How to Store Printer Paper Properly

Why Paper Storage Matters

Paper is a perishable material. It is made from wood fiber, and wood fiber constantly exchanges moisture with the air around it. That is normal up to a point, but when paper absorbs or releases too much moisture, it stops lying flat. A curled or wavy sheet is the most common cause of paper jams, because it cannot travel cleanly through the paper path of a printer. For a closer look at how a sheet behaves once it enters the machine, see our paper curl guide.

Storage conditions also affect output quality. In an inkjet printer, a sheet that lifts off the platen can smear wet ink. In a laser printer, curled paper can cause uneven fusing or a jam at the fuser. ENERGY STAR estimates that a typical office worker goes through roughly 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year and notes that nearly half of those sheets end up in the recycling bin by the end of the day. Whatever your volume, a sheet wasted because it was stored badly is waste you could have avoided. Whether you print from a home inkjet or an office workhorse, the sheet has to feed cleanly first.

Humidity: The Main Enemy

Relative humidity is the single biggest factor in paper storage. The edges of a stack of paper absorb moisture from humid air faster than the center of the stack, so the outer edges swell while the middle stays dry. The sheet cannot expand evenly, and it develops the familiar wavy edge. In dry air the reverse happens: the fibers lose moisture, and the sheet curls toward the drier side.

The fix is to keep the paper sealed until you are ready to use it. The plastic wrapper on a ream is a moisture barrier, and it works. Once you open a ream, rewrap the remainder in the same plastic or move it to a resealable bag. Do not store paper in a basement, garage, or shed where humidity swings with the weather. Keep it in the room where you print, or at least in a dry interior space where the climate is stable.

• Wavy or rippled edges along the sides of the stack
• Sheets that curl away from a flat surface when you pick one up
• A musty smell, which can also point to mold

Temperature: Keep It Stable

Temperature matters because it changes how much moisture the air can hold. Warm air holds more moisture than cool air, so a sheet of paper moved from a cool room to a warm one can pick up moisture quickly. The result is the same curl and wavy edge you get from high humidity in a single room.

Avoid storing paper near heat sources: a radiator, a heater vent, a window with direct sun, or the top of a laser printer that stays warm while it idles. Heat dries paper unevenly, and the top sheet in the tray is the one that pays for it.

Cold paper is also a problem. If you bring a sealed ream in from a cold car in winter, let it warm to room temperature before you open the wrapper. Otherwise condensation forms on the sheets and causes the same moisture problems in a different way.

Handle Paper By the Edges

Oil and dirt from fingertips transfer easily to paper. In an inkjet printer, the ink must wet the surface of the sheet, and a fingerprint can repel the ink and leave a ghost image. In a laser printer, skin oil can collect on rollers and cause misfeeds over time. Handle sheets by the edges and keep the print surface clean.

Modern printers are designed to handle a wide range of media without fuss. The IPP Everywhere standard describes today's printers as supporting a full range of print media, from plain paper to photo paper and card stock. That flexibility depends on the media arriving at the pickup roller clean and flat. A sheet that was handled carelessly or stored badly will test any printer, no matter how well designed it is.

Loading the Tray Correctly

Loading has as much influence on jams as storage. Do not overfill the tray. Every printer has a maximum stack height, printed in the manual and often marked inside the tray, and exceeding it makes the pickup roller grab two sheets at once. See our paper tray capacity guide for details on how much paper your printer's trays can actually hold.

Fan the paper before you load it. Flip through the stack with your thumb to separate sheets that stuck together and to knock off loose dust or fibers. Align the stack against the tray corners, then set the paper guides so they touch the edges of the stack without bending them.

Load only what you need for the current job. Paper that sits in a tray for days picks up dust from the air, draws moisture, and the top sheet can curl from the warmth of the printer. The rest of the ream is better off sealed.

Rotate Your Stock and Plan for Long-Term Storage

Paper does not have an expiration date, but it does age. Over months, fibers lose flexibility, and the sheet becomes stiffer and more prone to curl. If you buy paper by the case, use the oldest reams first. Mark the date on the wrapper when a case arrives if you want to track it.

Store reams flat, never on end. Paper standing on edge can crush at the corners, and the sheets take on a permanent set over time, especially with heavier bond or card stock. Keep reams on a shelf or in a closed cabinet, out of direct sunlight and away from the floor.

Specialty media, such as envelopes, labels, and card stock, is more sensitive to humidity than plain bond paper, because the adhesive and coatings react to moisture. Keep those packages sealed until you are ready to print. Our media type guide and our envelope printing guide cover the full range of media most printers accept and how to feed it without trouble.

What to Do With Damaged Paper

Paper that is badly curled, stained, dusty, or torn will not fix itself, and running it through a printer will not straighten it. It will jam, and in a laser printer it can wrap around the fuser or leave toner residue on the rollers. Sort those sheets out of the stack before you load, and keep the remaining good sheets sealed so they stay usable. If you do get a jam, our jam clearing guide walks through the safe steps.

Do not try to dry damp paper with heat. Ironing or heating paper removes moisture unevenly and makes the curl worse. Set it aside for recycling instead. The US EPA's recycling guidance lists paper as a widely accepted recyclable material, and that is the right destination for a sheet that can no longer print cleanly. Buy only what you will use, store it properly, and recycle the rest.

What to pick for your use

Questions

What humidity level is best for paper storage?

Keep the relative humidity moderate and stable, ideally between 40% and 60% if you have a hygrometer, but avoid extremes and sudden changes. High humidity causes wavy edges, low humidity causes curl. The key is consistency.

Can I store paper in a basement or garage?

No. Basements and garages often have high and fluctuating humidity and temperature. Use a climate-controlled interior room and keep paper off the floor.

How long can I keep a ream of paper before it goes bad?

There is no expiration date, but over months paper loses flexibility. Rotate stock and use oldest first. Properly sealed paper can last years.

Should I keep paper in its original plastic wrapper?

Yes, keep it wrapped until you need it. For partial reams, reseal the wrapper or put the remainder in a resealable plastic bag.

What should I do with paper that is already curled?

Gently flatten it under a heavy book for a day or two. If it is badly curled, recycle it. Never run damp or folded paper through a printer.