Originally, vellum referred to a translucent white writing surface made by the Hebrews before 1000 BCE. It was prepared from untanned calfskin by drying it under tension after it was cleaned, dehaired, and scraped. After it was stretched, it was polished with pumice - an abrasive - and talc - a filler - as a final preparation for writing. In the Middle Ages, illuminated manuscripts were prepared on vellum, as were other documents.

Later, vellum was prepared from the skins of stillborn animals. Sometimes, goatskin or sheepskin was used to make parchment referred to as vellum. The names parchment and vellum are sometimes used interchangeably. Besides being used for writing, vellum, or parchment, was used to make drumheads and lampshades.

In the late 19th century, a paper product with properties similar to vellum was created by treating and embossing wood pulp and/or cotton fiber. Called vellum paper, imitation vellum, vegetable vellum, or Japanese vellum, this paper is thick, ivory colored, and semi-translucent, with a low gloss.

Today, vellum paper is available in a wide variety of colors for documents, diplomas, card making, wedding programs, birth announcements, tracing, and scrapbooking. Vellum paper comes in white and cream varieties, as well as pastels, bright colors and pinstripes. Marbled vellum paper is another option, and metallic and speckled designs can also be found. Embossed vellum can also be purchased, and often the embossing is gold.

Vellum paper ranges from lighter textweight at 60 grams per square meter (gsm) to heavy textweight at 110 gsm. Envelopes made of vellum paper are also available.

Vellum and parchment - not the imitation - are still used for drumheads today. Calfskin and goatskin are both sold for replacement drum heads for ethnic hand drums — like the bodhran, ashiko, bendir, cuica, pandeiro, djembe, doumbek, and rik — and come in a variety of diameters to provide a good fit. Vellum and parchment are also still used for lampshades. If you chose an imitation vellum or parchment shade, check to be sure that it can handle the heat that will be generated by the lamp.