InviteSite.com got its impetus late 1998 when we realized that the internet could finally express some of the rich and sensual qualities of fine papers made from ecologically sustainable sources.

The first papers were made from hemp (found in the Great Wall of China, date to 100 BC). The Gutenburg Bible is printed on hempen paper. But paper can be made from almost any plant cellulose - about 900 common fibers - including agricultural by-products such as corn stalk and sugar cane. Paper can crumble quickly (newsprint) or last 2,000 years.

Paper has been made from trees commercially only since the 1870's. Until then, old clothes (rags) were recycled into paper. (Asia is a different story) The industrial revolution created a critical fiber shortage. Since vast forests covered the earth, using trees for paper seemed like a good idea at the time .Sulfur compounds were discovered to break down problematic lignin. Huge paper machines made vast amounts of cheap, fragile (acidic) paper. Most of this cheap paper and the words and art upon it are now dust. The ancient forests are also gone and today's forests continue to be sacrificed needlessly.

In contrast, "rag"paper is extremely durable. Books printed pre 1800 on rag paper are still in great condition.

Paper can also be extremely beautiful and sensual. Like wine, paper is judged through sensory experience. A paper's quality is discovered by its "rattle" (shaking it creates a qualifying sound), its translucence (hold to light to discover watermarks, fiber dispersion, a papermaker's tear) its "hand" (surface textures and fiber qualities) its weight and its smell. Breathe on the corner of a sheet to find the paper's grain. Your breath slightly hydrates the fibers and they will bend with the added weight.

Individually, beautiful handmade paper speaks for itself. Collectively, papermaking is a technology that stretches back 2000 years and carries upon it the entire advancement of civilization.

"The spoken word passes away, the written word remains"

- taken from Caxton's Mirrour of the World, printed 1481

It's a relatively small segment of the population that appreciates the beauty of handmade and mouldmade papers. Few Americans know the history of paper. But each year more people want quality and more people realize the ecological and archival advantages of tree-free papers.

Creating beautiful wedding papers allows us to marry beauty and practicality. To know beauty is to discover its aspects by working with it. We have worked with our wonderful customers for years with so many creative results.