good paper resume

How Do I Pick the Right Resume Paper? [All You Need to Know!]

If you’ve only ever applied for jobs online, resume paper has probably never crossed your mind as a term before. 

Resume paper, however, is very much a thing, especially if you go to a job fair or a job interview and are required to bring a printed copy of your resume. 

Essentially, the right resume paper can make you look professional and attentive to detail, both of which can award you some extra points with recruiters by helping you stand out. 

That said, chances are you’re not so familiar with resume paper - let alone what the right one is in terms of color, weight, texture, and size, or what recruiters commonly prefer. 

Well, that’s totally normal. In this article, we’ll answer all your questions about resume paper. Read on to learn about:

• What Makes a Good Resume Paper?
• Resume Paper Color

Resume Paper Weight

Resume paper texture, resume paper size.

And much more!  

What Is Resume Paper?

Resume paper refers to paper specifically designed for resumes and cover letters . 

Compared to regular paper, resume paper usually comes in various colors and is thicker, heavier, and of higher quality. 

Although resume paper is usually not necessary (because the majority of job openings accept virtual applications), there are some cases when you should definitely consider it. These include: 

• When you’re required to mail a physical copy of your resume
• When you attend a job interview
• When you go to a job fair

Since many job-seekers don’t pay a lot of attention to resume paper, they can be a bit hard to come by, so we recommend ordering them online:

The type of resume paper doesn’t matter if your resume is not convincing. Use Novorésumé to create a job-winning resume within minutes!

What Makes a Good Resume Paper? 

Before you go on to buy a resume paper, you need to have a clear idea about what will work best for you. 

To make an informed decision, there are several things to take into consideration, including: 

• Cotton Content

Below we discuss each resume paper aspect separately, as well as offer you some insight on what the best choice might be for you based on your resume , profession, etc. 

Resume Paper Color 

The first thing to consider is the color of your resume paper. To choose the right one, you need to consider the job position, the industry, and your resume’s specific design elements. 

The most common resume paper colors are: 

• Ivory. Ivory resume paper is classy and timeless, with earthy tones that are perfect for more conservative industries such as law and business and senior professionals like managers, CEO -s, etc. Regarding your resume’s color palette, ivory looks great when matched with dark, contrasting colors and white spaces.
• White. White resume paper is easy to read and can make the colors of your resume pop out distinctively. While white is fitting for almost every job and industry, it’s particularly great for designers, artists, or anyone with a visual resume that contains graphs and resume icons. White color resume also looks great for resume designs that use light shades like gray or blue. 

While both resume paper colors are highly recommended, go for ivory color if you want to look sophisticated and stand out from the crowd and for white color for a safer, yet professional look. 

After you’ve decided on the color of your resume paper, it’s time to choose the right paper thickness or weight. Typically, resume paper comes in three different weights, namely: 

• 20 lbs (75 gsm). This is the standard weight for office printing paper. Although there’s nothing wrong with 20 lbs weight, it’s more see-through than the other two options and easier to crumble. Although this is by far the most economical choice, it’s also the least professional one, as it doesn’t compliment high-quality color or texture.
• 24 lbs (90 gsm). This weight is budget-friendly yet still a professional option. Although it’s more transparent and frail than the 32 lbs option, it’s much more professional than standard office printing paper and a perfectly acceptable option if you want to save some money.
• 32 lbs (120 gsm). 32 lbs resume paper is the most professional, qualitative, and expensive choice when it comes to paper weight. It’s thick, brightly colored, and the least transparent out of the three options, so if you have the budget don’t hesitate to go for it!

Most standard printers can’t usually handle 32 lbs of paper, so consider going to a printing shop or office supplies store to get the best printing results. 

You’ve probably realized by now that resume paper quality isn’t something to take lightly. And if you haven’t, you will after reading about how important texture is in making your printed resume look professional. 

The texture of your resume paper will define how your resume feels to the touch, which can in turn make it more or less memorable. 

Below, we have listed the pros and cons of the most common resume paper materials out there:

#1. Plain Resume Paper: Pros & Cons

Plain resume paper is a common and safe choice that’s basically used in every office and for most printing purposes. It’s a material that everyone is familiar with, it’s economical, and it’s overall an acceptable choice, especially if you’re on a budget. 

Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of a plain resume paper:

• Standard and “safe”
• Works with the majority of resume designs
• Small chance of ink spills
• Cheap price
• Not so memorable
• Lowest quality material

#2. Parchment Resume Paper: Pros & Cons

Parchment paper is all about class, elegance, and history. 

It’s no wonder that all the important documents were historically printed on parchment paper . Although there’s no denying that the appeal of parchment paper is timeless, this can be a two-edged sword with recruiters. While some may love it, others may find it pretentious and a bit outdated. 

Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of parchment resume paper:

• Official appearance
• Classy and elegant
• Not a common material choice
• Requires high-quality printer
• A pretentious choice for some recruiters

#3. Granite Resume Paper: Pros & Cons

Granite paper represents the perfect balance between a speckled and a refined texture that feels like sandpaper but still isn’t too rough to the touch. 

This material effectively highlights darker colors, it’s easy to grip, and can set you apart from the competition with its elegance and originality. Not to mention, granite paper is mainly made from recyclable materials, making it an eco-friendly option. 

Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of the granite resume paper:

• Suitable for most printers
• Environmentally friendly
• Original yet classy 
• Not suitable for light-colored resumes

#4. Laid Resume Paper: Pros & Cons

Laid paper comes with embossed lines on its surface that look like rolling waves. Today, we see paper as a flat surface, whereas laid paper aims to imitate how the paper looked when it was first invented. 

This alone makes it a memorable choice for your resume paper’s material, especially in an industry or job position where originality is appreciated.  

That said, laid is also the material that’s more likely to bring out printing errors and mess up your resume’s text and font quality - especially if your resume uses a dark-colored palette or if you don’t have a good printer handy. 

Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of a laid resume paper: 

• Original and classy
• Nice to the touch
• Very costly
• Likely to cause printing errors

#5. Linen Resume Paper: Pros & Cons 

For a thick and durable material, you should choose linen as your resume paper material. It’s weighty, easy to grip, and soft to the touch, all thanks to its unique cross-hatch style texture and natural thickness. 

Much like granite, a linen resume paper is guaranteed to make your resume stand out. Here’s an overview of its pros and cons: 

• Authentic and classy look
• Works with most printers
• Durable and nice to the touch
• Prone to wrinkling easily

This is probably the easiest resume paper aspect to get right. 

As a rule of thumb, the right resume paper size is the standard paper size in your region. In the US, that’s the letter size (8.5 x 11 inches). 

In Europe and much of the rest of the world, that’s the A4 size (8.27 x 11.69 inches). 

Remember that not following your region’s standard paper size won’t help you stand out from the competition - it will only make you look uninformed and careless. 

Cotton Content on Resume Paper 

Last but not least comes cotton content. 

To understand how important cotton content is for resume paper, just take a look at what it affects:

• Paper quality and durability
• Color richness and depth  

Basically, you could have picked the perfect color and material for your resume paper and still leave recruiters unimpressed if the cotton content is low. Meanwhile, if you opt for a medium-quality weight, for example, like the 24lbs one, but with high cotton content, the result is going to impress recruiters much more. 

4 Tips to Choose the Best Resume Paper

At this point, you pretty much know everything there is to know about what makes a resume paper really great. But how exactly do you make the right choice for yourself?

Here are 4 tips for choosing the best possible resume paper for your professional stage: 

• Consider the design of your resume template : Does your resume template use dark, contrasting colors or lighter shades of gray and blue? Will it take a lot of ink to print, or does it follow a simplistic design? These details can help you determine what color, material, and the weight you should go for. 
• Print out several options: This might be slightly unrealistic if you’re on a budget, but printing out several resumes to use in different situations can be quite beneficial. You can use, for example, ivory parchment paper weighing 32lbs for more traditional positions, or white linen weighing 24lbs for more casual, creative industries. 
• Use high-quality paper for executive positions : If you’re applying for executive positions, nothing but the best will cut it. Go for 32lbs, ivory, linen resume paper to make your resume look sophisticated, unique, and professional. 
• Adapt to the industry: Being original is one thing and being the black sheep among all other applicants is another. Try to find a balance between originality and conventionality by taking into consideration what your industry finds “acceptable” (e.g. creative industries leave more space for experimenting with the resume paper color and material, whereas more conservative industries undoubtedly prefer more minimalistic and high-quality choices, especially in terms of cotton content and paper material). 

Bottom Line: What Is the Best Resume Paper? 

If all these resume paper options left you feeling a tad confused, don’t worry. 

Although there’s a place and industry for every resume paper, a study comparing different resume layouts showed that traditional paper performs better than more creative options .

The traditional resume printed on white paper performed better than all other options used in the study.

Nonetheless, the message is clear. If you’re on a budget or otherwise conflicted about the resume paper you should use, white paper with high cotton content is a commonplace, safe choice that is unlikely to harm your chances of getting the job. 

Resume Paper FAQ 

If you still have some questions regarding resume paper, you can find our answers to some questions we haven’t covered yet below: 

#1. Can I Put My Resume Paper in a Normal Printer?

Although most standard printers can print out resume paper, you’ll have to first check the printer’s manual to make sure it will print resume paper. After you make sure your printer can print resume paper, read the instructions for any specific steps you need to follow. 

If your home printer can’t print resume paper, you can try printing it at a printing store or office supply store.

#2. Can I Use A4 for My Resume?

In most cases, the A4 size is perfectly suitable for your resume paper. 

Actually, your printed resume should follow the standard paper size by region. In most of the world, that’s the A4 size (or 210mm x 297mm), whereas in the US and Canada it’s Letter size paper.

#3. Should I Staple My Resume?

Most recruiters are not fond of stapled resumes for the simple reason that staples make it difficult to take the resume apart. Not to mention, as a rule of thumb, most resumes shouldn’t be longer than one page , which means you don’t even need to staple it. 

Key Takeaways 

And that’s a wrap! You should have all the info you need in order to pick the right resume paper for you. 

Before you go, though, here are the main points we covered in this article: 

• Resume paper refers to paper specifically designed for resumes and cover letters. In comparison to regular paper, resume paper usually comes in various colors and is thicker, heavier, and of higher quality.
• You need to think about resume paper when the job position requires that you submit a printed copy, when you go to a job fair, or when you attend a job interview. 
• Resume paper quality depends on several factors, including quality, color, texture, size, weight, and cotton content. 
• Keep in mind that most standard printers can’t handle the highest-quality resume papers, so make sure to go to a printing office to get the best printing results. 

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• Resume and Cover Letter
• How to Choose the Best Resume...

How to Choose the Best Resume Paper

10 min read · Updated on January 15, 2024

Is resume paper important, considering the digital age of job applications? Yes! Yes, it is!

You've been applying to jobs non-stop for a while now and have been invited to attend a career fair or job interview. That means you'll need a printed copy of your resume. If printing out your resume has never occurred to you, now is the time. You definitely don't want to print it out on regular old printer paper. That will do nothing to help you stand out from the crowd. Using plain paper also bears witness to the idea that you don't pay attention to details. 

Those negative connotations are easily avoided by choosing the right resume paper. 

How do you choose the best resume paper? 

Is color, texture, and weight important?

Should you use cardstock to print your resume? Spoiler alert: No.

Where do you buy resume paper?

Is the brand of resume paper important?

There's a maze of options that needs to be explored, especially since handing over your printed resume to a recruiter or hiring manager is a moment that demands attention so you can leave the best first impression. 

What is resume paper?

Aside from the glaringly obvious answer of '"t's paper that you print your resume on,"  resume paper is a subtle part of the job application process that backs up the praises contained in your professional narrative. 

Picture this: You walk into an interview room and see that the hiring manager has a copy of your resume printed out on plain white paper. Then, you hand them a copy of your resume on resume paper. Their eyes light up, because you've just signaled that your professionalism extends beyond what is written on that piece of paper. 

This specialized type of paper is designed specifically for printing resumes and goes beyond mere utility. When you use resume paper, you provide the hiring manager with a visual and tactile sense of your professionalism because this type of paper is thicker, has different colors, and feels different – softer – than standard paper. The texture and color elevate the reading experience and provide a tangible quality that engages more of the hiring manager's senses. 

How do you know if the resume paper you're buying is good?

So far, you've learned that having your resume printed on resume paper will make you appear more professional. Now, let's talk about what to look for in the resume paper you choose. There are several key attributes to consider:

The good news is that all of the information about the paper you choose will be printed right on the box of paper. 

Resume paper weight

The weight of resume paper is measured in pounds (lbs) per square meter and is heavier than regular printing paper. The weight typically ranges from 24 lbs to 32 lbs and helps your printed resume to have a sense of substance. It also makes your resume more durable. 

Choose 24 lbs if you're trying to make a cost-effective decision that still conveys professionalism.

When you're applying for an upper-level or executive position , the decision to buy 32 lbs will probably be more appealing as it's a more luxurious paper that provides greater formality. Basically, the heavier weight makes a bolder statement.

Fortunately, no matter which weight you choose, it'll be something even the most common printers can handle. 

Brightness and color

The two most popular color choices are white and ivory. Many people feel like those are boring, but just like using the regular old reverse-chronological format for your resume, it's what hiring managers expect. 

Both white and ivory exude a clean and professional feel; the best part is that the neutrality of these two colors falls into the it's-a-safe-bet category. Of course, resume paper comes in different colors, like gray or beige, if you want a contemporary touch. However, those colors should be leveraged only when you're applying for a creative role or are in an industry that values modern or unconventional approaches – think graphic design , marketing , or creative writing.

In fact, your color decision should be based on the type of role you seek. For example,

White and ivory are perfect for most professional settings and traditional industries like finance, law , healthcare, and administrative positions

Blues and darker grays can be used when you apply for roles where confidence and boldness are critical, like sales and project management

Pastels should really be avoided unless you have a rapport with the company you're interviewing with and want to have fun

In addition to the decision you make about the color of your resume paper, you have to consider the brightness. Resume paper brightness is measured from 1 to 100 – the higher the number, the brighter the paper. Consider the design of your resume.

Do you have any contrasting text on your resume?

Have you built header sections that are highlighted with a dark color?

Are you using colored text for things like company names or position titles?

All of these factors will be affected by the brightness of your paper. The brightness of your resume paper can enhance the contrasting text and shaded sections, or it can mute those design elements. 

The texture of your resume paper

When we talk about adding a tactile response to your job application, we're referring to the texture of your resume paper – and there are quite a few to choose from, including:

Smooth and linen finishes are great for formal and traditional industries that embrace conservative approaches. Cotton is often chosen by executives, because it has a more luxurious feel, and parchment is suitable for creative fields that value uniqueness. When you want to venture into a job interview or attend a career fair and leave a lasting impression of warmth with a hint of flair, then you should opt for a felt finish on your resume. It should be noted that felt texture is probably not going to go through your printer very well.

At the end of the day, the texture of your resume paper should be something that is distinctly you. There should be a hole in the box where you can feel the paper before you buy it. 

Does it give you the heebie-jeebies when you touch it? 

Is the texture memorable? That is, after all, what you're going for when you apply for a new job.

Does the texture align with the expectations of your industry?

It may seem weird to associate emotion with paper, but since your resume is an extension of you, the choice should resonate with your professional identity.

Texture comes from the material of your resume paper

Unlike regular printer paper that's made from wood pulp, resume paper can be made from a variety of materials, like:

Cotton or a cotton blend

Linen blend

Recycled paper

Premium bond paper

Well, what's the difference?

Most of the difference has to do with durability and texture. For example, the cotton, cotton blend, and linen varieties are durable and offer a premium presentation, while premium bond paper is known for having a high-quality finish and offers a more polished presentation. Pick the material of your resume paper based on the type of first impression you want to make. 

How do you choose the right resume paper? 

While a lot of what goes into picking your resume paper will depend on your personal preferences, you have to consider things like industry norms and how the paper will mesh with the design elements of the text that will be printed on the page. 

Oftentimes, you'll see advice that indicates 32 lb linen is the best resume paper. However, if you're applying for a role or are in an industry where distractions should be minimized, you would opt for 32 lb white cotton resume paper. 

Don't worry if you're on a budget, though. You can wow a hiring manager with 24 lb cotton paper that falls on the cheaper side of the resume paper spectrum. The main idea is that you choose something that isn't plain white printer paper. 

Expert tip: If you're on a budget, you can sometimes get free resume paper at your local library or the career services office at college (if you're a student). 

Resume paper frequently asked questions

Great, so you have to buy resume paper to match your personality, the design of your resume, and the norms of your industry. What else should you know about resume paper? Let's address some FAQs:

Where can I buy resume paper?

You can buy resume paper pretty much anywhere, including big box retailers like Target and Walmart, office supply stores like Office Depot, and even Amazon. Feel free to comparison shop, too, to find the best price, because Amazon's resume paper is no different than the resume paper at Office Depot.

What are the best resume paper brands?

There are basically four major brands of resume paper – Southworth, Neenah, Wausau, and Hammermill. Southworth stands out as the industry standard for high-quality resume paper, while Hammermill comes in as a more affordable option.

Should I print my resume double-sided?

This is a common question for people who want to save money, but it's just not a good idea. Printing your resume on the front and back of the paper compromises the readability and minimizes the professional appearance. It's best to print your resume on two separate pages. 

Should I staple the pages of my resume together?

Stapling your resume is another thing to avoid, because the hiring manager is going to pull it apart anyway. Most of them want to be able to put your pages next to each other as a way to be able to quickly reference the content when they're asking you interview questions . 

Should I print my resume on cardstock?

The answer to this question was spoiled at the beginning of the article. The first thing to consider is that cardstock will probably not feed through your printer very well. Additionally, because of how thick it is, a hiring manager or recruiter may not be able to stack it well with the other resumes they have to go through, leading them to be frustrated – not an impression you want to leave. Also, cardstock is more expensive than resume paper. 

Does all resume paper have a watermark?

Generally, only the premium resume paper options have a subtle watermark. It's a way for the manufacturer to display the authenticity of the paper. Most resume papers do not have watermarks. Either way, it should say right on the box whether there's a watermark or not. 

Will resume paper feed through my printer?

The short answer is, "Yes." Of course, you'll want to check the specifications of your printer, but resume paper is designed to be printer-friendly. You'll probably even see that it'll say “printer-friendly” on the package of resume paper. 

Why does all of this matter?

Is it really worth the effort to pay more than double for a small box of printer paper than you would if you were buying a 500-page ream of printer paper? 

When you consider that everything you put into a job search is an investment in your future, the decision is clear – you should spend the extra money on resume paper, because you never get a second chance to make an outstanding first impression. 

It's obvious that there will be times when you must have a printed version of your resume. Using the right resume paper is the best way to make a tangible and positive impression. Not only does the right resume paper signal that you're keen on details, but it's a subtle way to build a personal brand that showcases your value to hiring managers. 

Before you print your resume, we'll check to make sure that it has the right keywords and layout to impress hiring managers – and we'll check it for free. Upload it here .

Recommended reading:

The Truth About Resume Writing

The Best Times of the Year to Look for a Job

Resume Examples & Samples for Every Career

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

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