PAPER CALCULATOR
Paper Estimator
Estimate the minimum amount of paper needed to print a given number of books.

Use our Paper Estimator to estimate the minimum amount of paper needed to print a given number of books. Simply fill in your individual data below, then click "Calculate".

Note: specify all dimensions in inches (using decimal fractions) and weight in pounds.

Input Variables
Enter the following information for the project:
Total Number of Books:
Page Width:   (in.)
Page Height:   (in.)
Estimated waste:
 
Cover requirements:
Paper Type:
Basis Weight:   (in lbs)
Number of pages:   (pages, not sheets)
Price per CWT ($ ⁄ CWT):   (optional)
 
Body requirements:
Paper Type:
Basis Weight:   (in lbs)
Number of pages:   (pages, not sheets)
Price per CWT ($ ⁄ CWT):   (optional)

Example

Find the total project cost for a direct mail catalog with the following characteristics:

Total copies: 20,000
Dimensions: 8" x 10&
Estimated waste in printing: 5%
Cover pages: 8 pages, 80 lb Cover
Cover price: $84.50 ⁄ CWT
Body pages: 64 pages, 60 lb Book
Body price: $67 ⁄ CWT

Formula - Minimum Paper Needed:

Use the following formula to calculate the total pounds of paper required.
Remember to calculate the results for both cover and body papers.
For estimated waste, add 1 + the percentage waste in decmial (e.g. 5% estimated waste = 1.05)

(# Books) × (# Pages) × (Page Width) × (Page Height) ×
(Basis Weight) × (Estimated Waste)		 = Minimum pounds required
(Basis Area) × 288    

Round the total weight required to the nearest pound


Formula - Price based on total paper required:

Use the following formula to calculate the total price based on the total pounds of paper required.
Remember to calculate the results for both cover and body papers.
 

(Total pounds required) × (Price in $ ⁄ CWT) = Estimated project cost
100    
Equations:

Cover paper needed:

20,000 × 8 × 8 × 10 × 80 × 1.05 = 2,067 lbs minimum required
1,806 × 288    

Cover paper total price:

2,067 × $84.50 = $1,747 estimated cost for cover paper
100    

Body paper needed:

20,000 × 64 × 8 × 10 × 60 × 1.05 = 6,790 lbs minimum required
3,299 × 288    

Body paper total price:

6,790 × $67.0 = $4,549 estimated cost for body paper
100    

Total project price:

$1,747 (cover paper) + $4,549 (body paper) = $6,296 estimated total project price
Basis Sizes and Areas
Paper Type Basis Size Basis Area¹
 
Book / Offset 25" x 38" 3,299 ft²
Cover 20" x 26" 1,806 ft²
Bond 17" x 22" 1,299 ft²
Tag / Newsprint 24" x 36" 3,000 ft²
Bristol 22.5" x 28.5" 2,227 ft²
Index 25.5" x 30.5" 2,701 ft²

¹Note: the Basis Area is the total square footage for a ream of paper cut to the Basis Size for the paper type.