Choosing The Right Kind Of Paper For Your Office

Have you ever seen the sheer amount of options there are for buying paper? There are hundreds! While you may be tempted to close your eyes and pick a ream of paper at random, wait! Keep on reading to learn more about the key features of different paper types and which features would help you meet your printing needs.

First, let’s examine the specifications of bond, weights, and sizes individually.

Bond paper

Bond paper is high-quality with a surface that is well-suited for typing, printing, and photocopying. The name comes from the fact that it used to be used for government bonds. Today, you’ll find bond paper used in letterheads, stationary, and special printing. Additionally, because of its added rag fiber pulp, it is also frequently used by artists for work done with pen, pencils and felt-tip markers. 

Weight of paper

The weight of the product is another important consideration. Weight refers to the weight of a 500-sheet ream of 17″ x 22″ paper. Office paper has a weight of typically ranging from 20 lbs to 32 lbs. There are three common weights: standard, mid, and heavy. 

Standard

Standard (20 lbs) is used for copy machines and plain faxes. Considered the most economic choice, standard works in most electronic machines. 

Mid-weight

Mid weight (22 – 24 lbs) is used in copy machines as well as in inkjet and laser printers. This weight is useful for printed presentations, proposals, double-side printing, and documents going to the customer. With a smoother finish than standard, mid weight still works in most office machines. 

Heavy weight

Heavy weight (28 to 32 lbs) is used for color and black/white laser printing as well as in inkjet printers. Useful for professional presentations, signs/flyers, and heavily handled documents, this paper is the heaviest of the three and gives the best color and smoothest finish. Paper that is heavier looks more professional and lasts longer. 

Paper sizes

There are a variety of sizes when it comes to printing. However office copiers generally use 8-1/2″ x 11″ when printing documents. And one of the most common sizes when printing photos is 4″ x 6″ followed by 5” x 7”.

Specific printing needs

Most day-to-day printing can happen on standard or mid weight office paper. For particular printing needs, the company may need to stock some special kinds: Photo paper (glossy finish) is needed for getting crisp colors and details when printing graphics and photos. Bright white is great for color printing or when black lettering is a priority. Resume paper is perfect for those who want a high-quality for business documents, or legal documents. Card stock is the heaviest usually seen in an office. It is useful for printing signs, flyers, business cards, and postcards.

Come Into Our Office!

The Office Center, Inc. has proudly offered the Eastern New Mexico and West Texas communities with Office Products, Furniture, Equipment and Service for 45 years. We understand what it takes to keep a business office running smoothly and we are ready to help you. We currently utilize 465 vendors with an in-house product database of over 110,000 items, with much more available to us. You can Contact Us through email or Call Us at any time, we are happy to help.