Printer paper not made in China

[steve]

Here in the US, printer paper is one of those categories that happily have a lot of representation from companies that make it in the USA. That doesn't mean China companies aren't trying to get into this market, and with their complete disregard for the environment it's kind of surprising they haven't made more inroads. But the non-China brands have done a nice job of keeping costs low while keeping quality high and keeping manufacturing sustainable. They should be a model for every other industry.

Here are some of the best.

HP Copy and Print 20 - HP is made in the USA and has achieved 0% deforestation in North America by using renewable resources, and yet their prices are competitive.

Hammermill Printer Paper - This is my printer paper of choice.

PrintWorks 100% Recycled Printer Paper - I love this because it's not just made in the USA, but it's 100% post-consumer recycled materials. Presumably that means at least some of the paper we're dropping into the recycling bin is actually being used.

TRU RED Copy Paper - This is Staples' house brand. It's emerging as a high quality alternative to the brands above.

I learned a lot about copy paper in my research here.

* Typical copy paper is 20 pounds, which is the weight of 500 sheets of the large paper sheet from which that paper is cut. In the case of 8 1/2" x 11" paper, that's actually cut from a large 17x22 sheet so 500 of those would weight 20 pounds.

* The other number you'll see is "brightness" level, which measures how well the paper reflects a specific wavelength of blue light; higher reflectivity makes text and images look sharper, colors look more vibrant, and better contrast. 92 is a good high-quality brightness, but generally quality improves as you approach 100.

You're not going to go wrong with any of these brands. Sweet to see at least one category that's dominant.