造纸术相传是由中国东汉时代的蔡伦（63-121年）所发明，但是也有考古证据说明，造纸术早就存在，蔡伦只是改进造纸术的重要发展者，使造纸的成功率更高，成本更低。造纸术被称为中国古代四大发明之一，是促使人类文化传播的伟大发明。

东汉的许慎在他编写中国第一部字典《说文解字》里提到“纸”从“糸”。纸的发明、发展及传播也是经过了一个曲折的过程。 造纸术的发明对于人类文明的传播有巨大的作用，它使得文明的传播速度更便捷、传播成本更低，它促使了纸质书的出现，所以说这是一项极其伟大的发明。

Papermaking is the process of making paper, a material which is used universally today for writing and packaging.

In papermaking, a dilute suspension of fibres in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibres by pressing and drying to make paper. Since the invention of the Fourdrinier machine in the 19th century, most paper has been made from wood pulp because of cost. But other fibre sources such as cotton and textiles are used for high-quality papers. One common measure of a paper's quality is its non-wood-pulp content, e.g., 25% cotton, 50% rag, etc. Previously, paper was made up of rags and hemp as well as other materials.