A very thin and soft, absorbent paper made from bamboo fibre, though imitations also exist.
The Chinese paper or India proof refers to a type of paper that was used in the past for printing books and other publications. This paper was made from a mixture of different plant fibers, including bamboo, hemp, and rags. The paper was usually coated with a thin layer of clay, which helped to create a smooth surface for printing. The clay also helped to protect the paper from moisture and insects.
The Chinese paper or India proof was first used in the 13th century, and it quickly became the standard paper for printing in Europe. By the 15th century, paper mills in Italy and Germany were producing large quantities of the paper. However, the paper was expensive to produce, and it was not always of the highest quality. In the 18th century, a new type of paper known as wove paper began to be used for printing. This paper was made from a single sheet of paper that had been rolled out and then pressed flat. It was much cheaper to produce than the Chinese paper or India proof, and it was also more uniform in quality.
Today, most books and publications are printed on wove paper. However, the Chinese paper or India proof is still used for some specialty applications, such as printing money or stamps.
Books printed in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries were often bound in what was called “China paper” or “India proof.” This was a thin, translucent paper that was made by coating a sheet of tissue paper with starch or gum and then drying it. The tissue paper was usually made from rags or hemp. The resulting sheet of coated paper was then sized with animal glue or gelatin.
The advantage of using this type of paper for bookbinding was that it was very strong and could be sewn through without tearing. It was also much cheaper than the more commonly used vellum or parchment.
In the early days of printing, many books were printed on both sides of the paper and then the pages were cut down the middle and sewn together to make a book. This type of binding was known as a “double-fanfold” binding.
The use of China paper or India proof for bookbinding began to decline in the mid-19th century as machine-made paper became more widely available and cheaper.