Machine-made paper

Paper was hard to make, and it cost a lot of money. In the 19th century, new machines were made that could make paper out of wood fibres (instead of the hand-made rag paper). This was conceived in France 1798, but the machines were invented in England. The first one was in use by 1812.[7][8] It helped to make paper cheap enough for everyone to buy. Around the same time, other inventions were made, like the pencil, the fountain pen, and a printing press that used steam power. Because of these new things, it was easy for people to write letters, to buy books and newspapers, and to keep records of what they did.

Today, some of the largest paper-producing countries are USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Russia. Paper is produced in large factories called paper mills. They produce hundreds of thousands of tons of paper each year.