Pretreatment of wood chips with some microorganisms including white-rot fungi and streptomyces improves the strength properties of mechanical pulps. We studied the effect of these white-rot fungi and streptomyces on the mechanical properties of handsheets. Strength and optical properties were compared in handsheets prepared from mechanical pulp of treated and untreated wood chips. The fungal pretreatments resulted in handsheet strength properties better than the control and also better than streptomyces when compared at an equivalent freeness. Fungal pretreatments decreased brightness and light-scattering coefficients but did not adversely affect opacity. Lignin content of the chips was reduced by fungal pretreatments.