Choosing A4 paper comes down to the weight in gsm and the number of sheets per pack. Plain white 75gsm or 80gsm paper in 500-sheet reams covers most offices, warehouses and homes. Pack Solution sells exactly those two weights, and this guide says when to stay with them and when a heavier sheet is worth finding elsewhere.
You will also find what gsm means, how many sheets a ream holds, and whether copy paper differs from printer paper. Anything we do not stock is marked as such.
In This Guide
- Quick Picks: A4 Paper for Printers and Copiers
- What Does GSM Mean on A4 Paper?
- 80 GSM, 90 GSM, 100 GSM and 120 GSM Compared
- Copy Paper or Printer Paper: Is There a Difference?
- How Many Sheets Are in a Ream of A4 Paper?
- Coloured, A3, A5 and Specialist Paper
- Printing Packing Slips, Labels and Document Wallets
- How to Store Paper and Load It Properly
- A4 Paper Buying Checklist
- Choosing the Right A4 Paper
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Picks: A4 Paper for Printers and Copiers
Start with the A4 printing paper ream, then add labels and document wallets if you dispatch parcels. The paper is white, A4 (210 x 297mm) and comes in two weights.
Best for everyday printing and copying
A4 Printing Paper
White A4 printer and copier paper in reams of 500 sheets, in Standard 75gsm or Paper One Premium 80gsm. The price per ream falls as you order more.
- A4, 210 x 297mm
- 500 sheets per ream
- 75gsm or 80gsm
From £6.50 ex VAT (£7.80 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for printing address labels from the same printer
A4 Sheet Labels
Self-adhesive labels on standard A4 sheets, made for printing on an office printer. Ten layouts run from 1 to 65 labels per sheet.
- 10 layouts, 1 to 65 per sheet
- Boxes of 500 sheets
- 21 per sheet is 63.5 x 38.1mm
From £30.00 ex VAT (£36.00 inc VAT)
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Best for keeping invoices and packing slips on the parcel
Documents Enclosed Wallets
Self-adhesive clear pouches that stick to the outside of a parcel and hold the paperwork. Printed or plain, in three sizes.
- A5, A6 and A7 sizes
- Plain or printed Documents Enclosed
- Boxes of 1000
From £15.00 ex VAT (£18.00 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productKey facts
- Our paper is white A4, 210 x 297mm, sold in reams of 500 sheets.
- Two weights are sold: Standard 75gsm and Paper One Premium 80gsm.
- The price per ream falls automatically as you order more reams.
- The minimum order is one ream, and a VAT invoice comes with every order.
- Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free with no minimum order.
- Order by 2pm Monday to Friday for same-day dispatch from Manchester.
What Does GSM Mean on A4 Paper?
GSM means grams per square metre, and it measures how heavy paper is. A higher number means more paper in each sheet, so the sheet feels thicker and stiffer.
The figure is the weight of one square metre of the paper. An A4 sheet is 210 x 297mm, a small slice of that square metre, so two A4 sheets of the same size can differ in weight. Everyday office paper usually sits between 75gsm and 80gsm. Heavier weights are used where a sheet needs to feel more solid or hide print on the reverse side.
Weight matters to your machine too. Printers and copiers list the paper weights they accept, so check the manual before buying heavier stock. Our two weights sit in the common office range and suit standard printers and copiers.
80 GSM, 90 GSM, 100 GSM and 120 GSM Compared
For everyday printing, 75gsm or 80gsm is enough. Heavier sheets such as 90gsm, 100gsm and 120gsm feel more substantial and suit documents that are handled or shown to customers.
Pack Solution sells only the first two rows below. The other three are general advice for when you shop elsewhere.
| Weight | Feel and use | Do we sell it? |
|---|---|---|
| 75gsm | Lighter sheet for packing slips, picking lists, drafts and internal copies | Yes, Standard 75gsm |
| 80 gsm a4 paper | Everyday copying, letters, quotes and reports | Yes, Paper One Premium 80gsm |
| 90gsm a4 paper | A slightly heavier sheet for documents that go out to customers | No |
| 100gsm a4 paper | A more solid sheet for menus, flyers and double-sided print | No |
| 120gsm a4 paper | Thick a4 paper for covers and presentation pages | No |
Treat the uses for the heavier rows as a rule of thumb. If a job calls for 90 gsm a4 paper or 100 gsm a4 paper, check the printer manual for its maximum weight first. We stock the two weights in the table, so more demanding print jobs need a specialist supplier.
Good to know: packing slips, picking lists and internal copies print perfectly well on 75gsm. A heavier sheet would only add weight and cost to those jobs.
Copy Paper or Printer Paper: Is There a Difference?
In everyday buying, copy paper and printer paper mean the same plain white A4 sheet. Ours is sold as printer and copier paper, so one ream works in both machines. You can treat it as a4 printer paper that also suits the copier.
Shops use a4 copy paper and a4 copier paper almost interchangeably. The name matters less than the size and weight, which need to suit the machine. Both our reams are A4 (210 x 297mm), so they suit printers and copiers set to A4.
Plenty of businesses split their buying by job. A lighter 75gsm ream sits beside the dispatch printer for packing slips and picking lists, and the 80gsm Paper One Premium ream sits by the office photocopier for letters and reports. On the product page, the 80gsm option is the Paper One A4 Premium Printing Paper line.
How Many Sheets Are in a Ream of A4 Paper?
A ream of A4 paper from us holds 500 sheets, the usual quantity for a printer refill. Both weights come the same way, and the minimum order is one ream, so you can start small and scale up as your usage becomes clear.
A ream of paper is the standard pack, and here it is a full 500 sheets, so an a4 paper ream is a handy unit for planning. A printer that uses about 100 sheets a week takes five weeks to get through one. A busy dispatch desk may finish a ream in a few days. Count your weekly use once and order to match.
The price per ream drops as the quantity rises, so buying an a4 paper pack in bulk makes sense once you know your usage. If by cheap a4 paper you mean a lower cost per sheet, volume is the lever we offer. The tiers are on the product page, and the a4 paper price shown there is per ream, ex VAT. For stock planning, see our guide to packaging cost per order and stock planning.
If you buy a4 paper alongside boxes and mailing supplies, it ships with the rest of the order. Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free with no minimum order, and orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same working day.
Coloured, A3, A5 and Specialist Paper
We sell white A4 paper only, so we do not stock coloured, A3, A5, card or recycled paper. If you need one of those, plan to buy it from another supplier.
A few notes may help if you shop elsewhere. Yellow a4 paper or green a4 paper is useful for colour-coding documents, though neither is in our range. Grey a4 paper and black a4 paper are specialist sheets, not office stock, and we do not sell them either. Recycled printer paper is also outside our range.
Other sizes follow the same logic. A3 sheets are twice the size of A4, so a3 printer paper only works in a printer that takes it, and an a3 paper printer is a wide-format machine. A5 is half the size of A4, so a5 printer paper needs a printer with the right tray settings. Transparent printer paper and card paper for printer use are specialist items too. Check any stock against your printer manual before you buy.
Our A4 range is one white paper in two weights, 500 sheets to the ream. The stationery collection shows what else we carry for the office and the dispatch desk.
Printing Packing Slips, Labels and Document Wallets
One printer can produce the paperwork and the address labels, so A4 paper goes well with sheet labels and document wallets.
A common set-up is to print the packing slip or invoice on A4 paper and the address on A4 sheet labels, which are self-adhesive labels on standard A4 sheets, made for printing on an office printer. The paperwork then goes into a documents enclosed wallet, a self-adhesive clear pouch that sticks to the outside of the parcel. Fold an A4 invoice once for the A5 wallet, or twice for the A6 wallet.
If you print courier labels in volume on a thermal printer instead, our label printer labels guide covers rolls, fanfold and sheets. The guide to shipping label formats sets out the same choices from the shipping side, and the labels collection lists everything together.
How to Store Paper and Load It Properly
Keep paper flat and dry, and load it fresh from the ream. This is general housekeeping that helps avoid jams.
- Store reams flat, on a shelf or in a box, and not standing on their edge.
- Keep paper somewhere dry, away from damp walls and windows.
- Leave the ream wrapped until you need it, then open one pack at a time.
- Fan the sheets gently before loading so they do not stick together.
- Match the paper size and weight to the settings in the printer menu, and do not overfill the tray.
If a ream has been stored badly or the printer keeps jamming, check the weight setting before blaming the paper. Our two weights are standard office paper, and most faults come from the machine settings.
A4 Paper Buying Checklist
- Work out how many sheets you print each week, so you know how many reams to order.
- Check your printer manual for the paper weights it accepts.
- Pick 75gsm for high volume internal printing or 80gsm for documents that go out to customers.
- Remember that Pack Solution sells white A4 only: no coloured paper, A3, A5 or recycled paper.
- Add A4 sheet labels if you print address labels from the same printer.
- Add document wallets if you send paperwork outside the parcel.
- Order by 2pm Monday to Friday if you need same-day dispatch.
Choosing the Right A4 Paper
Both reams are the same size, so the choice comes down to weight and how much you print. Choose 75gsm A4 paper for high volume everyday printing and 80gsm for customer-facing documents, then buy in reams of 500 sheets. Prices are ex VAT on each product page, with volume pricing as the quantity rises.
Browse the full stationery range for paper and related office supplies. Unused reams can be returned within 30 days of delivery under the refund policy. Contact us with the order number first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sheets are in a ream of A4 paper?
A ream of our A4 paper holds 500 sheets, and that applies to both the Standard 75gsm and the Paper One Premium 80gsm option. Prices are per ream, ex VAT, and the price per ream drops automatically as you order more reams.
What does gsm mean for printer paper?
GSM means grams per square metre. It measures paper weight, so a higher number is a heavier, thicker sheet. For everyday printer paper 75gsm and 80gsm are the common office weights, and both are sold here in reams of 500 sheets.
Is 80 gsm a4 paper better than 75gsm?
80 gsm a4 paper is slightly heavier than 75gsm. Choose 75gsm for high volume printing such as packing slips, picking lists and drafts. Choose 80gsm for letters, quotes and reports that go out to customers. Both are white A4, 210 x 297mm.
Do you sell 90gsm or 100gsm a4 paper?
No. We sell white A4 paper in two weights only: Standard 75gsm and Paper One Premium 80gsm. Heavier sheets such as 90gsm and 100gsm are used for documents that need more feel, and you will need to buy them from another supplier.
Can I buy coloured, A3 or A5 printer paper from you?
No. Our paper range is white A4 only, so we do not sell coloured printer paper, A3 or A5 sheets. If you need those, check your printer manual for the sizes and weights it accepts before you order from a specialist supplier.
Is copy paper the same as printer paper?
For everyday buying, yes. Copy paper and printer paper both mean plain white A4 sheets, and our reams are sold as printer and copier paper. What matters is the size, A4 at 210 x 297mm, and a weight your printer or copier accepts.
