Resume Paper: Weight, Color, Cotton and Where to Print

Most applications are submitted online, so paper is for the moments when someone hands your resume across a table: in-person interviews, career fairs, networking events, walk-in applications at stores, restaurants and job sites, and the occasional mailed application. Those are also the moments when a thin, smudged copy gets noticed.

Paper is a finishing touch, not a deciding factor. Cornell's Human Ecology career office puts it plainly: the content of your resume is more important than the paper it is printed on. Get the content right first, then print it well.

For an interview, bring copies in a folder: one for each person you expect to meet plus a spare. The guide to how many resumes to bring to an interview covers panel and multi-round interviews.

Paper weight in the US is listed in pounds of bond: the weight of 500 sheets at the basic size of 17 by 22 inches. Everyday printer paper is 20 lb. Resume paper usually starts at 24 lb and goes up to 32 lb, which feels noticeably stiffer in the hand.

A 24 lb sheet is the sensible minimum and easy to find in office-supply stores. Cornell's career office recommends 32 lb resume paper, says 20 lb is flimsier and may look less professional, and notes that very heavy 80 lb stock is not necessary for a resume.

Check your printer before you buy 32 lb paper. Many home inkjets list a maximum paper weight in the manual or spec sheet, and heavy sheets can jam or feed at an angle. Feeding one sheet at a time through the rear or manual slot usually helps.

Resume paper is often sold by cotton content, commonly 25% or 100%. Cotton fibers make the sheet softer, stronger and longer lasting; Cornell's career office notes that cotton-infused paper is more durable. Good cotton paper is also labelled acid-free, so it does not yellow over time.

Whether it is worth paying for depends on the setting. For a final-round interview at a law firm, bank or executive search, 100% cotton in 24 or 32 lb is a small, sensible upgrade. For a stack of 30 copies at a campus career fair, plain 24 lb bright white paper does the job.

Many cotton papers carry a watermark. Print on the side where the watermark reads correctly when you hold the page up to the light, with the mark right side up. A backwards watermark is exactly the kind of detail a careful reader spots.

White or off-white. The UC Santa Barbara economics career guide specifies 8.5 by 11 inch white or off-white paper, and Cornell calls off-white the safest color choice. Ivory can work in conservative fields, but Cornell notes it appears yellow in natural light.

Bright white has a practical edge: if a recruiter photocopies or scans your resume to share it, white reproduces cleanly, while cream and textured stock can come out gray or speckled. Skip colored paper; Cornell notes that many employers see it as unprofessional.

Choose a smooth finish, often sold as "wove". Linen and laid finishes have a visible texture that some readers like and others find distracting, and toner does not always bond evenly to heavily textured paper.

Short bond. In the Philippines, short bond means letter size, 8.5 by 11 inches, and long bond means 8.5 by 13 inches. Resumes and cover letters go on short bond unless an employer or agency specifically asks for long bond.

Outside North America and the Philippines, the standard sheet is A4 (210 by 297 mm), slightly narrower and taller than letter. Set your document's page size to match the paper you will print on; a letter-size file printed on A4, or the reverse, gets scaled down or clipped at the edges.

If you apply to employers in more than one country, keep two PDFs, one letter and one A4, and check that each still fits on the same number of pages.

You have more options than a home printer, and some of them are free. Bring your resume as a PDF rather than a Word file, so a shared computer without your fonts does not change the layout.

• Public libraries. Most have public computers and printers, and some offer free job-search printing. McMinnville Public Library in Oregon, for example, gives up to 10 free copies per person per day for resumes, cover letters and other job-search printing.
• American Job Centers. The U.S. Department of Labor lists approximately 2,300 centers nationwide offering job search help. Find yours with the CareerOneStop American Job Center Finder or the toll-free line 1-877-US-2JOBS, and ask whether you can print there.
• Campus libraries and career offices. Students can usually print on campus; Cornell's Human Ecology career office, for example, points students to a free printer.
• Print and shipping stores. FedEx Office, Staples, Office Depot OfficeMax and The UPS Store print from a file you bring or send ahead. Call first if you want a specific paper weight or want to bring your own sheets.
• Your own laser printer. Cheapest per page and the most control over paper and alignment.

No. Print each page on its own sheet; Cornell's career office also advises against printing a resume on both sides. Put your name and "Page 2" at the top of the second page in case the sheets get separated, and hold them with a paper clip rather than a staple if the reader may photocopy them.

If you mail a resume, use a 9 by 12 inch envelope so it arrives flat, and put the cover letter on top. Folded resumes keep their creases and do not feed cleanly through a scanner.

1. 1

   Save the final version as a PDF

   Export from Word or Google Docs so the fonts, spacing and page breaks are locked in.

2. 2

   Match the page size to the paper

   Use letter (8.5 by 11 inches) for the US, Canada and the Philippines, and A4 almost everywhere else.

3. 3

   Print at actual size

   Choose "Actual size" or 100% scale in the print dialog, not "Fit to page", which shrinks the text and widens the margins.

4. 4

   Test on plain paper first

   Check alignment, page breaks and that nothing near the margins is cut off before you use the good paper.

5. 5

   Load resume paper correctly

   Find the print side and the watermark direction, then feed one sheet at a time if your printer struggles with heavy stock.

6. 6

   Let it dry and keep it flat

   Give inkjet prints a minute before stacking, and carry copies in a folder or portfolio rather than a bag pocket.

• How many resumes to bring
• Best Resume Fonts, Font Size and Margins
• Resume Format Guide: How to Choose One
• What should a resume look like?
• How long should a resume be?
• Cover Letter Template

We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.

1. Cornell University, College of Human Ecology Career Exploration Center: What resume paper should I use? (32 lb recommendation, cotton durability, smooth finish, off-white safest, ivory looks yellow, no double-sided printing)
2. UC Santa Barbara Department of Economics, Career Connection: Career Connection Resume Guide (8.5x11 inch white or off-white paper)
3. McMinnville Public Library (City of McMinnville, Oregon): Job Search Help (up to 10 free job-search copies per person per day)
4. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration: American Job Centers (approximately 2,300 American Job Centers; CareerOneStop finder and 1-877-US-2JOBS)