A ream is a set of sheets of paper.
Resma is a term whose etymological origin is found in the Arabic rizmah , which can be translated as “package” . The concept is used to name a set of sheets of paper .
For example: “We have to buy a ream to print the new forms,” “Can you help me load the reams and take them to the warehouse?” , “The boss asked me to give him a ream.”
The ream and fractionation of paper
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) details that a ream is made up of twenty hands of paper . To understand this definition, we must know what the idea of a hand refers to and understand how paper is divided.
In ancient times, sheets were counted by hand . Sheets cut from a coil were usually separated into five-sheet booklets . Every five booklets, in turn, a hand was created. It can be said, therefore, that a hand of paper consisted of twenty-five sheets (five for each of the five booklets).
By grouping twenty hands, finally, a ream was formed. If each hand had twenty-five sheets, a ream of twenty hands of paper had 500 sheets. That is why today the reams that can be purchased in stores include this number of sheets.
Reams are important in offices to meet printing needs.
Different quantities
It is also important to know that, throughout history, the term ream has been used to refer to different quantities. That is to say, it has not always been equivalent to 500 sheets but has also been used to refer to a set of 480 sheets , for example. That was something that changed progressively for different reasons, until it finally settled on the quantity with which we identify it today.
By extension to the concept of ream, we can speak of half a ream (the package of 250 sheets), quarter (125 sheets) or fifth (100 sheets), all conventional denominations of the packs of sheets according to the quantity offered.
It should be noted that reams can be distinguished by the size ( A4 being the most common today) and the weight of their sheets.
Other units beyond the ream
In the same way, in relation to the ream we have to expose the existence of another series of units that are frequently used to also refer to the quantities of sheets of paper with which we are working. So, for example, among the most common are these:
- Bulk . This name refers to two reams: that is, 1,000 sheets.
- Tied up . This term is used to refer to what is the set of three reams: therefore, 1,500 sheets.
- Bundle . A total of five reams are what are called that, which refers to 2,500 sheets.
Likewise, we cannot ignore that, currently, all of these terms are those that printers use when ordering paper from their suppliers and thus undertaking their jobs. In this way, based on what they have to print, they will proceed to request that reams, bales, bundles, half reams be sent to them...