Japanese Papers for Printmaking

By Jim Hingst 
@hingst_jim 

For nearly two thousand years, the Chinese have made paper. That craft spread throughout the Far East, first to Korea and then to Japan in 610 AD. Eventually the secrets of making paper were passed from China to Persia and then to Spain. By the 13^th century, Italians had learned these skills.  

The Japanese not only learned how to make paper or washi, they learned how to make it better. Their skill in handmade mulberry papers improved through the centuries, until Commodore Perry opened their markets as well as opening their eyes to the mass production of paper done the Industrial Revolution way. 

Unbleached and unsized mulberry paper made from 100% kozo fiber is an excellent choice for woodblock and linocut printing. While it is thin compared to printmaking papers made in the West, its long fibers provide exceptional strength. The absorbent characteristic of the paper is compatible with traditional Japanese woodblock printing with water based inks. Pictured is the print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Japanese artist, Hokusai c. 1830 (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, PD-1923).

Once Japan embraced Western technology, traditional papermaking declined. Making paper by hand is very time consuming, which makes it expensive compared to machine made paper. The limited number of producers of handmade papers has contributed greatly to its high cost. While you may pay a premium for these papers, the quality is unmatched. Some of the prints made with washi have lasted more than 1000 years.

Today, high quality Japanese papers for printmaking called washi are either handmade or machine made. One difference between papers made in the Japan versus papers made in the West is the material used. In Japan printmaking papers are made from the inner bark of three different plants. In contrast, papers made in the West for printmaking   are made of cotton or linen fibers.

Video about traditional process of making washi 

Kozo Papers.

The three plants used in Japanese papermaking are kozo, mitsumata and gampi. Kozo, which is a type of mulberry plant, is widely used in making washi for woodblock printing. What is unique about kozo is that the fibers are very long and very strong. These long fibers provide the papers with exceptional wet strength, so they can be misted and soaked for some art applications. This strength also makes it well suited for printing with water based inks, as well as for applications, such as making the translucent screens used for room dividers, and their cute and colorful umbrellas. Other differences with handmade papers from the West are their thinness, softness of hand and translucency.

Mitsumata Papers.

Mitsumata is a bush similar to kozo. The fibers of mitsumata are not so long as those from the kozo bush. Consequently mitsumata papers are not so strong as kozo papers. Mitsumata papers are also more absorbent. Some artists desire this characteristic because it produces a softer edge to the printed image.

Gampi Papers.

Made from the inner bark of the gampi bush, which grows in the wild in Japan, gampi is a very thin paper with a silky smooth and shiny finish. The fibers have a natural sizing, which limits the absorbency of the ink, when the paper is used for printmaking. For some projects, this is desirable because you can attain a crisper edge of the printed line.

Not all so called Japanese paper is made in Japan. Much of it is now being made in Southeast Asia, in countries such as Thailand, where the cost of labor is much lower than it is in Japan. The best quality Japanese paper is made from 100% domestic fibers and produced using only natural minerals and plant materials.  Lower grades of papers are made from imported fibers and synthetic materials and may include some wood fibers.

In purchasing these papers, some of the factors to consider are:

• What is the country of origin?
• Is the paper handmade or machine made?
• Is the paper sized or not?
• Is the paper chlorine bleached?
• What is the weight of the paper?
• What is the fiber content?
• Is the paper pH neutral (acid free)?

RELATED ARTICLES

What is Relief Printing?
What are Ukiyo-e Prints?
How Japanese Printmaking Influenced Western Art

How do Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Wood Engravings Differ?

The Division of Labor in Ancient Japanese Print Production
Checklist for Relief Printing with Oil Based Ink
Japanese Carving Tools for Woodblock Relief Printing
Japanese Carving Knives for Woodblock Printing
Safely Carving Woodblocks, Woodcuts and Linocuts
Linocut Tips
Selecting a Brayer for Relief Printing
Selecting Wood for Relief Printing
Selecting an Ink for Relief Printing
Inking the Woodblock Panel
Clean Up After Relief Printing

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 400 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2017 Jim Hingst