Units of paper quantity as ISO 4046. In Europe, the DIN 6730 standard for Paper and Board includes a definition of 1 ream of A4 80gsm (80 g/m) paper equals 500 sheets. The word 'ream' derives from Old French "reyme", from Spanish "resma", from Arabic "rizmah" "bundle" (of paper), from "rasama", "collect into a bundle". (The Moors brought manufacture of cotton paper to Spain.) Early variant rym (late 15c.) suggests a Dutch influence. (cf. Du. "riem"), probably during the time of Spanish Habsburg control of the Netherlands. The number of sheets in a ream has varied locally over the centuries, often according to the
Rice paper like a thicker version of a cricket bat. The fibres are beaten for about half an hour, or until all the fibres have been separated and no longer resemble strips of bark. The prepared fibre can now be made into sheets of paper. A viscous substance called formation aid is added to the vat with the fibre and water. Formation aid is polyethylene oxide, and it helps slow the flow of water, which gives the paper-maker more time to form sheets. Sheets are formed with multiple thin layers of fibre, one on top of another. Edible rice paper is used