Process
The Art of Fabriano Papermaking
From water-powered beating to sheet formation: how the town of Fabriano developed and refined hand-papermaking techniques that became the standard across medieval Europe.
Fabriano · Italy · Papermaking
The craft of Fabriano paper, from pulp to sheet
A reference on the manufacturing processes, raw materials, and historical record behind one of Europe's oldest continuous papermaking traditions.
Articles
Topics covered
Three focused texts on the technical and historical dimensions of Fabriano paper production.
Materials
Cellulose Grades and Raw Materials
How fibre selection — from rag cotton to alfa grass — determines the final weight, permanence and surface texture of Fabriano-type sheets.
Heritage
Museum Heritage of Italian Papercraft
The Museo della Carta e della Filigrana in Fabriano holds one of the most complete records of European paper history — from medieval moulds to industrial-era machinery.
Background
Why Fabriano matters
Fabriano, a town in the Marche region of central Italy, was producing paper by the late thirteenth century. Several technical developments associated with local mills — wire-mould screens, animal-glue surface sizing, and the use of watermarks as mill identifiers — spread across Europe over the following two centuries and shaped what archivists and conservators today call Western-format paper.
The town's mills continued operating through the industrial era. Cartiere Miliani, founded in the eighteenth century, eventually became part of Fedrigoni S.p.A., which still operates from Fabriano. The site therefore represents an unusual continuity: a location where craft methods can be traced from medieval hand production to contemporary manufacturing within walking distance of each other.
Sources used throughout this site draw on public records, museum documentation, and published technical literature. No proprietary or unverifiable data is referenced.
Contact
Get in touch
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Email: info@fieldhousepaper.eu