Vellum

Writing support that is made specifically of the untanned skins of young calves (veal). Vellum is also denoted for its higher quality, smoothness, and durability as compared to parchment. It was expensive and time consuming to prepare vellum and parchment for manuscript use. The skins often had faults and scarring but these areas were not wasted in the production process. Many manuscript leaves have holes because of flaws in the animal skins.