Old time hand made laid papers with their prominent pattern of ribbed or grid lines in the finished sheet were made by drying paper sheets on wire screens during the manufacturing process. The paper was made from pulp of cotton and flax (linen). From around 1860, wood pulp came into common use as the base material for paper and manfacturing processes changed. The use of cotton base laid paper deminished. Today, most papers produced are of the wove paper type with a uniform unlined surface and smooth finish, generally made on a European style mould with a woven wire surface. It is possible to find laid papers being produced today but they would usually be made from wood pulp and the laid ribbed pattern would be pressed into the surface by a dandy roller.
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