How to Choose Recycled Paper Scraps for a Home Papermaking Batch
For a first home papermaking batch, build the pulp from clean, uncoated white paper, then add a smaller, sorted portion of colored scraps if you want tint or flecks. Choose scraps by the sheet you want—smooth and pale for journaling, visibly varied for collage—and remove food residue, staples, plastic, and other nonpaper pieces before soaking. This simple sorting step makes the batch easier to predict and saves you from blending materials that will not behave like ordinary paper.
Start with a dependable base paper
Plain used printer or photocopy paper is a practical starting point: it is easy to find, and white fibers leave room for color choices. The Exploratorium recommends used white photocopy paper as a base, while the Museum of Fine Arts Boston notes that drawing, printmaking, and watercolor papers can work well because their fibers are strong. Those art papers may be better saved for a batch where you specifically want a sturdier feel; for an everyday experiment, clean office paper and old notes are a sensible baseline. Exploratorium, “Handmade Paper”; Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
Before tearing, decide whether the finished paper needs to take a pen or serve mainly as a visual surface. A relatively consistent base gives you a useful comparison if this is your first batch. More varied fiber sources can add texture, but they also make the result harder to predict; keep the first batch simple if you want to learn what your mould, pulp thickness, and pressing method produce.
Sort color scraps by the look you want
Colored construction paper, colored office paper, and uncoated gift wrap are useful choices when you want color to carry through the sheet. The Exploratorium suggests beginning with roughly four parts white paper to one part colored paper, with the colored paper soaked separately. Treat that as a starting recipe, not a rule: pale scraps may make a subtle tint, while a strongly colored batch can dominate a small amount of white base. Exploratorium, “Handmade Paper”
If you want a pale background with scattered accents, keep the colored material to a modest share and add it gradually. If you want a more saturated sheet, increase the colored share in a small test portion before committing the whole tub. Separate colors before soaking when you want distinct options; once different dyes and inks mingle in the pulp, you cannot reliably separate them again. This small test approach is an editorial recommendation based on the documented fact that paper type and color affect the dried sheet’s appearance. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
Use printed and glossy scraps selectively
Old notes, printer paper, magazines, shredded paper, and junk mail can all be used in home papermaking, according to the MFA. But a source being usable does not mean it will produce the same color or surface as plain office paper. For a calmer, more predictable batch, prioritize uncoated paper; reserve printed or glossy-looking scraps for a small accent test. The Exploratorium advises avoiding newsprint and glossy paper as a base, while noting that glossy, brightly colored magazine paper can be used in small amounts for accents. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”; Exploratorium, “Handmade Paper”
Do not equate ordinary printing or ink with a plastic coating. Freie Universität Berlin distinguishes printed paper, which can be recycled, from coated or composite papers that are unsuitable for its waste-paper stream. For home pulp, use your judgment about visible film or laminated layers: if a scrap has a shiny plastic-like surface, a foil layer, or multiple bonded materials, leave it out. Freie Universität Berlin, “Coated paper”
Leave out contaminated or hard-to-pulp pieces
Set aside paper that has touched food, greasy or dirty packaging, staples, plastic windows, tape, and bound edges. The MFA specifically advises avoiding paper used with food and removing staples, plastic, and bound edges before pulping. For a home batch, this is also a practical way to prevent unwanted bits from ending up on the screen or embedded in a new sheet. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
A quick hand-sort works well: make one pile for the base, one for color or accents, and one for rejects. Remove clips and adhesive labels, and check envelopes or packaging for plastic panels. When the material is uncertain, leave it out of this batch rather than guessing; there is no need to risk an entire tub of pulp for one questionable scrap.
Match the scraps to the intended sheet
For journal pages, choose mostly white or lightly colored office paper and avoid too many different sources. Handmade sheets naturally vary, and the MFA notes that both paper type and color affect how the finished paper looks and feels. If you want to write on the result, a consistent base is easier to assess than a mix of glossy pieces, tissue, and heavy card. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
For collage, tags, or decorative sheets, you can be more adventurous: add small amounts of colored paper or printed material to create visual variation. If you plan to include dried flowers, leaves, grass, string, or similar surface details, the MFA describes pressing them into wet pulp after forming the sheet. Keep such additions separate from your paper-fiber pile so the main batch remains easy to blend and form. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
Run a small test before preparing the full batch
A short test answers the most important question: what does this combination look like after it dries? Tear a small sample from the base and colored scraps, keeping the pieces separate. The MFA recommends tearing recycled paper into roughly one-inch pieces and soaking for a few hours or overnight when possible. Soak different colors separately, then blend and form a small sheet or test swatch. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, “Handmade Paper”
Record the mix in simple terms—such as “mostly white office paper, with a small handful of blue construction paper”—and inspect the dry sample for color, visible fragments, and feel. If the result is too dark, reduce the colored share. If it looks too uniform for collage, add a little more contrasting scrap. This is a practical comparison method, not a promise that a specific ratio will produce an exact shade: paper colors, inks, and preparation vary.
A final sorting checklist
Before soaking the batch, check that you have a clean fiber base, colored scraps separated by tone, and no obvious food residue, staples, plastic, foil, tape, or laminated pieces. Keep glossy magazine paper to a small test quantity, and favor plain uncoated pieces when you want the result to be predictable. For a first batch, a white-paper foundation with a modest addition of color gives you room to learn how your chosen scraps translate into a finished sheet.
The useful goal is not to find a perfect universal scrap list; it is to select paper that fits the intended page, remove materials that do not belong in pulp, and test uncertain colors or surfaces before scaling up. Once you know how your own mix dries, you can save that combination as a repeatable starting point for future journaling or creative paper projects.