If you’re in charge of buying office supply for your company, you may need to get some printer paper with holes for your trusty dot matrix printer.
You may wonder about this guide, because you may think that all dot matrix printer paper options are the same.
That’s not exactly true, though.
This post, it’s photos and table include links to products on other websites. If you purchase something through these links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Some types of office papers are just better, and here’s how you find them.
Factors to Consider
When you’re buying printer paper with holes, you’ll want to pay special attention to the following factors to make sure you’re getting the right printer paper.
Size
For most office documents, you’ll want to use the letter size.
This is paper measuring 8.5 by 11 inches.
However, you may also want to use the legal size, which is 8.5 by 14 inches.
Another size option is the tabloid size, which measures 11 by 17 inches.
Weight
The standard weight for office paper is 20 pounds, which is ideal for regular printers, and also works well for ancient fax machines and copy machines.
The lightness of the weight tends to minimize printer jams, while it’s also much more economical compared to heavier paper.
These 20-pound paper types tend to work well with many types of printers.
Heavier Papers
However, the main rule with the weight of the paper is that heavier papers are more impressive.
So, you may want to use heavier paper for documents and printed materials that you want to present to people you want to impress.
If the documents are for clients or investors, you may want to go with heavier paper.
Brochures and other similar marketing materials may also require heavier paper.
Some offices go with heavier paper even for ordinary documents simply because the printed results look better.
Number of Holes
The standard number here is 3 holes.
In fact, we assume you want 3 holes in your printer paper, since all the recommendations on our list come with this number of holes.
With 3 holes, you’ll have no trouble binding several sheets of papers together into a single document.
Color
For most office documents, you’ll want a simple white color.
But you may want to go with more exotic or unusual colors in some cases.
You can go for a different color to color-code your documents.
Or perhaps you wish for a different color because you’re printing marketing materials you want to show to potential clients and customers.
Brightness
A bright paper makes your print stand out better.
Your text is easier to read, and your colors shine more in your marketing materials.
Often this is denoted in a brightness scale.
If the brightness is in the 90s, you have a reasonably bright paper that can show off the black text and other colors nicely.
Modern Technology
In some cases, the paper may incorporate certain modern technology such as ColorLok that can really offer better-looking colors in your printouts.
The ColorLok technology has now been incorporated in a number of printer paper with holes made by certain brands.
How Paper Normally Absorbs Ink
To explain how this works, let’s start with how paper normally absorbs the printer ink you use.
The paper usually absorbs the ink deeply, which means the ink doesn’t stay on the surface of the paper.
This results with the colors of the ink looking less vibrant.
Your black ink doesn’t look black, and can look gray instead.
In addition, the various colors can spread out along the paper fibers on the surface, so that there’s a certain “feathering effect” when the colors mix somewhat.
How ColorLok Works
But with ColorLok, the brand adds a chemical to the paper that makes sure the pigments of the ink mostly stay on the surface of the paper.
This means that the colors are more vibrant, and your black text remains black because most of the ink doesn’t sink into the paper.
Also, this prevents the feathering issue.
Ink color particles are kept separate before they’re absorbed by the paper.
Printer Compatibility
The more you deviate from the 20-pound weight and standard paper sizes, the more you risk the possibility that your paper won’t work well with your printer.
Some printers just work well with some brands and types of paper.
This is why you may want to check what types of paper your printer can reliably use.
The best-case scenario is when the same brand manufactures both the printer and the paper.
The manufacturer can make sure that the paper and the printer can work together flawlessly.
Durability (Is It Acid-Free?)
If you ever happen to stumble on old documents and books, you may find that some of them may have yellowed over time.
This makes the documents look unappealing, and you really don’t want to hand over documents like this to clients you want to impress.
But the best paper with holes today is acid-free.
This lack of acid prevents the yellowing of the paper, even after years stuffed in a drawer.
Environmental Benefits
Lots of people have claimed that it’s best for the world to shift to a paperless society, so that we don’t run out of trees.
The problem is that many offices simply can’t run without paper, and these can include your office.
The next best thing is to get paper that minimizes the damage to the environment.
Buying Recycled Paper
One way to do this is to buy recycled paper
It’s true that recycled paper isn’t actually cheaper to produce than traditionally manufactured paper.
It costs money to collect and convert the recycled paper into brand new usable paper.
But at least you’re helping to save the environment, and you can mention your use of recycled paper in your marketing and advertising.
Also, recycled paper nowadays can be of high quality.
Buy Paper with FSC Certification
Another way to help with the environment while buying paper is to get office paper with FSC certification.
The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization with the main goal of boosting responsible management for the forests of the world.
An FSC certification indicates that the paper you buy is socially beneficial, economically viable, and environmentally responsible.
A similar organization that offers certification is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
This group concentrates on improving the management of forests in North America.
Number of Sheets
When you’re trying out a new brand of printer paper with holes, you may want to get a single ream at first.
That’s usually 500 sheets, which are enough to tell you if the quality of the paper and the printouts meet your standards.
If the paper works as well as you’d hoped, then you can get 10 reams at once.
That way, you save yourself the trouble of buying paper too often.
Also, buying in bulk tends to offer significant discounts especially in the long run.
Packaging
If you’re going online to buy office paper, then you have to think about the packaging.
Sheets of paper aren’t exactly tough.
Proper packaging is needed to make sure that the sheets of paper survive the shipping journey without getting damaged or folded.
Use with Pens and Markers
We’re aware that many people like high-quality printer paper for their notebooks and journals.
With the 3 holes already in place, it’s easy enough to make a nice notebook full of notes and drawings.
You do need to check out how the ink from pens and colored markers react with the paper.
Check how the paper absorbs the ink and how it shows off the colors.
Also, look at the back of the paper to see if it bleeds through.
If it doesn’t bleed through, then you’re able to use both sides of the paper.
Top 5 Reviews
So which brands of printer paper with holes are better for your needs?
We’ve picked 5 of the very best options you can choose from.
These are all available in 500-sheet reams, and they all come with the popular 3-hole configuration.
They’re all in the standard 8.5 by 11-inch letter size, though the papers can offer other sizes too.
Most of these have a 20-pound weight and come in white colors.
However, we do offer alternative weights and even alternative colors.
1. HP 113102R20lb, 8.5 x 11, 3 Hole Punched
“Perfect Everyday Printer Paper”
Our Rating: 4.5
Do you have an HP printer and you’re not sure which paper will work flawlessly without issues and paper jams?
Instead of trying out various office paper options from other brands, just use the paper that HP manufactures for its printers.
While HP assures its customers that this isn’t limited to just the HP printers, at least with your HP printer you won’t have to worry.
Main Features
You can also get this in ledger and legal sizes.
It’s of the standard 20-pound weight you’d expect for everyday use
Also, this comes with the standard 92 brightness level, though that’s actually better than the brightness of many other paper options.
What really stands out here is the ColorLok.
The means the ink dries 3 times faster, the blacks are 60% bolder, and the colors are brighter by 30%.
Certified Sustainable
You have the FSC certification attesting that the paper comes from properly managed trees.
No Problems
You can expect perfect satisfaction using this paper with your printer, even if it’s not an HP printer.
But if it, you’re absolutely certain there won’t be jams to worry about.
Also, this is acid-free.
That means it won’t yellow with age.
2. Hammermill Premium Color Copy 28lb Copy Paper, 8.5×11, 3 Hole Punch
“Terrific for Brochures”
Our Rating: 4.5
We still have the standard size here at 8.5 by 11 inches, and you have the usual 3 holes for your binders.
But this is different in many ways from your usual printer paper brands.
Weight of 28-Pounds
First of all, the paper has a 28-pound weight.
It’s heavier than your usual office copy paper.
What this means is that it’s a lot more impressive, so you should use this for documents meant to impress your clients.
It’s able to present colors in a more striking manner.
This makes it better for colored printed materials such as brochures and presentations.
Really Brightness
This has a brightness rating of 100, which makes it really bright.
If you’re printing text on this paper, you can be very sure the black print will stand out nicely.
Your text will be much more legible, while colors again stand out nicely with the bright background.
Error-Free
Are you worried about paper jams?
You may want to check your printer manual to see if it can handle 28-pound paper.
If it can, then it won’t have any problems efficiently printing out this paper on your printer.
This even comes with a 99.99% jam-free guarantee from Hammermill.
This means that you can expect maybe a single sheet causing a paper jam out of 10,000 sheets printed out.
Paper Sizes
While you may opt for the usual 8.5 by 11-inch paper size, you also have other size options.
You can go with 8.5 by 14 inches, 11 by 17 inches, and 12 by 18 inches.
These include the non-holed 8.5 by 11-inch paper as well.
Archival Quality
This means the paper doesn’t have any acid in its composition.
The lack of acid prevents the paper from turning yellow over the course of several years.
That’s true even if you just leave your documents in a cabinet drawer deep in your vaults.
Environmentally Friendly
This comes with the all-important certification from the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
Hammermill gets produces its papers from the materials provided by US family tree farmers and other similar local sources.
These farmers engage in sustainable forestry, and they replant the forests they get the trees from to produce the paper.
Use with Pens and Markers
With its weight and brightness, it’s not surprising that this paper is quite popular with artists.
For many types of pens and markers, the images and letters you create all appear crisp from the front.
The main exceptions are graphite and wax color pencils, which don’t really work well with the paper.
You may have some bleeding issues though, if you’re planning to use both sides of the paper.
You won’t have bleeding problems with ballpoint pens and colored pencils, and only slight ghosting issues with other pens.
However, with Sharpies and other similar tools, you may have highly visible bleeding that can make the back side of the sheet unusable.
3. Hammermill Great White 30% Recycled 20lb Copy Paper, 8.5 x 11, 3 Hole Punched
“Recycled Printer Paper with Holes”
Our Rating: 4.5
Just how concerned are you about the world’s forests and our use of paper?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we can really help prevent depleting forests around the world even while we use paper for our office needs?
With this Hammermill Great White, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Paper Weight of 20-Pound
This comes with your usual 20-pound weight.
That means it’s not too expensive, and it ought to work with dot matrix and inkjet printers.
You can also get it in a single ream with 500 sheets.
Brightness Rating of 92
This comes in a white color, with a brightness level of 92.
This is more than good enough for regular office documents.
When you just want your paper to display text, you don’t really need (and pay for) ultra-bright paper.
The text here will still be very legible.
Available Paper Sizes
We went with the 8.5 by 11-inch size.
You can also get this in 8.5 by 14 inches and in 11 by 17 inches.
Jam-Free
This comes with the Hammermill assurance that it won’t jam 99.99% of the time.
It’s acid-free as well, so it won’t yellow with age.
Recycled
This is made from 30% recycled paper.
You also have options to go with 50% or even 100% recycled paper.
Also, this comes with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification.
Some Bleeding Possible
This can give you bleeding issues when using pens and markers.
It’s not really meant to be used on both sides, unless you’re using light pencils.
4. Hammermill Fore Multi-Purpose 24lb Copy Paper, 8.5 x 11, 3 Hole Punched
“A Bit Better than Many”
Our Rating: 4.5
While the standard printer paper from Hammermill is good enough (and certainly better than most), this one is just a bit better in several key ways.
Heavier Weight
This is heavier at 24 pounds, which means it’s better and more impressive.
If you have a client who needs to look at certain documents, the paper here can make it a lot more professional-looking.
The paper weight makes it more versatile, as you can use it for other types of documents that regular copy paper won’t be suitable for.
This weight even allows for 2-sided printing, and pens and markers won’t bleed through too much (if at all).
A Bit More Brightness
In addition, this is slightly brighter with a brightness rating of 96 (instead of the usual 92).
Your copy will certainly be legible, and it’s great for documents with colored graphs and images.
It even has the ColorLok Technology.
3 Paper Sizes
It’s available in letter, legal, and ledger sizes.
No Jamming or Yellowing
This won’t jam, and it’s acid-free.
That means it won’t turn yellow even after a few years.
Saves the Environment
This comes with FSC certification.
The paper comes from US tree farmers who replant trees to replace the ones they’ve used.
5. Hammermill Pink Colored20lb Copy Paper, 8.5×11, 3 Hole Punch
“Colored Printer Paper for Office”
Our Rating: 4.5
Who says you need to get only white paper for the office?
Maybe you want to color-code your documents, in which case you need other colors for your paper.
Perhaps you’re also drawing or printing colored images, and you want a colored background.
Either way, just get this instead.
It has the regular weight of 20 pounds, regular letter size, and regular 3 feed holes.
15 Colors
Actually, this is available in 15 different colors.
They’re all in lighter hues, so your black text can still be read easily.
Standard Paper Sizes
You can also opt for legal and ledger sizes instead of the letter size.
No Jams and No Turning Yellow
Again, you have the 99.99% guarantee against printer jams.
This is also acid-free, so you can set it down to the archives and it won’t turn yellow years from now.
Environmental Benefits
This comes with the FSC-certification.
Also, 30% of it is made from recycled paper.
Finding the Best Printer Paper with Holes: Final Words
Is it really that important to find the right paper for your printer?
The fact is that it’s likely more important than you think.
In an office setting, you may blame the printer, the toner, or perhaps even improper printer use for printing disasters.
However, the fault lies with the inferior paper and the wrong paper can lead to printer jams and work productivity loss.
You may end up with inferior printing results that can lead to mistakes, unimpressed clients, and lost profits.
Get rid of these issues by selecting the right printer paper with holes from our list.
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