How to Make Paper

Homemade paper is easy to make. This is an extremely messy make paper craft project that will get water all over the place while you are working; work outside, or tarp down your work area for easy clean-up later.

What You Need:

Screen (see below)
Frame (see below)
Container or sink for 4" water
Old scrap paper or plants (see below)
Blender, Food Processor, or Egg Beater (see below)
Tiny amount of cheap liquid fabric softener
Clean bleached rags (see below)

Step One: Make Your Paper Mold

The Screen: You will need a screen that is used as a part of your make paper mold. The screen part can be anything that is strong enough to load paper-pulp onto, that is leaky enough to let excess water run through.

Make paper screen ideas include: Old piece of window screen, nylon stocking, white t-shirt material, large paper coffee filter and so on. This screen needs to be 2-3 inches larger than the desired size of your finished paper.

The Screen Frame: Attach your screen material to a frame that can pull it tight like the top of a drum.

Make paper frame ideas: Tack screen to an old picture frame, use an embroidery hoop, or create a frame out of a coat hanger that you can wrap and secure your screen over. Heavy cardboard from a large box will work as a frame using staples to attach your screen, but only use this as a last resort, and only expect it to last through the making of one sheet of paper.

Step Two: Prepare Your Water

The make paper mold that you made in step-one above must be able to sit flat in about 4 inches of water. Ideas: Bucket, turkey roasting pan, dish washing plastic tub, or kitchen sink.

WARNING: If you are using your kitchen sink, you do not want the leftovers at the end of this project going down your drain without being strained first. I do use my sink, and do clean-up by bailing the leftover water/pulp mixture into a bucket, and disposing of this used water/pulp in the toilet.

Your Water: Add about 4 inches of water into your dipping container or sink. Pick out your favorite smell in cheap liquid fabric softener (it also comes in no-smell) and add a splash of cheap liquid fabric softener to your water.