Paper worlds

Paper is no longer necessary for reading. Texts can also be read on a screen. Yet despite laptops, tablets, smartphones and e-book readers, there is no sign of paper disappearing as a medium for reading. On the one hand, this is down to people’s personal preferences. On the other hand, reading on paper offers added value that goes beyond individual preferences.

Water is essential for paper production. At the Steinbeis Papier factory in Glückstadt, it is therefore used as efficiently as possible. Only surface water from the River Elbe is used as process water; no drinking water is used. Let’s follow the water’s journey through the paper mill: from the River Elbe, via the paper machine, to the waste paper processing area – with two process and water circuits – and on to the mill’s own fully biological wastewater treatment plant.

A square sheet of paper, folded a few times – and there’s a crane standing on the table. However, the principles of the traditional Japanese art of origami now extend far beyond simply folding paper. Engineering is making use of these principles for solar panels in space, robots and new technical structures. What makes folding so interesting?

Why is DIN A4 actually 21 by 29.7 centimetres? Behind these odd dimensions lies a surprisingly clever system combining mathematics, practicality and standardisation.

The "Haus des Papiers" museum in Berlin sees itself as a bridge between art, research and industry. It connects stakeholders in order to sustainably reinvent paper as a material and brings innovations to life for society.

From the Book of Kells in Dublin to the futuristic Binhai Library in Tianjin: majestic libraries are the temples in which paper proves its immortality. The article shows architectural marvels and proves that the magic of the printed word on paper is unbroken, even in the digital age.