Modern papermaking began in 19th-century France with the invention of the Fourdrinier machine, a device that allowed papermakers to produce sheets continuously, rather than one at a time. Today’s papermaking machines are similar to the Fourdrinier device, using a wire mesh to wring water from pulp. Still, despite its thousand-year history, the pulp and paper industry’s fate is unclear. Environmental and societal factors threaten its image and viability.