Signed. . . Unsure about “Laid”

Dear Arrighi,

I was referring to paper the other day and wasn’t sure if paper that has a “laid” pattern is actually considered laid, even if it doesn’t use that name. What do you think?

Signed,
Unsure about laid

Dear Unsure,

I used the book Paper Pleasures by Faith Shannon to check the answer to your question. The answer is simple enough. Yes, it is still considered a laid paper even if it doesn’t have laid in its name. The lines in the paper are created with fine copper wires on the mold that make thinner deposits of fiber at the wires. When held up to the light you can see the chain pattern where the wires were both horizontally and vertically. This is different than the mold used for “wove” paper that has a close-textured even appearance.

Signed,

Arrighi