# paper (material)

a flat piece of material to make text or print

- Computed level: L16 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: object

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [matter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-matter.substance), [structure](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-structure.arrangement), [flat](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-flat.commonsurfacegeometry), [make](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-make.verb), [material](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-material.physical), [piece](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-piece.portion), [print](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-print.material), [text](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-text.written)

**Through:** substance and arrangement interact through make.verb to form a persistent flat piece of material

**Novel properties:**
- flatness with persistence
- capacity for marked information
- tactile surface uniformity

## Examples
- The Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1455 on linen paper, survives in 49 copies from the first major book printed with movable metal type. *(history)*
- A single sheet of standard A4 paper, 0.1 mm thick, supports text from an inkjet printer in office environments. *(everydaylife)*
- The Library of Congress preserves the 1501 Aldine edition of Aristotle on handmade rag paper, fragile after 500 years. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [document](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-document.record) (L17)
- [letter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-letter.written) (L17)
- [magazine](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-magazine.publication) (L17)
- [printer](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-printer.tool) (L17)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-paper.material*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-paper.material.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*