Newsprint

Rex A. Martin

Newsprint refers to the low-quality, nonarchival type of paper normally used to publish newspapers. Made from wood pulp, it is thin enough to be economically manufactured, but thick enough to be printed on both sides. Combined with advances in the technology of printing presses, the availability of low-cost newsprint beginning in the 1840s allowed newspaper publishers to offer their product at prices affordable by the working class. The first American newspaper to be printed exclusively on newsprint was the Boston Weekly Journal , commencing in January 1863. The majority of people could now afford to buy a paper on a regular basis, making newspapers a true “mass medium.” Charles Fenerty of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is generally credited with making the first newsprint paper from wood fiber in 1838. He had been hired by a local paper mill to maintain an adequate supply of cotton and linen rags (then used to ...

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