"Newsprint is made up of many wood fibers. The fibers are placed on printers in pulp form, consisting of 80 to 90 percent water-the newsprint dries while in the machine. The printing machines are designed to line up the fibers in a horizontal position to add tear strength to the sheet vertically. The basic purpose of lining up the fibers in one direction is simply to add stability to the sheet when the press is running. According to Ralph E. Eary, national director of production and engineering for the newspaper division of Scripps Howard, "All standard size newspapers are printed vertically on an unwound sheet of newsprint." A rip in one sheet endangers the whole printing process, and at best costs money and time. In other words, the finished newspaper has a grain, just as a piece of meat or linen has a grain. ( Even notice how hard it is to tear a bedsheet in one direction and how easy in another ? ) When you rip the newspaper vertically, you are tearing with the grain, or more accurately, between grains. The same principle is in effect when one consumes Twizzlers brand licorice. Individual pieces rip off easily if you tear between the slices; only Conan could rip off pieces horizontally."