system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why does paper feel different after it has been wet and dried?

This may seem pretty basic, but why does paper, after absorbing water and drying, have a much harder/brittle texture than normal paper? I'm not sure how to explain it properly, but the paper is often slightly warped and crustier. Is this a chemical reaction in the paper?

Preemptive thank you for your time.
gpt
Well, in the paper making process, the pulp is strained to create the initial textured/brittle paper, but the process doesn't end there. The textured paper must be put through high pressured steam rollers to create the smooth paper you've come to know. This setting process causes all the fibers to be pressed flat and packed together evenly on the surface. When paper gets wet, it "unsets" itself, breaking up the tension that held the fibers together, again causing the uneven texture it initially had.