deckle edge

American  

noun

1. the irregular, untrimmed edge of handmade paper, often used for ornamental effect in fine books and stationery, now often produced artificially on machine-made paper.

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deckle edge British  

noun

1. the rough edge of handmade paper, caused by pulp seeping between the mould and the deckle: often left as ornamentation in fine books and writing papers

2. a trimmed edge imitating this

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Other Word Forms

• deckle-edged adjective

Etymology

Origin of deckle edge

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

There’s a man’s face and a woman’s head and shoulders, inked on to what at first looks like vellum, with deckle edges like an old book.

From The Guardian

It was a simple black journal with leather front and back covers, and pages with a deckle edge.

From Literature

And she'd have stationery made—blue with a deckle edge, her name and fancy address in swirling type across the top: Grace Windsor Wexler, Sunset Towers on the Lake Shore.

From Literature

Their publicity material warmly extols their “French flaps,” “deckle edge” and “handy, giftable trim size.”

From New York Times

Some editions can command higher prices, like the $35 list price of a new translation of "The Iliad" by Stephen Mitchell that has a red silk placeholder, deckle edges, embossing and an extra-heavy paper stock.

From Seattle Times