Nicolas Louis Robert

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Nicolas Louis Robert

1761-1828

French engineer who invented the "continuous roll" process for making paper. This process, unlike earlier papermaking methods, enabled paper to be manufactured at a rapid rate, as it was continuously spun onto huge rolls as it is made. By so doing, papermaking became much more efficient, allowing large quantities to be turned out at very low cost. This was a vast improvement over previous manual methods that manufactured paper as individual sheets processed by hand.

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