Non Wood Paper

[An old bloke]

As migo said historical vellum paper like parchment was made from the skin of certain animals.
Then the word vellum was used for high quality rag paper which had a similar finish as the ancient skin vellum. . . .

This process of naming something by a superficial look is prevalent. I find it a nuisance when searching for paper. One cannot search for "linen" paper and expect to find linen.

For some reason "cotton" papers are still made of cotton, but I think that is because the qualities of cotton are more subtle and often even ignored by many people.

A brown block of wood in never called a chocolate bar, but who knows how the language may change in the future.

Then too, a medium. 'vellum' that is made from materials, synthetics for instance, that are cheaper or easier to produce will often be carry on the name as the original fades into obsolescence.

I know that all the vellum I used even 40 years ago was not made from animal skins. In fact, I assumed it was some sort of polymer. Imagine my surprise when I found out it, modern vellum, is actually made from cellulose fibre.