Laid Paper is produced by a process involving wire meshes that leave a pattern on the paper resembling a Venetian blind.
This pattern is barely visible on one side of a page when the light strikes it from above, as when the book is being read, as shown at left; it only becomes noticeable when the page is held up to the light.
This gives the paper a subtle distinction that is not obtrusive. Without hindering easy reading in the least, it lends the book an air of timeless dignity.
Laid paper can also be seen in the Sinai MSS of St. Isaac’s Homilies seen here, where the mesh pattern runs vertically rather than horizontally.
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