The term "construction paper" was associated with the material in the early 20th century, although the general process for creating the paper began in the late 19th century when industrialized paper production and synthetic dye technology were combined. Around that time, construction paper was primarily advertised for classroom settings as an effective canvas for supporting multiple drawing media. The process for creating the paper involved a machine oriented process that exposed the paper to dyes while it was still pulp, resulting in a thorough distribution and brilliance of colour.
One of the defining features of construction paper is the radiance of its colours. Before the methodology behind construction paper's colouring was introduced, most paper was coloured by pigments and vegetable oil, which had weaker staining capabilities. Synthetic dyes were later developed, which provided a wider range of colours, stronger dyeing strength, and had lower costs. However, the colours given by synthetic dyes tend to fade over short periods of time, an effect often seen in construction paper, noted by greying colours and brittleness.
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