From a handmade paper mill outside the village of Tarihal near Hubli, in Karnataka, South India. Hubli has the biggest open air cotton market in Asia, which is the raw material of the Khadi papers. The mill directly employs over 50 men and women from local villages and indirectly provides work for bookbinders, printers, envelope makers, and the carpenter Irrappa, who makes their moulds and deckles. It is also an organic farm, irrigated by run-off water from the paper mill.
Khadi rag papers are made from 100% cotton rag, which have longer fibers than linters that are generally used in papermaking. These genuine rag papers are known for their exceptional strength and durability. The cotton rag comes from T-shirt cuttings, a reliable source of pure woven cotton.
Rags are pulped in a Hollandar beater. Neutral pH internal sizing is added at this stage. They are the only genuinely acid free handmade rag papers in India. After drying, sheets are tub sized (surface sized) with gelatine, which produces a hard, water resistant surface. This is the traditional way of sizing paper for watercolor, allowing watercolor to be worked over the surface without penetrating the paper. They can be used with all painting and drawing media. For painting in oils, they should be primed with gesso or acrylic primer. None of the papers are made from wood pulp and there is no negative impact on India's forest resources. No chlorine, bleaches, or harmful chemicals are used in any of the papers.
