Best Copy Paper

There are many different kinds of copy paper manufactured by many different companies.  Choosing the right and best copy paper  gets confusing.  Which copy paper should you use?  Which copy paper is best?

In my many years of experience in the copy/printer industry,  I came to learn that companies (small businesses, non-profits and churches) purchase the least expensive paper they can find.  Although, this might save them a couple of dollars up front, it might not be worth the savings.

Every copy paper has two designations:

• LBS:  indicates the weight/sturdiness of the paper
• BRIGHTNESS:  indicates how bright (i.e. white) the paper is

Therefore, 20 LBS. 92 BRIGHT indicates that the weight of the paper is 20 LBS. and the 92 indicates how BRIGHT the paper is, 100 being the BRIGHTEST (or whitest).

Here are some of the different types of paper and a few comments I have:

RECYCLED PAPER: A few years ago, there was a big push to use Recycled paper. Even though this is good for the environment, the use of this kind of paper has declined, because of these reasons:

• Recycled paper misfeeds more often that non-recycled paper.
• I conducted an internal study and found that recycled paper misfeeds on an average of 8 times more than non-recycled paper.
• The copy quality on recycled paper is not as good as non-recycled paper. Recycled paper has much more “wood fibers” that degrade the quality.
• These wood fibers will eventually make their way into the feed, developer and toner assemblies, thereby not only causing inferior copy quality, but more maintenance and down time as the feed tires have to be replaced and both assemblies have to be completely vacuumed and new developer and toner has to be added. This job would normally take 2-3 hours depending on the manufacturer

Because of the decreased quality and increased maintenance, I do not recommend using recycled paper

Most Common Copy Paper

20 LBS. 92 Bright

This is the most commonly used paper. It is an “OK” paper. It misfeeds less often than a Recycled paper and the copy quality is better as it has less “wood fiber.”

Coper Paper for Everyday

20 LBS. 96 Bright

The difference between this paper and the 92 Bright is that this paper being 96 Bright will give you better copy quality, especially if you copy/print color. This is a good weight and brightness paper for everyday use. However, I do not recommend it for presentation or proposals.

Better for Color Copying

28 LBS. 98 Bright

This paper being 28 LBS. is “heavier weight” than a 20 LBS. paper. In addition it is 96 Bright which will give you better copy quality, especially when copying color.

Best Paper for Presentations

32 LBS. 98/100 Bright

In my opinion, this is the best paper to use for a presentation. Not only is “heavier weight” but it will give you the best copy quality, especially when copying color.

Humidity and Wood

Higher humidity means more misfeeds.

Here's why.  The higher the LBS and the higher the Brightness, the less wood fiber content.  Less wood means less susceptibility to humidity.  The lower the humidity, the fewer misfeeds.  Wood fiber attracts moisture.

Best Brand of Copy Paper

There is no single brand that stands out.  The better and larger manufacturers usually produce for other suppliers under different brand names.  For example, it is my understanding that Hammermill and Georgia Pacific, two of the better paper manufacturers may also make Staples copy paper.