9 x 12 paper source

[Mark]

Where can I find good, heavy-weight, 9" x 12" paper for printing sheet music?

[Rick F]

That's called, A4 paper. Here's a source for 28# at $25 a ream:

Empire Imports
http://empireimports.stores.yahoo.net/a428lbpaper.html

[Chuck(G)]

That's called, A4 paper. Here's a source for 28# at $25 a ream:

Empire Imports
http://empireimports.stores.yahoo.net/a428lbpaper.html

Sorry to be such a wet towel, but...

A4 is even narrower (about 8.2 inches) than standard 8.5x11 letter paper. It's a bit longer though, but not 12" (about 11.7).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_paper_size

You could try C4 sized paper (about 9x12.75).

An exact fit to 9x12 is the "Arch A" size, used by architects. You may have to call around a bit to find some, though.

[poomshanka]

Where can I find good, heavy-weight, 9" x 12" paper for printing sheet music?

Although 9X12 is an odd size to find, any decent-sized paper dealer in your area should stock 12X18. That's a standard oversize measurement for color copiers. If you buy a package of it, they'd probably cut it in half for you. You might even want to check with the local Kinko's, either to purchase directly from them, or perhaps get the name of their local supplier. Just out of curiosity, will your printer take something that wide?

Kelly Paper (http://www.kellypaper.com) appears to have an outlet in Seattle at 145 South Horton Street #2. The numbers listed are (206) 622-2896, and FAX (206) 622-2879. They're bigger down here in SoCal, and I use them all the time as a supplier.

Good luck!!

...Dave

[Rick F]

That's called, A4 paper. Here's a source for 28# at $25 a ream:

Empire Imports
http://empireimports.stores.yahoo.net/a428lbpaper.html

Sorry to be such a wet towel, but...

A4 is even narrower (about 8.2 inches) than standard 8.5x11 letter paper. It's a bit longer though, but not 12" (about 11.7).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_paper_size

You could try C4 sized paper (about 9x12.75).

An exact fit to 9x12 is the "Arch A" size, used by architects. You may have to call around a bit to find some, though.

Oops - I stand corrected. All these years I thought the paper music was printed on was A4. Sorry about that.

Thanks for the clarification Chuck.

[iiipopes]

Sorry to be a second wet towel, but my folks used to own a print shop. 12X18 is not a standard size. 11X17 for accountants is.

But any good shop, even a Kinko's, will be able to order it for you.

And one more thing to think about: with Finale and Sibelius, everything is going to 8 1/2 X 11 compatable. Are you sure you need 9X12?

[poomshanka]

Sorry to be a second wet towel, but my folks used to own a print shop. 12X18 is not a standard size. 11X17 for accountants is.

But any good shop, even a Kinko's, will be able to order it for you.

And one more thing to think about: with Finale and Sibelius, everything is going to 8 1/2 X 11 compatable. Are you sure you need 9X12?

Your information is dated.

12X18 may not be a standard item at Staples, OfficeDepot, OfficeMax, Costco, Sam's, etc., but it certainly is at paper vendors like Kelly, Xpedx, UniSource, etc. When you walk down the aisles in those stores, they group paper by weight, finish, manufacturer, etc., and will typically have samples out of each size for you to take. For much of that product, standard stocking sizes are 8.5X11, 11X14, 11X17 and 12X18. Beyond that are large parent sheets that can be trimmed down to whatever size is needed.

Standard oversize feed on a color copier (and some B&W laser printers) is 12X18. Many of those machines will even take that size in a tray (i.e. you wouldn't have to stick it into the manual feed slot). Keep in mind that the industry has changed quite a bit in the last few years, and *many* quickprint shops these days (as well as large commercial shops with offset presses available) run low-count jobs on large color copiers (some costing upwards of $250K). With make-ready on an offset press, it's not cost-effective to run these tiny jobs. For a full-bleed job that trims to 11X17 (pretty standard fare), you need to run it on 12X18.

In years past, 12X18 might not have been as widely available as it is now. However, with digital presses becoming fairly ubiquitous, it's not difficult to find at all.

...Dave

[Mark]

I do need 9 x 12. I have some very old sheet music that is 9 x 12. It is falling apart and I scanned it into my computer and cleaned up the scans. However, when I tried printing it at 8.5 x 11, I found it too difficult to read. I have an inkjet printer that will print up to 17 x 22, so I printed it on a big sheet at its orginal size and it was readable.

I also have access to a tabloid-sized laser printer, so I plan on printing the final version out on that if I can find the right sized paper. I guess I will have to order from one of the local print shops.

All of this leads me to wonder why so much music is still printed on 9 x 12 if this is such a rare size of paper?

[poomshanka]

All of this leads me to wonder why so much music is still printed on 9 x 12 if this is such a rare size of paper?

It's actually not at all rare, if you consider that it's half of a 12X18 sheet. Most of these sheet music producers are printing on something like a big color copier, or maybe a DocuTech. If the final trimmed size is 9X12, then it was run 2-up on a 12X18 sheet and cut in half.

It's almost like saying you want some 4X6 postcards, so where can you find standard paper that size? Well, you can't. Not at all uncommon to run things 2-, 4- or 6-up, then trim them to size. If you have some flexibility with feed sizes on your printer, then you could either run 12X18 through and trim it yourself, or have someone like Kelly split it in half for you beforehand. Your tabloid laser printer should also take 9X12 in the manual feed slot (maybe even the tray). You'd just need to make sure that the page setup was dialed in with whatever program you're printing out of.

...D

[poomshanka]

Oh, I should also mention that if you're thinking of running the job through your inkjet, make sure you mention that to the salesperson wherever you buy the paper. A lot of 12X18 stock is intended for use in a toner-based system, not inkjet. Stay away from papers that have a lot of "tooth" to them and aren't hard and smooth. They will tend to gain badly and plug up when the ink hits the paper surface (think "placing a drop of ink on a piece of toilet paper").

...D