Paper is rapidly disappearing from our day-to-day world.
Many readers prefer to view newspapers, magazines, and books in digital format. However, I heard recently that young people, particularly Gen Z, are trending toward paper versions. This is an unexpected discovery as that generation is a “tech-savvy” group. If you are anything like me, you don’t know what ages are considered Gen Z. I looked it up and found out that Gen Z covers those born between 1997 and 2012.
My husband, Peter, spent over 30 years working for Moore Business Forms in Rutland. The company made continuous paper forms. In case you don’t know what those are, a continuous form has holes spaced evenly down each side of a sheet of perforated paper. The holes go into sprocket wheels that move the paper through the printer. Part of my job at City Hall was printing tax and water bills using continuous forms. We kept the top tissue-like copy for our records, and the bottom form was designed for mailing. Various paper reports kept in ledgers were also printed on continuous forms. The larger businesses needed this type of form in order to operate back in the ‘80s. By the late ‘90s, the trend toward inkjet printers using a single sheet of paper was preferred.
On a personal level, back in the ‘50s, I received a box of notepaper every year as a Christmas gift. It got immediate use as I wrote “thank you notes” for the presents I had received. Handwritten notes were also exchanged throughout the year with relatives from out of state and friends who had moved. It didn’t take long to use up a box of stationery. It was always fun to shop for more. There were so many pretty designs.
Pen pals from another country came into elementary school students’ lives. We needed note paper to exchange letters as we got to know one another.
A heavier kind of paper needed in yesteryear was the type used for recipe cards. When someone made an enjoyable dish or dessert, we would ask for the recipe. It wasn’t emailed or texted to you. It was handwritten on a recipe card that usually had the words, “From the kitchen of…”.You are reminded of that person every time you use their recipe. I still have a recipe box made by my handy husband, Peter, that holds recipe cards in my mother’s handwriting and that of my friends. Their memories live on through their recipe cards.
I received notice recently that one of my favorite magazines will be available only in digital format. I received the first one by email recently, and it’s just not the same as turning pages by clicking on an arrow instead of doing it with my fingers. The flower and bird pictures aren’t as enjoyable on a computer screen as when the printed page is in front of me. I guess I had better get used to such changes as I doubt that paper copies will even be available in the future.
One of my biggest surprises regarding the disappearance of paper in our lives was when I was told by my local bank that the main branch no longer cashes checks. I was told they are becoming a “paperless bank” and that I would need to go to their drive-thru to get a check cashed.
A part of history will disappear when no original paper evidence is available to the public that tells what life was like. Having information on individual phones and other devices does not allow the public to put their hands on the original documents, such as those currently in historical societies. When I do research for articles, the best information is often found in letters and various written records. A scanned document is the next best thing, but I am not looking at the actual paper that the person actually wrote on, and I miss that personal connection.
Let’s hope paper will always remain in some form for those who prefer the written word. If it disappears, we may have to go back to writing on stone. Now, wouldn’t that be handy?
