[Ansteorra] paper selection

[Kimberly Langhans]

Hi Coblaith,

It's definitely paper. If you look closely, you can see the fine chain lines (long, broadly spaced vertical lines) and laid lines (horizontal and very close together) that were created in the paper by the wire screen used in the papermaking process. This website has some very clear images of chain and laid lines:

http://www.mywingsbooks.com/coll-terms/pprlaid_.shtml

I'm not a paper expert by any means, but you could try Arches or Fabriano watercolor papers; they are available in most good art supply stores, and both companies having been making paper since within the SCA time period. The ones I've used do not show chain and laid lines, but there might be other papers by the same manufacturer that do; I've never looked. 

I've seen laid papers in high-end stationery stores, but not in the size you're looking for. You probably need to stick with a specialty paper company or a quality art-supply store.

Good luck,
Sara Penrose

--- On Fri, 2/12/10, Coblaith Muimnech <Coblaith at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> From: Coblaith Muimnech <Coblaith at sbcglobal.net>

<Snippage follows>

> It's to
> be an armorial, primarily inspired by the one at <http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/ausgaben/thumbnailseite.html?id=00001647&seite=7>.
> 
> That said, it looks like parchment to my
> (admittedly untrained) eye, and every armorial on the site
> seems to be described in terms of "Bl. - Papier", so I think
> they may be using the term loosely.  

> So far as I can tell, assuming I use bifolia
> and don't trim the pages, the standard sizes that would give
> me the closest page dimensions are ANSI C (at 17 by 22
> inches) and ISO A2 (at 420 by 594 millimeters).
> 
> Any advice about where to shop for paper, what to look for
> when I shop (especially including any faulty assumptions in
> what I've written above), and/or particular written sources
> that might be helpful with this project would be much
> appreciated.
>