Paper is an important basic material that has many uses in Minecraft survival mode. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about crafting and obtaining paper efficiently.
What is Paper Used for in Minecraft
Before learning how to make it, you need to understand why paper is important in Minecraft:
- Crafting Books and Maps – Paper is used to craft books, bookshelves, maps, banners and cartography tables. Without paper, you cannot create these vital items for enchanting, storing information, navigation and decoration.
- Trading with Villagers – Many villagers like librarians and cartographers take paper as part of their trades. Trading with villagers allows you to obtain rare items like enchanted books, name tags and saddles.
- Making Fireworks – Paper is a key ingredient needed to create firework rockets and firework stars.
- Decoration – Paper can be used decoratively as a building material to add detail to structures.
How to Craft Paper in Minecraft
Paper is crafted from sugar cane at a crafting table. Here is the recipe:
3 sugar cane placed vertically in the crafting grid = 3 paper
To craft paper you need to:
- Grow and harvest sugar cane – Sugar cane is typically found near water or rivers. You can break it with any tool or by hand. Replant some canes to create a farm.
- Craft sugar cane into paper – Take the harvested sugar cane to a crafting table. Place 3 sugar canes vertically in the grid to craft 3 paper.
Efficiently Farming Sugar Cane
Since paper requires lots of sugar cane, you’ll want an efficient farm. Here are tips:
- Plant sugar cane near water so it grows faster and has hydrated farmland
- Make rows with 1 block space between so you can walk between and harvest
- Build walls around the farm so sugar cane doesn’t fall into water currents
- Build your farm near your base for easy access
- Make it at least 10×10 blocks in size for decent yields
Automated Sugar Cane Farms
For very large paper production, you can build automated sugar cane farms using pistons or minecarts to break and collect the sugar cane. These farms provide you with chests full of sugar cane constantly.
Using Paper Efficiently
Follow these tips to avoid wasting paper:
- Only craft the books, maps, fireworks and other items you need
- Use an item sorter system to automatically sort out and store excess paper
- Build near a village and trade excess paper with librarians for emeralds and books
- Compost extra paper for bone meal to grow crops
Renewably Obtaining Paper
You can also obtain paper more renewably from:
- Fishing – you have a small chance of catching paper from fishing
- Finding dungeons – chests in dungeons can contain paper
- Raiding woodland mansion chests – they often contain paper
- Trading with wandering traders – they may sell paper
