A Paper Ream

 

A paper ream is a package of 500 sheets of paper of the same quality and style that have been cut to the same size. Consumers often purchase paper in the form of reams, while printers may work in even bigger volumes. This amount is also used as unit of base measurement for calculating the weight of paper, which is a reference to its density. Weight is usually indicated with the pound symbol (#), often on the endcap of a ream so that consumers can refer to this information when selecting paper.
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Originally, a paper ream was made up of 20 quires, sheaves consisting of 24 sheets of paper, meaning that a ream actually contained 480 sheets. The definition of “quire” itself has also changed through the ages, but this is an entirely separate issue. To add to the chaos, printers usually purchased reams that contained 516 sheets of paper, to account for potential wastage. Ultimately, many paper companies adopted a 500 sheet standard to reduce confusion.

It is still possible to find a so-called “short ream” of only 480 sheets, however. Short reams are more common with fine or unique papers, but they do crop up in the realm of office supplies as well. Consumers should check for a label that will indicate whether or not a package of paper is a short ream. This can become especially critical for shoppers who are purchasing paper by the case, as a case of ten short reams will fall short of the 5,000 sheets of paper one would expect.