Making paper by hand is a craft that involves techniques and materials that go back over 2000 years.

These techniques have evolved over time, but the main ingredient remains the same imagination.

Handmade paper is a distinctive choice for a variety of uses, from fine stationery toe limited edition prints.

Natural fibers like linen or these cotton remnants are the raw materials for handmade paper.

Workers placed the cotton rag on a conveyor, which leads into a machine that chops it up into small pieces.

It collects and have been ready for the next step,

called beating the rag.

Workers pour out the chopped up rag into a top called a Hollander that's filled with water.

This machine beats the material into a pulp.

It's only moving part is a large roll, weighing several tons equipped with metal blades.

Workers fill the Hollander with up to 350 kilos of rag.

Once all the rag is in, the giant roll descends to begin the beating. Water pours down to soak the fabric

his workers push it towards the roll. They sometimes take

paper from previous batch is known as broke and added to the mix.

They may also add dye to adjust the color, depending on the desired effect.

After eight hours of beating, workers feel the pulp's consistency.

They will then take samples from this batch to make sure it doesn't contain any unbeaten rag or nuts.

Next, they add colorful scraps of paper to the pulp to create a decorative pattern.

To make a sheet of paper, VAT Man plunges a wooden mold into the pulp.

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He lifts out the mold.

He shakes it to even out the book.

Water pours out, leaving only fibers caught on the mold surface.

He removes the molds frame known as the deck, and lowers the corner of the mold to drain away more water.

He places the mold face down on a wet felt, then carefully lifts it away.

A sheet of paper now lies on the felt, which he then covers with another wet felt.

When pulp pours through the molds' metal screen, it traps the fiber, and lets the water through. The vatman plunges the mold once again into the pulp and couches

another sheet of this distinctive paper At this point, the paper is 99% water.

Workers bring a stack over to a hydraulic press to draw the water from the paper and link the fibers together.

They pressed the papers with care so they don't burst right out of the felts.

They brush any leftover pulp from the felts, leaving them clean and ready for the next batch of sheets.

Now workers can handle the paper without it falling apart.

They take the sheets from the felts and hang them to dry on plastic tubes.

Once dry, they collect sheets according to Time and stack them for a final finishing press before they go on for shipment to customers around the world, molds frame leaves a feathery edge.

A distinctive feature of handmade paper.

These papers are available in more than 30 colors in various finishes from smooth, too rugged.

There's a paper for every project, whether it's etching, water coloring, drawing or even folding.

Can you get handmade toilet paper?