Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically
processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses, or other
vegetable sources in water, draining the water through a fine mesh leaving the
fibre evenly distributed on the surface, followed by pressing and drying.
Although paper was originally made in single sheets by hand, almost all is now
made on large machines—some making reels 10 metres wide, running at 2,000
metres per minute and up to 600,000 tonnes a year. It is a versatile material
with many uses, including printing, painting, graphics, signage, design,
packaging, decorating, writing, and cleaning.