The main raw materials for papermaking are mostly plant fibers, mainly bamboo and wood, and the fibers of wood are flexible, so the paper made has strong ink absorption; Bamboo fiber is brittle and hard, and the paper made is weak in ink absorption, so it can be divided into two categories:

weak ink absorption paper:

mostly made of bamboo fiber, the paper surface is smooth, and the ink floats on the surface, so it is not easy to slowly open, so the color is bright. Mainly paper, such as Chengxin Tang paper, mud gold paper, and today's foreign paper also belong to it.

Chengxintang Paper:

It is a famous paper used by Li Houzhu in Southern Tang Dynasty, which is as famous as Tingguimo. Its characteristics are smooth and tight, and it is known as "as smooth as spring ice and as dense as seal". It is the top product of weak blotting paper, the one that is almost called jade water paper, and the one that is the second worst is called cold gold jade. "Light and crisp" is its characteristic.

Shu Gui:

It is said that Cai Lun's ancient papermaking method was passed down in West Shu, and the Shu Gui produced by it was quite famous since the Tang Dynasty, such as Xue Tao Gui and Xie Gong Gui. It is said that its water quality is pure, so its paper is excellent. "Xie Gongwen" is named after the teacher's creativity, because it has ten colors, also known as ten-color Wen. "Xue Tao Gui" is named after Tao, but this kind of colored paper is made according to the ancient law? Old? Pretend? Barren? Hey? What's the matter with you? br>

Tibetan scripture paper:

Tibetan scripture paper is used by Buddhist temples to write or print Buddhist scriptures, also known as Jin suyu, and there are two kinds of yellow and white.

The clay and wax jars commonly used by people in Ming and Qing Dynasties are rare today, and the cold-light jars are rare even though they are the lowest in appearance. Today, Japanese-made bird paper is generally used, but it is expensive, not durable and really not practical.

Strong ink-absorbing paper:

Most of them are made of wood fibers, which have strong ink absorption, rough surface, and are easy to spread when ink falls off the paper. When writing, they are often starched or waxed, and the luster is bright and subtle, mainly Xuan paper. Although it appeared late, it has replaced the paper and become the most valuable writing paper.

Xuan Paper and Imitation Xuan:

Today, the most precious writing paper is the Jade Plate Xuan. Jade board Xuan, mulberry, short wood, rice straw and sandalwood bark are made of lime, which has the strongest ink absorption and the best texture. Xuan paper is named after Xuancheng, Anhui Province, but Xuancheng itself does not produce paper, but all the local papers around it are declared as scattered places.

Let's go on to talk about the precious jade plaque. This kind of paper can't be used by everyone, because it absorbs ink very much, so it is very hard for people who are slow to use it: as long as the pen stops, the ink will ooze out and form a big ink ball! However, some people use its characteristics to write distinctive characters, such as Bao Shichen's light ink book and Qi Baishi's large-scale freehand brushwork.

Because Xuan paper is too ink-absorbing and difficult to write, some people have improved it: either calendering, adding glue alum, or adding pulp. After improvement, the ink absorption of rice paper is slightly reduced and it is easier to write.

edge paper, meta-book paper and cotton paper:

Xuan paper is expensive, and edge paper is commonly used when learning Chinese characters. This kind of paper was originally used for printing books, but because of its good paper quality, some people bought books and cut them to practice writing, so it is called "frilled paper". The raw materials used in this paper are mainly bamboo, which is yellow in color and excellent in texture, which is quite different from the machine-made selvedge paper used by our primary and secondary school students today. Yuanshu paper is similar to fringed paper, but it is unknown today. The cotton paper made in this province can also be regarded as this kind, with better texture, toughness and low price, which can be used as calligraphy.

Soft and dense texture:

When choosing paper, the texture is the most important. Paper with poor texture is not only easy to damage the pen, but also difficult to preserve. Famous papers in ancient and modern times are all known for their quality, such as "dense as a seal" for Chengxintang paper and "flexible and durable" for jade board. Toughness and compactness of paper is the best, which can be known by visual inspection when choosing.

White color:

If the paper is not white, it is not good because of poor raw materials or poor water quality. The extremely white jade board is made of sandalwood, and Shu Gui is made of "Huanhuatan water", both of which are examples. If it is dyed, it must be pure and white, which is the paper with good nature. However, the dyed paper is not easy to spread for a long time. If you want the work to be placed in the Palace Museum after a hundred years, it is better to avoid using it. White or not, you can understand with your eyes, and I don't need to say much about it.

The surface smoothness is moderate:

The surface of paper can be divided into smooth and rough; Smooth and firm pen, but if it is too slippery and the pen passes lightly, there will be no pen power, while if it is rough, it will be easy to get pen power, but if it is too rough, it will be difficult to apply the pen and damage the pen tip. The so-called "fine but not astringent" is also true. This can be distinguished by vision and touch, so I won't talk much about it.

moderate ink absorption:

the paper must be able to absorb ink, otherwise the ink floats on the paper surface, which is easy to fall off and cannot be stored for a long time. Generally speaking, Xuan paper has strong ink absorption, while the paper is the opposite. Too strong ink absorption, if the pen is a little slow, the dots and paintings will all become ink balls. However, if the ink absorption is too weak, the ink is not easy to enter the paper, and it is not suitable. Therefore, when choosing paper, we should consider the style of the book and the speed of personal pen-carrying. It is better that the ink can enter the paper but not be a "ball". If the store allows, we can only try it with ink when we try it.

Choose paper according to the inscription:

If you want to copy the inscription, you should not only pay attention to the pen, but also pay attention to the paper. When choosing paper, you should first distinguish its ink absorption, depending on the degree of the original paper. When entering the paper, you should choose strong ink absorption paper, and vice versa. If you can't get a glimpse of the actual situation of entering the ink, such as those printed on slate, you can also distinguish their customs. Those with sharp edges and bright colors use paper. Those who are gentle and reserved and introverted can choose rice paper.

Choose paper according to your personality:

Of course, personal preferences should also be considered, otherwise if you buy paper you don't like, I'm afraid you won't use it at all. If you are in a hurry, you should choose strong blotting paper, so that the ink can enter the paper. If you are slow in writing, you can choose weak blotting paper, otherwise the ink will jump out of the paper, which is not good.