The article analyzes the views of P. A. Kartavov on the study of the history of stationary production in Russia. P. A. Kartavov’s printed works on this problem are not numerous and do not give any information about the scope of his research activities or about his approach to this problem. The most informative source about it is P. A. Kartavov’s correspondence with the institutions to which he planned to transfer his collection of historical paper samples at different times: the Institute of Book, Script and Document, Academy of Sciences of the USSR (between 1932 and 1935) and the State Literary Museum (1939-1941). From this correspondence it follows that ideas of P. Kartavov were similar to those of distinguished researchers of the turn of the 20th century: N. A. Reztsov and N. P. Likhachev: a sheet of paper was perceived by them in organic connection with the history of the paper industry.