The invention of paper is traditionally attributed to the Chinese, but it was actually the Arabs who, after having learned the rudiments of manufacture and made a few improvements, spread the new product throughout the west.

It was a long, arduous process that was completed in the second half of the 13th century in Fabriano, a little town of the Marche inland. The reason for this location, which made Fabriano the most important paper production centre of Europe, is very probably linked to the vicinity of Ancona, a port that was particularly open to trade with the Arab world.

The growing ability of the increasingly numerous and qualified artisans in Fabriano allowed them to make a real leap in terms of quality. Three innovations in particular led to the rise of Fabriano as the cradle of modern papermaking.