# Looking for a box to snugly hold a ream of paper. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 8, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444 "2010-10-08T01:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/1 "2010-10-08T01:27:00Z")
Looking for a box to snugly hold a ream of paper. Similar to a copy machine tray or laser disk tray. Only with a tight fitting lid. I don’t use a lot of special paper. My day to day printing is on the cheapest copy paper I can buy. I keep a ream of 24 lb bright white for publisher and printshop projects. I also keep a ream of legal size paper. Like most folks, I store it on a shelf in the wrapper with the end torn off. After 8 or 10 months there’s dust on the paper and it starts yellowing after a year. I always wind up throwing it out after two years. A semi clear plastic box with a spring loaded paper stop would be ideal. The paper wouldn’t shift around and be less likely to jam in the printer. If all else fails, I may buy a surplus copy machine tray off ebay. But they don’t have tight fitting lids and dust can collect at the open end. Google for paper, box is pretty much useless. I asked at Office Depot earlier today. Do that make such a thing as what I’m describing? btw, I bought a ream of extra bright white, 24 lb. at Office Depot today. $8.50 :smack: It doesn’t even come in a paper wrapper. It’s some kind of cheap poly plastic that will tear easily and seal even worse than the old paper ones. Plastic tends to unroll/unwrap much worse than paper wrappers. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/2 "2010-10-08T01:41:32Z")
My letterhead came from the print shop in a ream-sized box with a lid. Maybe ask at your friendly local quick-print shop. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/3 "2010-10-08T01:49:33Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > My letterhead came from the print shop in a ream-sized box with a lid. Maybe ask at your friendly local quick-print shop. I _know_ I have a box like what the OP is looking for at work somewhere…where is it? What’s in it??? Letterhead! As soon as I realized that, my first thought was to head over to a local print shop. Kinko’s will have something. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/4 "2010-10-08T01:57:18Z")
😉 Great idea. I’ll stop by at Kinkos. Also, we have a print shop at work. I’ll ask them too. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/5 "2010-10-08T03:30:21Z")
What size scales does America use? A4? Foolscap? What is “legal” size? Anyway, I looked up “A4 tray” and [this was top of the list](http://www.certwood.com/products/storsystem/a4-a3-plastic-storage-trays). ---
**Author:** ![Silophant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Silophant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silophant)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/6 "2010-10-08T03:38:27Z")
Standard paper size is 8.5" x 11", a little wider and a little shorter than A4. Legal size is 8.5" x 14", because of course, lawyers take more words to say the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/7 "2010-10-08T03:52:00Z")
[This](http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/tan-truecore-dropfront-box-16-x-20-x-5/archival-flat-storage-boxes/) will do exactly what you want, and the drop-front makes it easy to pull off just one or two sheets without wrinkling. The size you’d need is at the very bottom and costs about $13. [These](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10115487) are a lot cheaper, but they’re probably too big - the paper will knock around in all that extra space. [QUOTE=GuanoLad] What size scales does America use? A4? Foolscap? What is “legal” size? [/quote] At the human level,\* we use inches. Our normal paper is “letter” size, which measures 8.5 x 11 inches. Overseas, you may find it called “American Quarto.” “Legal” size is 8.5 x 14 inches. Ironically, legal size paper has become illegal in most courts - the standard paper size now for legal filings is letter. Foolscap is pretty much unheard of in the US - the closest we get is “tabloid” - 17 x 11 inches. [A4 is a noodge skinnier than letter and a bit longer than letter.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A_size_illustration2_with_letter_and_legal.svg) Just to be absurd, the US Government used to have its own standard paper size - 8 x 10.5 inches. Mercifully, the Feds switched to standard letter in the Reagan years. - As opposed to whatever’s being used to print books or newspapers, for which there’s no firm standard - the names for different size newspapers could fill a thread on their own. (Tabloid, broadsheet, magatab, tabazine, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/8 "2010-10-08T04:28:52Z")
America sure seems resistant to adopting [world standards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size#The_international_standard:_ISO_216). [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Today the standard has been adopted by all countries in the world except the United States and Canada [/QUOTE] Not that the A-system makes a huge amount of sense, but at least it’s consistently standardised. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/9 "2010-10-08T11:40:09Z")
Perfect. Exactly what I need. I may not need to buy another ream of 24# for years. 😉 You need heavier paper for Ms Publisher and projects with graphics.Keeps the ink from bleeding through. thanks! > [@](#): > > This will do exactly what you want, and the drop-front makes it easy to pull off just one or two sheets without wrinkling. The size you’d need is at the very bottom and costs about $13. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/10 "2010-10-08T12:04:37Z")
I use [these](http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=474&ProductCategory=0§ion=0) plastic boxes, or the related 3 drawer stacker (item #1791) to store my paper. They are available just about anywhere plastic storage boxes are sold, like WalMart and Target, though I bought mine at Marc’s for under $5. The [drawers](http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=329&picture=1&tab=Description&ProductCategory=186§ion=0) hold the paper more snugly, but I swear I’m going to start a Pit thread soon about companies that photograph their clear and white products against a white background so they become invisible. Do they never look at their websites? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/11 "2010-10-08T13:56:59Z")
Ikea (and tons of other places) sells a lot of office organizer boxes. I think you’ve already found your solution, but shops like these might be worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/12 "2010-10-08T15:36:32Z")
I have to help to offer, but every time that I read the title, I keep coming up with, “Looking for a box to hold a snuggly ream of paper.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/13 "2010-10-09T06:03:44Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Perfect. Exactly what I need. I may not need to buy another ream of 24# for years. 😉 You need heavier paper for Ms Publisher and projects with graphics.Keeps the ink from bleeding through. > > thanks! > > > [@](#): > > > > This will do exactly what you want, and the drop-front makes it easy to pull off just one or two sheets without wrinkling. The size you’d need is at the very bottom and costs about $13. Actually, no. There are higher-opacity 20# papers on the market that will prevent bleedthrough. I agree, though, that normal “Xerox” paper is insufficiently opaque for graphics. If weight of the finished product is a consideration, check around for the high-opacity stuff. FWIW – 20# paper weighs exactly five pounds per unwrapped 8.5x11 ream, assuming no absorption of moisture. The 20# measure is based on the weight of a ream of uncut 17x22 unfolded-tabloid sheets (“tabloid” 11x17 being half of one – think of a newspaper where pages 1 and 2 along with the back page and what is on its inside face are a single sheet, likewise pages 3 and 4 with the antepenultimate and pre-antepenultimate pages, etc.) 24# paper likewise weighs six pounds per ream, 30# “heavy stock” 7.5 pounds per ream, and 70# cover stock 17.5 pounds per ream. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/14 "2010-10-09T06:09:22Z")
I have absolutely nothing worth reading to contribute to this thread. I just want to say that I wish I was funny enough to think of a witty response to a question that involves the words “snugly,” “hold” and “ream.” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/15 "2010-10-09T17:08:03Z")
The box you’re looking for is called a “stationery box”. It holds a ream of paper. Any print shop should be able to sell (or give) you one. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > America sure seems resistant to adopting [world standards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size#The_international_standard:_ISO_216). > > Not that the A-system makes a huge amount of sense, but at least it’s consistently standardised. The A-system is the one thing that DOES make sense. I can’t deal with metric, but in the printing industry, the A system would improve things a lot. Just a basic example: I print a lot of flyers. If someone wants a half-page flyer (5 1/2" x 8 1/2") and decides that they’d also like some letter size (8 1/2" x 11") to go with the order, without doing the math, you’d think that all you have to do is enlarge the image. But it doesn’t work that way. The proportion changes. When you enlarge, you end up with roughly 3/4" extra margin on the right and left. The same goes for enlarging 8 1/2" x 11" to 11" x 17". (You can however go from 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" to 11" x 17" without a problem.) The A system keeps the proportions the same when you double the paper size. I don’t know the exact proportions, but if you look up the Wikipedia article, it goes into a deeper explanation. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/16 "2010-10-09T22:41:30Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > America sure seems resistant to adopting [world standards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size#The_international_standard:_ISO_216). > > > > Not that the A-system makes a huge amount of sense, but at least it’s consistently standardised. > > The A-system is the one thing that DOES make sense. I can’t deal with metric, but in the printing industry, the A system would improve things a lot. Well, the proportions are a ratio of 1:1.4142857… which is why I said it didn’t make a lot of sense. But now I think about it, it must be hard to find the perfect lengths that would be metrically even and still deliver that proportionate scaling. Hence the compromise of unusual measurements, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/17 "2010-10-11T12:19:29Z")
Well, if you want to split a page in two equal halfs and have these the same aspect ratio as the larger page, an aspect ratio of square root of two is the only way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/18 "2010-10-11T12:45:18Z")
Fair enough. I used to be good at Maths. That was a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/19 "2010-10-11T12:58:36Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > America sure seems resistant to adopting [world standards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size#The_international_standard:_ISO_216). Funny…I always thought the rest of the world was slow to catch up to us. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444/20 "2010-10-12T00:38:39Z")
The 4-litre Really Useful Box serves me well for storing 8.5 x 11" items. > **[Really Useful Boxes Inc - Box Details](https://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/usa/html/boxdetails.php)** > > Really Useful Boxes from Really Useful Boxes Inc. Innovative storage products - strong, versatile plastic storage boxes, archive boxes & accessories including folding trolleys and racking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-box-to-snugly-hold-a-ream-of-paper/556444.md?page=2)