dandy roll

The term "dandy roll" refers to a specific piece of technology used in papermaking. It is a light, wire-covered roll that rides on the wet web of paper as it is formed on a Fourdrinier machine.12

The primary functions of the dandy roll are to compact the paper sheet and, importantly, to impress a watermark onto the paper. Watermarks are designs created by varying the thickness of paper fibers during the wet stage of papermaking, making the design visible when held to a light source. This technology allows for the identification of paper manufacturers or grades and has historical uses in detecting counterfeiting.13