Some of the problems associated with the ¹⁴C dating of paper documents are discussed. Before the 1840's, paper was made from shredded and pulped cellulose rags (cotton and linen) that may have been quite old at the time they were used for the paper manufacture. After ca. 1840 wood pulp was used instead, which averages the age of the de-barked trees from which it is made and may incorporate material representing 100 years or more of growth. Thus, the ¹⁴C date for a paper document should be significantly older than its purported historical date. It is recommended that a document undergo a detailed technical examination before being submitted for ¹⁴C dating, and that the ¹⁴C dating be done only as a last resort if the examination does not reveal enough diagnostic features to provide a date for the document. A careful technical examination is likely to give a more precise attribution than can be achieved by ¹⁴C dating. The best use of the ¹⁴C method on paper documents is for purposes of invalidation, in cases where a supposedly early document can be found to incorporate recent materials. -- AATA