Once made from the skin of animals such as goats, sheep, or calves, the parchment paper look is now achieved by treating paper from cellulose fibers with sulfuric acid. Parchment paper is characterized by a hard surface, high wet-strength, resistance to grease and dirt. Some imitation parchment paper has the mottled parchment look printed onto the paper. Parchment papers come in many colors although dirty white or light brown shades are often used for an aged look.
Finer quality parchment paper is known as vellum. A more burn-resistant form of parchment, also called baking parchment paper, is used in baking to prevent food from sticking to baking pans.
Although no longer in widespread use, some college diplomas still use animal skin parchment. Whether real or imitation, such diplomas are commonly referred to as sheepskins.
