Blotting paper
Encyclopedia
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
or other material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
. It is used to absorb an excess of liquid substances (such as ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
or oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
) from the surface
Surface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
of writing paper
Writing paper
Printing and writing papers are paper grades used for newspapers, magazines, catalogs, books, commercial printing, business forms, stationeries, copying and digital printing. About 1/3 of the total pulp and paper marked is printing and writing papers....
or objects
Object (philosophy)
An object in philosophy is a technical term often used in contrast to the term subject. Consciousness is a state of cognition that includes the subject, which can never be doubted as only it can be the one who doubts, and some object or objects that may or may not have real existence without...
. It is also commonly used as a beauty tool to absorb excess oil from the skin.
Manufacture
Blotting paper is made from different materials of varying thickness, softness, etc. depending on the application. It is often made of cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and manufactured on special paper machines.
Cosmetics
Blotting paper is sold as a skin-health product, with manufacturing companies suggesting that it "improves skin health by removing excess oil that can lead to clogged pores and breakouts. Blotting paper can also minimize the need for harsh complexion treatment products such as oil control gels, chemicals, primers and powders that can coat and stress skin out." The highest grade of oil blotting papers are handmade in Japan called AburatorigamiAburatorigami
is a traditional Japanese facial oil blotting paper. The direct translation of the term is "oil removal paper". As the term implies, aburatorigami absorbs excess oil, thereby eliminating shine from the face....
and are only available in Asia. In 2008 an American based company, Tatcha, launched a line of Aburatorigami in the US.
Chemical analyses
Blotting paper is used in chemical analyses as stationary phase in thin layer chromatographyThin layer chromatography
Thin layer chromatography is a chromatography technique used to separate mixtures. Thin layer chromatography is performed on a sheet of glass, plastic, or aluminum foil, which is coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material, usually silica gel, aluminium oxide, or cellulose...
. The paper is made of superclean cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.
Drugs
Certain drugs, most notably LSDLSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
, are distributed on blotting paper. A liquid solution of the drug is applied to the blotting paper, which commonly is perforated into individual doses and artfully decorated also known as blotter art. LSD blotter art or Vanity blotter art are terms for the artwork that LSD is dropped onto. The artwork is printed onto blotter paper and then perforated into tiny squares or stamps which can be torn apart.
Writing
Blotting is frequently necessary when using dip penDip pen
A dip pen or nib pen usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted on a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and plastic, while some pens are made entirely of glass...
s and occasionally when using fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
s. This was first done by sprinkling pounce
Pounce (calligraphy)
Pounce is a fine powder that was sprinkled over wet ink to hasten drying prior to the invention of blotting paper. The powder was prepared from substances such as finely ground salt, sand, or powdered soft minerals such as talc or soapstone...
over the wet ink. Blotting paper is reputed to be first referred to in the English language in the 15th century but there is a tradition in Norfolk, England that it was invented by accident at Lyng Mill on the river Wensum
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk fed river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare despite being the larger of the two rivers. The complete river is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation ....
. This may be wrong as this was expressly a paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
until about 1830, although it is clear that it did make paper before this time as it was referred to as Mr. Hamerton's mill and there are many texts describing it as a paper mill in the 18th century. However, the process of making blotting paper in bulk rather than by hand may be what was created at Lyng
Lyng, Norfolk
Lyng is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north-east of the town of East Dereham and north-west of the city of Norwich....
.
When used to remove ink from writings, the writing may appear in reverse on the surface of the blotting paper, a phenomenon which has been used as a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
in a number of detective stories
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
.
Further reading
- Blotter Art: The Institute of Illegal Images Interview by Rak Razam juxtapoz with Mark McCloud
Blotter Art Galleries
- blotterart.co.uk
- Tripatourium.com
- BlotterBarn.com, Mark McCloud's Institute of Illegal Images online.
- ShakedownGallery.com