A wire-covered cylinder located toward the end of the forming section of a papermaking machine that is used to squeeze excess water out of the wet paper furnish and even out the formation of the paper web. Raised designs woven into the dandy roll wire are used to add a wove finish or laid finish texture to the paper, as well as a watermark.
The dandy roll was invented in 1826 in England by John Marshall, a maker of molds for watermarking handmade paper. After the invention of the papermaking machine (see Fourdrinier), he developed the dandy roll technique as a means of watermarking machine-made paper. (See also Watermark, Laid Finish, and Wove Finish.)