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Koran had moveable type printing several hundred years before Gutenberg's developed it in Europe. The type was used mainly to print Buddhist texts. Hanji was essential for this.
Handmade Paper found extensive use in Korea. In homes sturdy thick sheets were spread on the ondol heated floors and covered in varnish preventing smoke from coming into the room. It made a handsome golden tan coloured surface that was easy to keep clean. It is still done today in traditional homes and I have seen it in housing high rises. Vinyl flooring which is often used, still keeps the grid pattern of paper panels to suggest these traditional floors.
Traditional windows and screens were also covered in translucent paper. Japen adopted the same technique for the shoji screens. The framework is quite different but the uses are similar.
Chinese style Korean brush painting and calligraphy uses traditional paper, as do the many craft items that were in common use such as lanterns, trays, countless designs of boxes, fans, small chests including sewing boxes, and small items of furniture such as low tables.
 Mulbery inner bark fibre. It is wildly time consuming to get this material separated from the outer bark. If any is left it makes a dark spot. |
 Hibiscus root (I think) The translation is somewhat uncertain. Wonju is not a tourist town and few people spoke English well enough to know the name of plants in English. After long discussion and pointing the concensus seems to be its hibiscus. It makes a gluey solution when soaked in water. |
 Mulbery gets soaked and vigorously beaten. Although there is no mention that I could see, the Mulbery probably gets cooked. It is unlikely that just pounding it would make pulp. There is usually some additive to help, often ash or other base. The stone is about a metre across. This is a tedious process and takes a long time, eventually the fibres separate and the mixture starts looking pasty. The fibres remain long and thin. Two lean wiry men did this work. |
 Pulp is ready and can be used in the vat. The bowl behind has a gluey solution of the hibiscus roots. This material helps keep the paper together. I'm told this glue is what allows Korean paper to separate into thin sheets without any felt between the sheets. Western paper is made with a felt used between sheets. Our language skills were not up to the task of clarifying exactly why glue helps sheets come apart, but they do. |
 The mulbery paste is placed in a large wooden vat along with glue and it is agitated with great energy. 3 men with 4 feet long sticks whipped up the pulp. This was done when new pulp was added and frequently while the paper was being formed. Its important to separate the fibres at first and subsequently to keep the fibres suspended. This process was surprisingly beautiful to watch. 3 men working in unison with easy smooth and strong motions. It looked effortless. |
 Several frames were suspended from a top beam. Each had a fine bambo mat which could be removed. Depending on the size of paper being made different size frames are substituted. The operator holds the frame by 2 handles and dips the frame into the vat of pulp. As the water drains the frame is gently dipped to one side and then the other. Again an economical precise motion that looks easy and takes a long time to master. Here I'm doing my best to get an even coating of fibres. The sideway motion aligns the fibres in an even coat as the water drains. |
 A thin coat of pulp has been deposited on the bamboo screen and water has dripped out. The thickness of the paper can be changed by modifying the pulp concentration somewhat or by dipping several times in the vat. The hinged frame is hooked onto hooks on the vat and opened. The screen is carefully picked up. The paper is very fragile, nothing more than a gummy coating on the screen. |
 Each successive sheet is piled up carefully on top of the stack. The screen is flexible. The papermaker aligns the bottom to the bottom of the pile, then sort of rolls the screen across the pile transferring the sheet. As he does this he places a thin nylon string at one end. This extends on both sides and is about one quarter inch from the edge. When a sufficiently thick pile is done at the end of the day, the whole pile is pressed. There was a cover put on and a lever with a weight applied force. The pressing was done overnight. While still damp it went on to be separated and dried. |
 Another bit of magic. The craftsman (actually lady) took the end of the nylon thread and pulled it up giving it a bit of a flick. She had a number of small sticks which were placed just in front of the string. Pulling the string caused the paper to lift a bit and curl on the stick. She then twirled the stick a bit to grab the sheet and pulled it back. In the photo she has 3 sticks each with a short roll of paper. She did a few more and then lifted each carefully to the dryer. Another skill that long experience made look easy. |
 She carefully picks up the sheet of paper using the stick to help support the sheet. |
 She carefully placed the paper being supported by the stick against the stainless steel dryer and smoothed the rest of the sheet with a large brush. The dryer was made from 2 stainless steel sheets welded together and heated with a propane tank. It was not very hot and would not burn if touched. The surface was very smooth. |
 The dryer could accomodate quite large sheets or many small ones. It took a few minutes for the paper to dry. She then carefully peeled one edge and it just came off with no problem. Heated dryers are not always used. In the hanji festival display it is easier to dry the sheets than to let them naturally dry on wooden frames as is also done. Naturally dried paper is more prized and considered better. The paper being made was quite thin and very strong. |
 Korean Handmade paper being used for calligraphy and Chinese brush painting |
 Paper door. |
 Intricate sewing box. |
 Detail of sewing box. Darker paper is cut and applied on top of design. This gives a "stained glass look" |
 Korean Handmade paper lantern and small table. |
 Boxes in every shape and colour, small trays. |
 Paper is superbly suited to printing. Both woodblocks and movable type printing has been done in Korea for centuries. |
 More boxes. The designs are cut out of contrasting paper. |
Here is an article on Korean Paper Making from Cornell University.
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