News from Samarqand: Islamic Papermaking

Evidence

"One of the advantages of paper, which state administration immediately took to liking, was that ink soaked into the paper and could not be easily scratched off as from parchment or papyrus."

Remarks

The primary functional advantage of paper over parchment was the permanence of the ink; because the ink was absorbed into the fibers, it could not be scratched off without destroying the surface, which provided security for state documents (p. 7). The use of the reed pen by scribes necessitated a cured paper surface to ensure smooth ink application (p. 12).