What size paper do you use for general letter writing?

[carlc]

@carlc: No problem at all. By 'etiquette of correspondence' I was just being wordy in saying I'm a stationery geek regarding the how, when and why of various stationery types and their social uses. Proper historical material, format, addressing, phrasing, and all that jazz.

 

It started when I wondered why all our wedding invitations had an inner and an outer envelope -- mainly, to keep the inner nicely-lined envelope from getting dusty from handling and road-travel during delivery... and it went from there. Crane's Blue Book of Stationery was the gateway book, by the way.

 

Thank you - I'd heard of Cranes paper but wasn't aware of the fact they publish books - a whole new world opens before my eyes.

 

Carl

[someonesdad]

You folks that want special sizes -- be aware that you can have paper stores, print shops, etc. cut paper to the size you want. A printer with a big paper shear can chop up a ream or more at a time about as fast as you can blink...

[Blade Runner]

You folks that want special sizes -- be aware that you can have paper stores, print shops, etc. cut paper to the size you want. A printer with a big paper shear can chop up a ream or more at a time about as fast as you can blink...

How do you get matching envelopes?

[SueEllen]

You folks that want special sizes -- be aware that you can have paper stores, print shops, etc. cut paper to the size you want. A printer with a big paper shear can chop up a ream or more at a time about as fast as you can blink...

How do you get matching envelopes?

 

When you reminded me of the full-sized sheets that are folded into fourths (I have some, sent to me by a friend in England; paper so special I won't use even a sheet of it until I have to write the President or Pope or my progeny with my final wishes for distribution of my Collection of Fine Paper). I checked the size of the envelope it came with, and it's the 162 x 114mm envelopes that fit the G.Lalo 107x152mm flat cards, or the G.Lalo small pad sheets when folded in two. So you could go through the many envelope sizes and have the paper cut to fit your favorite envelopes, allowing for as many foldings as you like.

Or! You can make your own envelope if you are sending one-at-time priceless letters-- I made a template from one of the envelopes that came with the above-mentioned extraordinary 35-year old English stationery because it has an asymmetrical flap that is just too cool. I have made two envelopes so far, and both look like school-kid stuff-- the folds have to be exactly square or the whole envelope goes hopelessly wonky.

[Blade Runner]

You folks that want special sizes -- be aware that you can have paper stores, print shops, etc. cut paper to the size you want. A printer with a big paper shear can chop up a ream or more at a time about as fast as you can blink...

How do you get matching envelopes?

 

When you reminded me of the full-sized sheets that are folded into fourths (I have some, sent to me by a friend in England; paper so special I won't use even a sheet of it until I have to write the President or Pope or my progeny with my final wishes for distribution of my Collection of Fine Paper). I checked the size of the envelope it came with, and it's the 162 x 114mm envelopes that fit the G.Lalo 107x152mm flat cards, or the G.Lalo small pad sheets when folded in two. So you could go through the many envelope sizes and have the paper cut to fit your favorite envelopes, allowing for as many foldings as you like.

Or! You can make your own envelope if you are sending one-at-time priceless letters-- I made a template from one of the envelopes that came with the above-mentioned extraordinary 35-year old English stationery because it has an asymmetrical flap that is just too cool. I have made two envelopes so far, and both look like school-kid stuff-- the folds have to be exactly square or the whole envelope goes hopelessly wonky.

That could be fun, but it's alot of work, and outside of some close acquaintances and pen pals, I'd feel uncomfortable sending a letter in a mismatched envelope.

Edited June 8, 2009 by jeen

[Kabe]

Letter size, about a 10th of an inch different from A4.

 

But for my next letter, I will try comic-book size, just for the sake of it.

[Blade Runner]

There's another small sheet called a "chit", a bit smaller than the dimensions of a postcard, but I've never seen it sold.

Anyone?

[abstract49]

You folks that want special sizes -- be aware that you can have paper stores, print shops, etc. cut paper to the size you want. A printer with a big paper shear can chop up a ream or more at a time about as fast as you can blink...

 

This reminds of my early time in an office environment (title insurance/abstract company, but that's mostly beside the point). My employer sublet space next door to a printer when such were more common in every town of any size. The printer supplied us with all our paper goods, as well as letterhead printing, etc., at cost as part of the deal.

 

At that time, regular typing/copy paper was pretty much the same price by square inch, with a little break for larger quantity. Ergo, 8-1/2 X 14 cost just a fraction of a cent per square inch less than 8-1/2 X 11. [Not so now when legal size is harder to find and almost always more expensive per area than letter] We used tons of paper in our business, producing some documents on letter size, many on legal. So, we only ordered legal and had a certain portion of our many reams cut down to letter by the printer. the "leftover" 8-1/2 X 3 pieces were our note papers for scribbling telephone conversations, notes to self, etc.

[Runnin_Ute]

Anymore I generally buy paper for letter use in A4 size. Most of the time I use Tomoe River. If I need to use something smaller, like A5 I just tear/cut in half. I have Rhodia in pads of both A4 and A5. A UK based pen pal introduced me to Basildon Bond. I have the Duke size (140 mm x 178 mm/5.5 x 7), haven't used it much recently.

 

US Executive (7.5 x 10/190 x 254 mm) is about the same as the porto quarto (7 x 10/179 x 254 mm) I have most of a ream of letter size HP LaserJet 90 gsm/24 lb, probably wouldn't cost me much to have at least part of it cut to executive size, even if I had it padded.