The Minecraft paper recipe isn’t just for making paper—it unlocks maps, bookshelves, fireworks, and even emerald trades. In this guide, we'll break down six essential reasons to craft paper, along with a step-by-step Minecraft paper recipe to ensure you never run out. 

6 reasons to get the Minecraft recipe for paper

Paper has been a part of Minecraft since early in the game’s development. It was introduced in July 2010, alongside sugarcane and bookshelves, during the sixth Seecret Friday Update. Since then, it helps with exploring, enchanting, flying, trading, and decorating.

1. Helps you explore and make maps

Maps are very useful in Minecraft. They help you find your way, mark important places, and make sure you don’t get lost. To craft a map, you need paper and a compass. If you have a cartography table, you can also expand maps to cover more area. 

Knowing how to make paper means you can always create and update your maps when exploring.

2. Needed for enchanting and bookshelves

If you want strong enchantments for your tools and armor, you need an enchanting table. But to get the best enchantments, you also need bookshelves, which are made using books in Minecraft. Books are crafted with three sheets of paper and one leather. 

If you know how to make paper, you can easily build bookshelves and power up your enchanting table.

3. Used for fireworks and Elytra flight

Fireworks aren’t just for decoration—they are the best way to fly with Elytra wings. To craft a firework rocket, you need paper and gunpowder. The more gunpowder you use, the longer the rocket will fly. You can use up to three gunpowder to increase flight time.

If you want explosion effects, you can add a firework star—up to five firework stars with three gunpowder, or up to seven firework stars if you use them instead of extra gunpowder. If crafted without a firework star, the rocket will not explode, but it will still boost Elytra flight. Knowing how to craft paper ensures you’ll always have enough rockets to keep flying.

4. Good for trading with villagers

Paper is an easy way to get emeralds. In villages, cartographers and librarians will buy 24 sheets of paper for one emerald. This means that if you have a sugarcane farm, you can make lots of paper and trade it for emeralds.

Since emeralds are useful for buying enchanted books, armor, and tools, paper is a great way to get rich in the game.

5. Lets you customize banners and shields

If you like decorating your world, paper is used to create special banner patterns. These patterns let you add unique designs to banners and shields. Some examples include:

• Paper + Creeper Head = Creeper face pattern
• Paper + Oxeye Daisy = Flower pattern
• Paper + Wither Skeleton Skull = Skull and crossbones pattern

Knowing how to craft paper means you can always customize your banners and shields the way you like.

6. Easy to get and farm

Unlike rare materials, paper is easy to make. You just need sugarcane, which grows near water. You can farm sugarcane by planting it on sand or dirt near water.

Once you have a farm, you’ll have an unlimited supply of paper, which makes crafting and trading much easier.

Minecraft paper recipe: How to make a paper in Minecraft

To craft paper, you need:

• 3 Sugarcane

No additional tools or crafting stations are required beyond a crafting table.

Where to find sugarcane

• Near water: Sugarcane grows naturally on sand, dirt, grass, or mud blocks adjacent to water sources in most biomes.
• Villages: Occasionally, sugarcane can be found growing within or near village farms.
• Shipwreck chests: Sugarcane (or paper) can sometimes be found inside chests in shipwrecks.
• Wandering trader: Occasionally sells sugarcane in exchange for emeralds.

Farming sugarcane

Since paper requires a continuous supply of sugarcane, it’s best to create a sugarcane farm.

• Plant sugarcane on dirt, grass, sand, or mud next to a water source.
• Wait for it to grow (up to three blocks high).
• Harvest the top two layers and leave the bottom layer to regrow.
• Expand the farm to increase production.

How to craft a paper in Minecraft in 4 steps

1. To craft paper, open your crafting table to access the 3×3 crafting grid.
2. In the crafting grid, place 3 sugarcane in a horizontal row across the second row.
3. Once the sugarcane is correctly placed, 3 sheets of paper will appear in the output slot.
4. Drag the paper into your inventory to complete the crafting process

Other ways to get paper in Minecraft

If you don’t want to craft paper, you can find it in various structures:

• Shipwreck chests: Commonly contain paper.
• Stronghold libraries: Bookshelves can be broken down into books, which can later be used for crafting.
• Village cartographer chests: Often contain paper, especially in buildings with cartography tables.

Can you make paper without sugar cane in Minecraft?

You can’t make paper without sugar cane in Minecraft. Sugar cane is the only item that works for paper crafting. To make paper, you need to place three sugar canes in a row on the crafting table. This gives you three pieces of paper. No other item or block can replace sugar cane for this recipe. Bamboo, wood, or other plants do not help. If you want to make books, maps, or fireworks, you must grow sugar cane.

Is sugar Cane the same as bamboo in Minecraft?

Sugar cane and bamboo are different items. Sugar cane is used for paper and sugar. Bamboo is used for fuel, scaffolding, and feeding pandas. Bamboo grows faster and taller than sugar cane. You can’t use bamboo to craft paper. They also grow in different ways and have different uses. Sugar cane must grow near water, but bamboo can grow anywhere.