How to Store and Load Paper for Optimal Performance

October 05, 2022

At Boise Paper, we pride ourselves on providing the products you need with the service you deserve. Our paper products are rigorously tested and engineered to deliver the best results. To get the most out of your paper, follow these five steps for optimal performance.

Acclimate your paper. When it comes to paper performance, proper acclimation and storage are essential. After you receive your paper delivery, make sure to acclimate your paper by placing all cartons in a climate-controlled room for 24-48 hours prior to use. The ideal temperature range for this room is 70-75° F with 40-50% humidity. If the temperature variance between inside and outside is high, acclimate your paper for a longer period of time.

Store it flat. Once your paper has been acclimated, be sure to store it on a flat and elevated space such as a shelf or pallet. Avoid storing your paper on or near concrete, or in areas with frequent air exchanges like hallways or windows. Keep the paper stored in the original carton and ream wrap until you’re ready to use it.

Print seam-side first. In order to achieve optimal paper performance, you’ll want to load your office paper so the seam-side (the side of the sheet facing the back of the ream) prints first. Some printers flip the sheet before it’s printed, so get to know your printer and the path each sheet of paper travels. An easy way to do this is by marking one side of a piece of paper before loading it into the tray, then print something and see which side of the paper it prints on. If it prints on the side that was facing up, load seam-side up and if it prints on the down-facing side, load seam-side down.

Fan the ream. When loading paper into the printer, make sure the tray is set to the correct size and never fill it past the guide tabs. You can also improve the performance of any paper by “fanning” the ream before loading it into the printer. This ensures no pages are stuck together and adds air between each sheet.

Print away! Start printing and copying with the confidence of knowing you’re getting optimal performance out of your paper.

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