Paper in Minecraft might seem simple, but it’s a surprisingly versatile item that’s essential for crafting maps, books, and even fireworks! Whether you’re charting new territories, creating a library, or launching dazzling pyrotechnics, knowing how to make paper is a fundamental skill for any Minecraft player. This guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you become a paper-crafting pro in no time.
What You Need to Make Paper in Minecraft
Before diving into the crafting process, let’s gather the necessary materials. Luckily, making paper in Minecraft is quite straightforward and only requires one easily obtainable resource:
Sugar Cane: Your Key Ingredient
Sugar cane is the heart of paper production in Minecraft. This plant typically grows near water sources in the Overworld, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. You’ll recognize it as tall, green stalks that resemble bamboo.
Alt text: Sugar canes growing along a river bank in Minecraft, the primary ingredient for making paper.
Sugar cane is renewable and relatively easy to farm. Once you find a patch, you can harvest it and replant the stalks to create your own sugar cane farm for a steady supply of paper-making material.
Crafting Table: Your Workbench
To craft paper, you’ll need a crafting table. If you’re just starting in Minecraft, you can easily craft a crafting table from wood planks. Simply gather some logs from trees, convert them into planks, and then arrange four planks in a square in your inventory crafting grid.
Alt text: The 3×3 crafting grid of a crafting table in Minecraft, necessary for creating paper and other advanced items.
A crafting table provides you with a 3×3 crafting grid, which is essential for creating a wide range of items in Minecraft, including paper.
Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Paper in Minecraft
Now that you have your sugar cane and crafting table ready, let’s get crafting! Follow these simple steps to make paper in Minecraft:
Step 1: Open Your Crafting Table
First, place your crafting table on the ground in a convenient location. Approach the crafting table and interact with it (right-click on PC, use the left trigger on consoles, or tap on mobile) to open the crafting menu. You will see the 3×3 crafting grid interface.
Step 2: Place Sugar Cane
In the crafting menu, locate the 3×3 crafting grid. To make paper, you need to place 3 sugar canes in a row within this grid. The recipe is specific:
- Place 3 sugar canes in any horizontal row of the crafting grid. The most common and intuitive way is to place them in the middle row, filling all three slots.
Alt text: Minecraft crafting recipe for paper, showing three sugar canes placed horizontally in the middle row of the crafting grid.
As you place the sugar canes correctly, you’ll notice paper appearing in the result box to the right of the crafting grid. Crafting paper yields 3 pieces of paper for every 3 sugar canes used.
Step 3: Move Paper to Your Inventory
Once the paper appears in the result box, simply click or drag it to your inventory to collect it. Congratulations! You’ve successfully crafted paper in Minecraft. You can now craft more paper as needed, as long as you have sugar canes.
Alt text: Three pieces of paper, the result of crafting sugar canes in Minecraft, ready to be moved to the player inventory.
Finding Paper in Creative Mode
If you’re playing in Creative Mode, crafting paper is unnecessary as you have access to all items directly from the Creative Inventory. Here’s where to find paper depending on your Minecraft version:
Java Edition (PC/Mac):
- Versions 1.8 – 1.19: Miscellaneous tab
- Versions 1.19.3 – 1.21.1: Ingredients tab
Pocket Edition (PE) / Bedrock Edition:
- Versions 0.14.1 – 1.1.3: Miscellaneous tab
- Versions 1.2 – 1.21.0: Items tab
Xbox Editions:
- Xbox 360 (TU35 – TU69) & Xbox One (CU23 – CU43): Miscellaneous tab
- Xbox One (1.2.5 – 1.21.0): Items tab
PlayStation Editions:
- PS3 (1.26 – 1.76) & PS4 (1.26 – 1.91): Miscellaneous tab
- PS4 (1.14.0 – 1.21.0): Items tab
Nintendo Switch:
- Patch 3 – Patch 38 (Wii U) & 1.04 – 1.11 (Switch): Miscellaneous tab
- Switch (1.5.0 – 1.21.0): Items tab
Windows 10 Edition / Bedrock Edition:
- Versions 0.14.1 – 1.1.3: Miscellaneous tab
- Versions 1.2 – 1.21.0: Items tab
Education Edition:
- Versions 0.14.2 – 1.0.18: Miscellaneous tab
- Versions 1.0.21 – 1.21.03: Items tab
Simply navigate to the specified tab in your Creative Inventory and locate the paper icon to add it to your hotbar or inventory.
What Can You Do with Paper in Minecraft?
Paper is more than just a basic item; it’s a stepping stone to crafting more advanced and useful items in Minecraft. Here are some key things you can create with paper:
- Maps: Paper is crucial for making maps, which are essential for exploration and navigation. You can create blank maps to chart your surroundings or combine paper with a compass to make locator maps that show your position.
- Books: Combine paper and leather to craft books. Books are used to create bookshelves for enchanting setups and are also a key component in crafting enchanted books.
- Cartography Tables: Paper is used in crafting cartography tables, which are incredibly useful for map-related activities. Cartography tables allow you to zoom, clone, extend, and rename maps.
- Banners Patterns: Paper combined with specific items can create banner patterns, allowing for customization and decoration of banners with unique designs like creeper faces, skulls, or flowers.
- Fireworks Rockets: Paper is a core ingredient in crafting fireworks rockets. Fireworks are not just for show; they can also be used to boost your elytra flight and are essential for celebratory events in your Minecraft world.
Minecraft Paper Item ID and Give Command (For Advanced Users)
For players who use commands or need to know technical details, here’s the Item ID and Give Command for paper:
Item ID: minecraft:paper
Give Command:
- Java Edition (1.13 and later):
/give @p paper 1 - Java Edition (1.8 – 1.12):
/give @p paper 1 0 - Bedrock Edition (All versions):
/give @p paper 1 0
These commands allow you to directly give yourself paper in the game using the chat console, which can be useful for testing, creative builds, or specific server setups.
Conclusion
Making paper in Minecraft is a simple yet vital process. With just sugar cane and a crafting table, you can produce this fundamental item and unlock a wide range of crafting possibilities. From navigation and exploration with maps to enchanting and decoration with books and banners, paper is more important than you might initially think.
So, get out there, find some sugar cane, and start crafting paper! You’re now well-equipped to utilize paper and enhance your Minecraft adventures. Happy crafting!
