Ancient Egyptians recorded the texts on papyrus scrolls and papyrus is a type of paper made from a plant growing in swamps. They used the black ink to edit the main text, and they wrote from right to left. Some of the scrolls that were found reached about 90 feet (about 30 meters) in length, with detailed illustrations and beautiful colors. Papyrus remains the traditional form of textual recording, through the pharaonic and Greek-Roman ages.

 In the Coptic era, some texts were still inscribed on papyrus; however, animal-made slavery was the favorite and most commonly used material. Papyrus or slavery pages were grouped together in the form of a "binding" package. Several lieutenants or "bundles" were bundled together in a leather or wood wrapper; in a manuscript, similar to the modern form of the book. The manuscripts for individual use were usually smaller; the large manuscripts were used for rituals and rituals as a book of reading placed above the reading (or recitation table in the churches).

 Coptic manuscripts were traditionally black ink, while the red ink was used to inscribe heads or titles that were usually written in capital letters. Other colors, such as blue, green, yellow, silver, and gold, were used to perform decorative shapes, crosses, and pictorial illustrations. The text was recorded, either in one column or in two columns. Historically, Christian texts were first written in Greek; then in Coptic: Arabic. Some Coptic manuscripts were edited in two languages: Coptic, Greek, Coptic and Arabic.

 Traditionally, Coptic manuscripts used two page numbering systems, one for page numbering and the other for numbering the binding or package. The first digit was usually inscribed on the outer upper corner behind the numbered page; the other digit was usually written on the front front page of the binding, as well as behind the last page: the upper two pillars of the page, with decoration in the upper half.

At the end of the manuscript, the Coptic writer edited a concluding paragraph referred to as "colophon"; it contained a short prayer: indicating the date of completion of work, the name and occupation of the author, the place of writing (title of the establishment), the purpose of the document and the owner of the manuscript.

 During the reigns of the Muslim rulers, the art of writing Arabic fonts, illustrative forms, and binding of books flourished. The manuscript form was adopted as a standard in the preparation of the Koran.

 Slavery was the preferred material of manuscript work, and the Koran was still printed on dyed parchment. The chips were folded into four overlapping sheets together to form a binding or "bundle". The binding was made up of five sheets, and several of them were woven together to form a book. The covers were papyrus or wood, covered with leather and decorated with colored or ivory wood. The quarto (a quarter cut), a quarter of the standard standard sheet, was the most commonly used volume; larger sizes were used for special (premium) versions.

 The Arabic texts, written from right to left, were engraved in black ink or dark brown. Red, green, and gold were used to characterize moving and static characters; with shapes, marks, and dots. The heads of the chapters (or the wall in the Koran) were distinguished by bright golden color, and the motifs (round decorations) separated the passages (verses in the Koran). Colored inks and silver and gold colors were used in decoration and glitter.

 The titles of the books were initially short, but they became longer with time; they were sometimes coined in the form of coyotes. The titles of the books and the names of their authors sometimes appear in the export. The librarian identified serial numbers written in letters and entered the page numbers long afterwards. The manuscripts were usually concluded by the name of the writer (calligrapher), the date of completion of the work and the location of the site. Manuscripts and signed copies by well-known scholars or calligraphers were very valuable.

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