For most types of papers, a ream is 500 sheets of paper of a single size. In the past, a ream comprised 20 "quires," a quire containing 24 sheets of a uniform size. Therefore, a ream used to consist of only 480 sheets. In fact, a ream of certain types of papers—tissue and wrapping papers—is still 480 sheets. A ream is the quantity of paper used to determine basis weight. (See Basis Weight.)
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