper product – and how long we’ve been using it?

The fact is this: the tradition of using paper is really old. Use of the material is traced back to ancient Egyptian civilizations. Of course, what they used was slightly different than today’s paper products. The ancient material was harvested from the steam of Papyrus, which is a plant located in the Nile Basin.

Today, the paper process starts with trees harvested from the forest – but what does the process involve?  

The Process Unveiled

It’s no secret that paper comes from trees. In fact, 95 percent of raw material used in papermaking is extracted from trees. During the production process, the main ingredients are wood, water and energy.

The process starts in the forest. Trees are harvested and timber is transported to the paper making facility. Logs are disintegrated into tiny pieces to create pulp. This process is highly efficient, with at least 90 percent of wood converted to a pulp material.

Water is used to capture the pulp, which is then used to form large sheets. The large sheets go through a drying process, which removes even more of the pulp. After this process is complete, different types of paper are formed.

The Future of Paper

Paper has come a long way since harvesting the Papyrus plant in accident Egypt. And it’s likely the papermaking process will go through some change in the future. To start, manufactures may transition to using more environmentally friendly alternatives to expanded plastic packaging made out of paper, such as paper foam. The new material is biodegradable and can be recycled.

Also, with concerns about synthetic coatings, paper may shift to using zein, which is a type of corn protein for paper coatings in high grease applications, like popcorn bags.

Tyvek and Teslin may also be used in printing media, because it’s more durable than paper.

What changes do you think are on the horizon for paper making? Please share by leaving a comment below.

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