Abstract
Korea traditional handmade paper, Hanji, has been known for more than thousand years for its high strength, high whiteness, high gloss, good ink reception and long lasting quality. Main component fiber of the Hanji is called 'Dak', which is the bast fiber of the Korea paper mulberry ($\textit{Broussonetia kazinoki}$). Dak has long fiber length, and high cellulose DP, if processed properly. The quality of Hanji is partly from the superior quality of Dak over wood fiber, and partly from the traditional papermaking process. The traditional papermaking process includes pulping, bleaching, refining, use of natural polymer, and sheet making process. Every traditional process has its special role. Comparisons between the modern papermaking technology and the traditional process were made in this study. The traditional process effectively protected cellulose DP in pulping and bleaching process, protected fiber length in refining process, and developed the high strength in the sheet forming process over the modern papermaking process.
