The paper milling industry is a very real and crucial aspect of society that often goes unnoticed. In fact, every single copy of a book you have ever read, each cardboard box you've opened, the tiny receipt at the register, the pack of tissues in your pocket, and that fresh ream of printer paper all started their lives in a paper mill, where the raw fibers of various plants are transformed into usable sheets or packaging goods.

Today, the main source of these fibers is the wood used to build logs and cut them into tiny chips. The wood chips are turned into pulp, the wet, cellulose-based material used to make paper. Pulp can be obtained by two methods; mechanical pulping, which is used primarily for newspapers and magazines, involves grinding the wood into fibers and keeping most of the material. Chemical pulping involves the use of heat and chemicals to separate and remove the natural glues called lignin, which holds the wood fibers together, resulting in a much stronger and less impure pulp, ideal for paperboard or writing paper.

Finally, the pulp is washed and screened to ensure it is free from dirt and other impurities, and depending on the paper being produced, dyes, fillers, and various chemicals are added. Recycled paper is often mixed in as well; used papers can be broken down in water, cleaned of any ink or other debris, and reused to produce new paper products, thereby conserving resources and minimizing landfills. The fibers then are diluted and placed on a wire mesh screen, where the water drains out and the fibers begin to bond together, forming the beginnings of a sheet of paper; this sheet is then pressed through large rollers to remove any remaining water before being dried in a hot oven.

At this point, the paper is ready to be smoothed, wound into a roll, or cut to size. It may also receive special treatments, coatings to enhance its brightness, or be turned into other products such as cartons, paper towels, and the sheets of the notepad sitting on your desk. Many modern paper mills employ sustainable forest management techniques, use recycled fiber, and are moving toward less-polluting energy systems. It might seem like an obsolete medium in a technological and digital age, but the fact is that most of the things we purchase are shipped in cardboard boxes, are packaged for display in food-grade paper, are advertised with paper labels, are sold as part of a printed book, or wrapped in paper towels and toilet tissue; every piece of the papermaking puzzle, the raw fiber sources, the pulping and bleaching stages, the press and drying operations, and the converting into various paper goods, is a crucial component of the paper mill process.