Canson® was founded in 1557 and its illustrious history includes the prestigious appointment to Manufacture Royale in 1784 by Louis XVI and the invention of the Air Balloon, made with Canson® paper in 1782. In 1865, Canson® was granted an international patent for the improvement of albumen paper, the first commercially exploitable method of producing a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. This patent simplified the photo printing process, improved the quality of the print, while making the process less expensive.