Advertisers were quick to see an opportunity and capitalize on it. (Sorry!)īy the 1950’s, even though fashionable desk sets still included a rocker, many people had found that it was just as effective (and a little more convenient) to simply use blotting paper sheets and press them down on a page by hand. So far we’ve established that fountain pen users were the first rock ‘n rollers. They never quite gained the same popularity, probably because they didn’t work quite as well. These blotter rollers can also be found in antique shops and through online auctions, but not as commonly as the rockers. It could then be rolled over the page to absorb the ink. The basic idea was the same botting paper was wrapped around the roller and glued in place. The paper retained ink far better than felt, and could be replaced quickly and inexpensively.Ī variation on the idea of the rocker was another design in the form of a roller. This highly absorbent blotting paper (with the thickness of a card stock) was easily cut to size and attached to a rocker using a plate and screw. You may also recognize it as very similar to the paper used by watercolor artists. Bibulous paper is a fibrous paper that is also used in laboratories for test strips.

Then, in 1856, the company of Joseph Parker and Son, began producing bibulous paper for ink blotting. This was a marked improvement, but the felt was expensive and tended to become stained before long and could leave marks. These had a piece of felt attached to a curved base, and were used by rocking the felt over the page so that it absorbed the freshly laid down ink. In the early 1800’s, the first “hand blotters” were devised. It worked to a degree, but you only need to go back and read some documents of that era to see that smudging was a problem. Before the invention of ink blotting paper, starting back in the days of quill pens, people would sometimes sprinkle salt on their writing as a way to quickly dry up excess ink.

Handpainted marble ink blotter pad