Timothy posted some great information about hemp oil yesterday. (check out his comment)
Both flax and hemp could be considered the printer’s plants. There is more than a little elegance here: Flax oil (linseed oil) for printing and the flax (linen) fiber for papermaking.
Hemp is a superior (and the original) fiber for papermaking. Hemp paper paired with hemp-oil based printing inks, would be elegant indeed. I’ve handled enough rare books (printed from 1462 through the 18th century) printed on hempen rag paper, to know how beautiful and durable a fiber hemp is.
In the “old days” – most clothing made and worn by rural people – was made from hemp. The hemp was grown locally in Europe and woven into fabric. Clothes were washed and worn until they tattered. “Ragmen” or “Ragpickers” visited farms, small villages and cities, buying up the old clothes. (We’ve all heard of “rag paper” - this is where the term came from.)
Many of the beautiful early books were printed on hempen rag paper. During the mid 1990′s some small companies were making some really nice hemp and cotton rag paper. Made at regular, commerical papermills, these papers were completely ‘normal’ looking — and printed beautifully.
Unfortunately, these pioneering companies were competing in the paper commodity market, and the paper didn’t sell well. Hopefully, hemp paper printed with hemp-oil based inks is in the near future.