What is blank paper?

Answer 1

Paper is an object made out of cellulose fiber, usually of wood, and it has unusual dimensions. 8 inches by 10 inches is it's approximate length and width, but the depth is very small, not able to be measured adequately by such standard units as inches, or even millimeters. It often comes in other lengths and widths, but it's thinness is always the same. (Well, even the thinness can vary, but for practical purposes, not by much.)

While often times it comes with things already printed on it - such as words or pictures - it can come without any of those things. Then we call it "Blank Paper", to signify that it is not yet marked upon.

Such blank papers can be obtained in packets, or if one wishes, an entire book of blank paper may be had. These are popular for private diaries. Ordinary loose blank paper is popular for writing notes and doing mathematical computations without a calculator. In some cases, it is used as an aid to pass time or brainstorm, and in those cases, random drawings called "doodles" are marked upon it.

Some papers have lines drawn on them in a neat and orderly fashion, and some people like this because they can then write between those lines guaranteeing a uniform height of the letters. Others find such lined paper to be handy for keeping a ledger.

Purists would not refer to "lined paper" as "blank paper", though "lined paper" may be refered to as "blank" in the sense that no additional marks have been placed upon it.