Old paper has a mysterious charm. Here are several methods for making common paper appear artfully antique and damaged.
Solvent (tea, coffee, OJ) and Baking
Pick a solvent. To age your paper, you can soak it in coffee (darker color), tea (medium color) or orange juice (light color), or a combination of brewed tea and coffee grounds. If you choose orange juice, you may want to skip the next step.There are a few ways you can make the paper look old, even if its new fresh paper. You can write on it and send it to someone far away or where you live. Do not overdo one of the steps, or it will not turn out as great as you want it to be.
Brew the coffee or tea (optional). For a lighter-colored solvent, use very little coffee or dunk a teabag in a warm mug of water a few times, then remove. For a richer tone, use more coffee grounds than usual or let the tea bag steep in hot water for five minutes. Because making tea and coffee usually requires hot water, let your solvent cool for a bit before using it on your paper – you don’t want to burn your fingers.
Place the paper on a baking or cookie sheet. Make sure the paper can fit inside the sheet easily, without going over the edges.
Pour in the solvent. Start pouring in a corner of the baking sheet, not directly over the paper. Only pour enough liquid to make a small pool beneath the sheet of paper; the paper does not need to be completely covered because it will soak up the solvent beneath it.
Preheat the oven. Set the oven to bake at 200ºF (90ºC). It will be warm by the time your paper is done soaking.
Let the paper soak for five minutes. Allow plenty of time for the paper to absorb the pigment from the solvent. If you notice any dry spots, spoon up some of the liquid and pour it over the paper.
Pour off the excess solvent. Put one finger down on the paper to anchor it to the baking sheet, then tilt the sheet over the sink to drain the leftover liquid. You can also gently transfer the paper to a clean baking sheet, if you prefer.
Modify the paper (optional). Before you put the baking sheet and paper in the oven, you can add a few touches to make the paper seem even older while it’s damp and easy to manipulate. Tear a thin, jagged strip off the side. Or, dig small holes out of the paper with your fingernail; you can crumple these tiny wads and move them to other parts of the paper for a bumpy, parchment-like look. Additionally, you can press down on the paper with something like a fork to leave imprints.
Place the paper and the baking sheet in the oven. If you can, put the sheet on a middle oven rack.
Bake for five to seven minutes. Keep an eye on the paper as it bakes. Once you see the edges starting to curl up, it’s finished.
Remove the paper and allow it to cool. =Give the paper 10 to 15 minutes to cool down before you attempt writing on it.
