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How Did We End Up With 8.5 x 11 Paper?
How Did We End Up With 8.5 x 11 Paper?
Whether you’re printing home projects or working in an office, you probably keep a stack of standard 8.8.5 x 11'' printing paper 5 x 11 paper nearby. But how exactly did we end up with this particular size? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think, with a mix of Dutch artisans and 20th-century typewriters playing a role.
The earliest paper makers dipped their molds in water, then pressed the wet pulp into them to form sheets of paper.8.5 x 11'' printing paper When they came out, workers would cut the sheets to their desired length. The longer sizes were used for record keeping and official documents like deeds, wills and mortgages while smaller sheets were suitable for writing letters.
As work got more mechanized, it made sense to standardize the size of paper.8.5 x 11'' printing paper As the industry moved from handwriting to typing and then to photocopying and printing, it became more efficient for all offices to use a single paper size. So, 8.5 inches by 11 inches was chosen for the standard “letter” size and we’ve been using it ever since.
A few attempts were made to change the standard. President Hoover brought in Government size in the early 1930s, but it didn’t catch on and Reagan switched all government forms to the Letter format that we still use today. The American National Standards Institute’s ANSI Y14.1 standard added new formats for engineering drawings, but those names start with ANSI and don’t have the consistent aspect ratio of the traditional North American sizes.
While the ANSI system of paper sizes doesn’t have the consistency of ISO 216, it does offer the advantage of allowing all sizes to be folded into each other. A4 paper, for example, is half of the 8.5 x 11 inch Letter size and can be folded into A5 booklets or brochures.
While we don’t sell the coveted reams of 8.5 x 11 paper through our online store, we can provide custom cutting, perforating, scoring and hole punching for your next project. To get started, please contact us to discuss your needs and we will make it happen! Whether you’re in the market for a few hundred copies or thousands, we can help you select the perfect paper for your needs. Our goal is to offer the best customer service in the business, and we’re committed to helping you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
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