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Copy paper is the most frequently utilized office consumable, and its quality significantly influences operational efficiency, document aesthetics, and equipment reliability. Suboptimal paper may lead to mechanical malfunctions-including paper jams, multi-sheet feeding, curling, or wrinkling-thereby disrupting workflow and increasing maintenance demands. Consequently, informed procurement of copy paper requires a systematic understanding of its technical specifications, performance grades, and storage requirements.
I. Quality Grading System
Office copy paper is classified into three tiers based on raw materials, manufacturing standards, and functional suitability:
- Grade A (Premium): Intended for external-facing documents requiring high fidelity and professional presentation. Composed exclusively of 100% elemental chlorine-free (ECF) or totally chlorine-free (TCF) virgin wood pulp; features AKD neutral sizing, optimized moisture content (4.5–5.5%), negligible dust generation, superior stiffness, and anti-static treatment to prevent multi-sheet feeding. Surface finish is uniform, with controlled whiteness (typically 102–106 ISO brightness) to balance visual clarity and ocular comfort.
- Grade B (Standard): Designed for high-volume internal or semi-official duplication tasks. Incorporates a blend of virgin and recycled fibers (with ≥70% virgin content in reputable formulations); employs AKD sizing and moderate anti-static treatment. Exhibits slightly lower whiteness (98–102 ISO), reduced basis weight consistency, and marginally lower stiffness-occasionally resulting in minor paper adhesion or faint background shading under sustained use. Represents a cost-effective balance between performance and economy.
- Grade C (Economy): Primarily suited for draft printing and non-critical internal use. May contain higher proportions of recycled fiber and filler; lacks rigorous anti-static processing and dimensional stability control. Susceptible to jamming, inconsistent toner adhesion (leading to dark or blurred characters), curling, and rapid degradation under suboptimal environmental conditions. Not recommended for high-speed or high-duty-cycle devices.
II. Key Technical Parameters for Evaluation
1. Basis Weight (Grammage): Expressed in grams per square meter (g/m²). Standard electrostatic copy paper ranges from 64 g/m² to 80 g/m². Higher grammage generally correlates with improved stiffness, opacity, and runnability-but must be compatible with device specifications.
2. Density and Fiber Structure: Optimal density ensures uniform fiber distribution, minimizing dust generation and background contamination while enhancing image resolution and toner fixation. Low-density paper risks fiber shedding, leading to copier contamination and grayish background artifacts.
3. Stiffness (Bending Resistance): Critical for reliable sheet transport through automated feed paths. Insufficient stiffness increases susceptibility to wrinkling, skewing, and jamming-particularly at high speeds or in humid environments.
4. Surface Brightness and Whiteness: Measured per ISO 2470 (diffuse reflectance). While higher brightness improves contrast, excessive values (>108 ISO) may impair toner fusion and contribute to visual fatigue. Ideal range: 98–106 ISO.
5. Moisture Content: Must be tightly controlled within 4.5–5.5%. Elevated moisture compromises electrical resistivity, causing weak image transfer, background shading, and static-related feeding errors. Conversely, excessively dry paper (<4.0%) becomes brittle and prone to edge cracking.
6. Dimensional Stability & Size Standards:
- Copy paper adheres to ISO 216 (A-series) and ISO 269 (B-series) formats. Common sizes include A3 (297 × 420 mm), A4 (210 × 297 mm), A5 (148 × 210 mm), B4 (250 × 353 mm), B5 (176 × 250 mm), and B6 (125 × 176 mm).
- Untrimmed variants (e.g., RA4, SRA4) provide margin for precision trimming and are commonly used in commercial printing; trimmed dimensions conform strictly to ISO tolerances (±1 mm).
- Magnification/reduction copying requires proportional size matching: e.g., A3 original enlarged at 122% requires B3 paper; reduced at 80% requires B4; reduced at 70% requires A4.
III. Packaging and Storage Guidelines
- Packaging: Premium-grade paper is sealed in laminated, moisture-barrier packaging (e.g., polyethylene-coated kraft paper) to maintain humidity integrity and extend shelf life. Standard packages contain 500 sheets (±2 sheets), complying with ISO 4046 and consumer protection norms.
- Storage Conditions:
• Temperature: 10–30 °C
• Relative Humidity: 30–70% RH
• Avoid direct sunlight, fluorescent exposure, heat sources, and dusty environments.
• Retain paper in original packaging until immediate use.
• Elevate palletized stock ≥20 cm above floor level to mitigate ground moisture ingress.
• Maintain ≥20 cm clearance from walls to ensure adequate air circulation.
IV. Practical Selection Checklist
Specification of copy paper:
1. Paper size specification
The specification of paper refers to the size of the paper after it is made and trimmed to a certain dimension. In the past, the size of the paper was indicated by the number of "sheets" (such as 8 sheets or 16 sheets, etc.). Now, the international standard is generally adopted, and the paper size is marked with A0, A1, A2, B1, B2... etc. The standard stipulates that the ratio of the width (represented by X) to the length (represented by Y) of the paper is X : Y = 1 : .
According to the basic area of the paper size, the size specifications are divided into A series, B series and C series. The size specification of A0 is 841mm × 1189mm, with an area of 1 square meter; B0 is 1000mm × 1414mm, with an area of 2.5 square meters; C0 is 917mm × 1279mm, with an area of 2.25 square meters. The size specifications of copy paper only adopt the A series and B series. If the A0 paper is folded in half along the length direction, it becomes the A1 specification; if the A paper is folded along the length direction, it becomes the A2 specification, and so on, until the A8 specification; B8 paper is also folded in the same way to become the B8 specification. The size specifications of A0 to A8 and B0 to B8 are listed in the following table. Among them, the 7 size specifications of A3, A4, A5, A6 and B4, B5, B6 are the commonly used size specifications for copy paper.
If an additional letter 'R' (or 'S') is added before the letter indicating the paper size, it means that the paper does not have a trimmed edge. After edge trimming, it will be reduced to the standard size. For example, RA4 (or SA4) indicates that the size of the paper without trimming is 240mm × 330mm, and after edge trimming, its size becomes 210mm × 297mm.
When performing magnification or reduction copying, the size specifications of the copying paper used have a corresponding relationship, as shown in the following figure, which serves as a reference for choosing the size specification of the copying paper for variable magnification copying; for example, if an A3-sized original is magnified at a ratio of 1:1.22, the copying paper should be of B3 size; if the magnification is reduced at a ratio of 1:0.8, the copying paper should be of B4 size; if the magnification is reduced at a ratio of 1:0.7, the copying paper should be of A4 size. The three framed specifications of A5, B5, and B6 in the table represent rarely used sizes.
II. Selection of Copy Paper
The thickness of the paper
The thickness of paper is usually expressed by the weight (in grams) per square meter. The thickness specification for general electrostatic copying paper is 64 to 80 grams per square meter.
2. The density of paper
The density of paper refers to the degree of density and thickness of the paper fibers. If the fibers of the paper are too sparse and too thick (that is, the density difference is large), the resolution of the copied image will be poor, and it is also prone to produce paper fibers and debris, which can dirty the copier and cause a background gray color on the copied document. Therefore, it is advisable to use high-density copy paper.
3. Paper stiffness
The stiffness of paper refers to the firmness of its texture. If the stiffness is poor, when there is a slight resistance in the paper feeding channel, the paper may wrinkle and even get blocked. Therefore, high-stiffness copy paper should be selected.
4. The surface gloss of the paper
The glossiness of the paper surface refers to the degree of brightness on the paper surface. The color of the paper surface should be white and not grayish. The brightness does not need to be too high; excessively high brightness is not beneficial for the fixation of the image.
5. The degree of paper dryness
If the moisture content of the copy paper is high and the dryness is low, it will reduce the insulation performance of the paper, resulting in a faint image (or handwriting) on the copied document, a large background shadow, and a higher possibility of paper jamming. Therefore, it is necessary to choose copy paper with high dryness. On the other hand, when storing the paper, it is important to prevent moisture and keep it in a dry and ventilated place.
