Esparto

Esparto grass, botanically known as stipa tenacissima L., is a perennial grass, commonly grown in north Africa and southern Europe and was a common papermaking fiber in Great Britain in the 19th century.  The fibers are short, making it easy to form a good sheet and a good choice for watermarking. It also makes a fairly dense, bulky sheet, resistant to shrinking.  It is known for its good inking properties. 

Our esparto is processed in a pulp mill in Spain where it is partially beaten and pressed into sheets called half stuff.

Esparto is in sheet form and sold by the pound. Each sheet measures 25.5" x 31" and weighs about .9 lb. However we may cut sheets to fit more easily into boxes for shipping.