Hammermill Copy Paper: Copy Plus vs Premium Lines
Hammermill is a US paper brand now made by Sylvamo. Its everyday Copy Plus sheet is 20 lb (75 gsm) and 92 bright; Premium Multipurpose is 97 bright in 20 or 24 lb (90 gsm); Premium Color Copy is 100 bright in 28 or 32 lb. All come in 500-sheet reams; retailers list Copy Plus as US-made.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Hammermill Copy Plus, 8.5 x 11 in, 20 lb, 92 bright (105007)
- Brand
- Hammermill
- Brand origin
- United States
- Made in
- United States*
- Material
- 20 lb (75 g/m²) copy paper
- Price range
- $$$5–20 per ream or pad
Notes on these facts
- Made by Sylvamo Corporation. Made in United States: Neither Hammermill's Copy Plus page and sell sheet nor Sylvamo's shop page states a country. PartsSource and PFStar list the country of origin as USA for 105007, and OfficeCrave and OnTimeSupplies list United States. Sylvamo says its Eastover, South Carolina, mill produces Hammermill paper. Source. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Hammermill's sell sheet rates Copy Plus at 92 brightness, 88 opacity and a 4.0-point caliper on a 20 lb (75 gsm) sheet.
- Premium Multipurpose 24 lb (item 105810) is 90 gsm, 97 bright, 90 opacity and 4.7 points thick, per Hammermill.
- Premium Color Copy is 100 bright at 28 lb (105 gsm, 94 opacity) or 32 lb (120 gsm, 96 opacity), per Hammermill's sell sheet.
- Brightness steps up from 92 (Copy Plus, Tidal) to 96 (Fore), 97 (Premium Multipurpose) and 100 (Premium Color Copy).
- The brand dates to 1898 in Erie, Pennsylvania; International Paper bought it in 1986, and Sylvamo took it over at its 2021 spin-off.
What is Hammermill copy paper?
Hammermill is a US office-paper brand, now owned and made by Sylvamo Corporation, sold in several lines that differ by weight and brightness. The company began as the Behrend family’s paper business in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1898, according to a history of its stock certificates.
International Paper bought Hammermill in 1986. When International Paper spun off its uncoated paper business as Sylvamo in 2021, Hammermill went with it. Sylvamo says its US mills produce Hammermill alongside HP-branded papers, the same company behind the HP printer paper we covered.
What are the main Hammermill paper lines?
Copy Plus is the everyday 20 lb sheet; Premium Multipurpose and Premium Color Copy are the brighter, heavier steps up. All are letter size (8.5 × 11 in, 216 × 279 mm) in 500-sheet reams, with other sizes on some lines.
| Line | Weight | Brightness (US) | Opacity | Caliper | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copy Plus | 20 lb (75 gsm) | 92 | 88 | 4.0 pt | Everyday copying and drafts |
| Tidal | 20 lb (75 gsm) | 92 | 88 | 4.0 pt | Value-priced copy paper |
| Fore Multipurpose | 20 lb (75 gsm) or 24 lb (90 gsm) | 96 | 90 | 4.0 / 4.6 pt | Office printing |
| Premium Multipurpose | 20 lb (75 gsm) or 24 lb (90 gsm) | 97 | 90 | 4.0 / 4.7 pt | Two-sided documents, reports |
| Premium Color Copy | 28 lb (105 gsm) or 32 lb (120 gsm) | 100 | 94 / 96 | 4.7 / 5.4 pt | Color handouts, presentations |
Every figure comes from Hammermill’s own sell sheets, which give brightness on the US TAPPI scale. Where two figures appear, the first is for the lighter weight.
What do 20 lb, 24 lb and 92 bright mean?
The pound figure is the bond basis weight, and the brightness figure is how much blue light the sheet reflects, on a scale where higher is whiter. A 20 lb sheet is 75 gsm, 24 lb is 90 gsm, 28 lb is 105 gsm and 32 lb is 120 gsm, so 28 lb Premium Color Copy is 40% heavier than Copy Plus.
Hammermill says its brightness numbers use the US TAPPI scale. European ratings run higher for the same sheet: Staples lists Premium Multipurpose 24 lb as 97 US and 110 Euro. Our Amazon Basics copy paper guide explains the scales in more detail.
Opacity matters if you print on both sides. Hammermill rates Copy Plus at 88 and Premium Multipurpose at 90 in both weights, so Premium should show less through from the back.
Is Premium Multipurpose 97 or 100 bright?
Hammermill’s own sell sheet gives 97 for Premium Multipurpose, in both 20 lb and 24 lb. Listings sometimes show 98 or 100; we found no maker source for those figures. The Hammermill paper that is 100 bright is Premium Color Copy, at 28 or 32 lb.
Which Hammermill paper should you choose?
Choose Copy Plus for everyday printing, Premium Multipurpose 24 lb for double-sided documents, and Premium Color Copy for color.
- Copy Plus (105007): the standard 20 lb, 92 bright ream. Hammermill says it has ColorLok, is acid-free and is FSC certified.
- Premium Multipurpose 24 lb (105810): heavier, brighter and more opaque, for reports and anything printed on both sides.
- Premium Color Copy 28 lb (102467): the brightest and thickest sheet, for handouts and photos where the paper’s whiteness shows.
- Tidal or Fore: Hammermill calls Tidal a value-priced sheet with the same 92 bright, 88 opacity specs as Copy Plus; Fore sits at 96 bright between Copy Plus and Premium.
How does Hammermill compare to HP and Amazon Basics paper?
On headline specs, Copy Plus matches HP Copy&Print20 and Amazon Basics: 20 lb, 92 bright, 500 sheets. Sylvamo makes both the Hammermill and HP lines.
| Hammermill Copy Plus | HP Copy&Print20 | Amazon Basics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 20 lb (75 gsm) | 20 lb (75 gsm) | 20 lb (about 75 gsm) |
| Brightness (US) | 92 | 92 | 92 |
| ColorLok | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Maker | Sylvamo | Sylvamo, under license from HP | Not named by Amazon |
| Made in | USA | USA | Not stated |
Where is Hammermill paper made?
US retailers list Hammermill Copy Plus as made in the USA; PartsSource, for example, gives USA as the country of origin for 105007. Hammermill’s own product page and sell sheet don’t state a country.
Sylvamo says its Eastover, South Carolina, mill and Sumter sheeting plant produce Hammermill papers, and Hammermill’s Tidal, Fore and Premium sell sheets list a “Made in USA 100+” logo among Sylvamo’s trademarks. We found no origin statement for Premium Multipurpose specifically, so check the ream wrapper.
For handwriting rather than printing, a pad of 80 g/m² paper such as the Rhodia No. 16 is a different kind of product: slightly heavier than 20 lb (75 gsm) copy paper and sold by the pad rather than the ream. For cards and covers, 65 lb Neenah Bright White cardstock is 176 gsm, more than twice the weight of Copy Plus.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Hammermill paper?
Sylvamo Corporation makes Hammermill paper. International Paper bought the Hammermill Paper Company in 1986 and spun off its uncoated paper business, including Hammermill, as Sylvamo in 2021.
Where is Hammermill paper made?
US retailers such as PartsSource list Hammermill Copy Plus as made in the USA; Hammermill's own pages don't name a country. Sylvamo says its mill in Eastover, South Carolina, produces Hammermill paper.
What is the difference between Hammermill Copy Plus and Premium Multipurpose?
Premium Multipurpose is brighter, and it also comes in a heavier weight. Copy Plus is 92 bright and 20 lb only; Premium Multipurpose is 97 bright in 20 lb (75 gsm) or 24 lb (90 gsm), per Hammermill's sell sheets.
Is Hammermill Premium Multipurpose 98 or 100 bright?
Neither: Hammermill's sell sheet and retailer listings give 97 on the US scale for Premium Multipurpose. Staples adds a European rating of 110. The 100-bright Hammermill paper is Premium Color Copy, which is 28 lb.
What is Hammermill Premium Color Copy paper?
It is Hammermill's heavy, bright sheet for color printing: 100 bright in 28 lb (105 gsm, 94 opacity, 4.7 pt) or 32 lb (120 gsm, 96 opacity, 5.4 pt), per Hammermill's sell sheet. The 28 lb weight comes in letter, legal, 11 x 17, 12 x 18 and 19 x 13 in.
Is Hammermill paper acid-free?
Yes. Hammermill's product pages call Copy Plus, Fore and Premium Color Copy FSC certified and 100% acid-free, and Sylvamo's shop says the same of Copy Plus.
Does Hammermill paper have ColorLok?
Copy Plus does, according to Hammermill's sell sheet, Sylvamo's shop and Office Depot's spec sheet. ColorLok is a paper technology that HP owns; Hammermill says ink dries faster and blacks are bolder on ColorLok paper, a maker claim we haven't tested.
Sources
- Hammermill: Copy Plus Printer Paper, 20lb, 92 Bright (stock codes, FSC, acid-free, ColorLok)
- Hammermill: Copy Plus sell sheet (20 lb, 75 gsm, 92 bright, 150 smoothness, 4.0 caliper, 88 opacity; ream UPC 010199005007), PDF
- Hammermill: Premium Color Copy sell sheet (28 lb 105 gsm and 32 lb 120 gsm, 100 bright), PDF
- Hammermill: Fore Multi-Purpose sell sheet (96 bright, 20 and 24 lb, 90 opacity), PDF
- Hammermill: Tidal sell sheet (20 lb, 92 bright, 88 opacity, 4.0 caliper), PDF
- Hammermill: Premium Multipurpose sell sheet (97 bright, 20 and 24 lb, 90 opacity), PDF
- Sylvamo shop: Hammermill Copy Plus 105031 (acid-free, FSC; lists 105007)
- Sylvamo: North America (Eastover and Ticonderoga mills, brands produced)
- Sylvamo: $145 million investment in South Carolina facilities (2025)
- Wikipedia: Hammermill Paper Company (acquisitions, International Paper, Sylvamo)
- Scripophily.net: Hammermill Paper Company history (Behrend family, Erie, 1898)
- PartsSource: Hammermill Copy Plus 10500-7 (country of origin USA)
- Staples: Hammermill Copy Plus 105007, 10-ream carton (made in USA)
- OfficeCrave: Copy Plus 105007CT (country of origin United States)
- Office Depot Business: Hammermill Copier Plus (ColorLok, acid-free, FSC Mixed)
- Staples: Hammermill Premium Multipurpose 105810, 5-ream carton (97/110 US/Euro brightness)
- Micro Center: Hammermill Premium Multipurpose 24 lb (90 gsm, 97 bright)
- Quill: Hammermill Premium Color Copy 11 x 17 in, 28 lb, 100 bright (94 opacity, 4.7 caliper)
- OnTimeSupplies: Hammermill Premium Color Copy 102467, 28 lb, 100 bright (country of origin United States)
- Walmart: Hammermill Fore MP 96 bright, 20 lb, 11 x 17 in
- Staples: Hammermill 8.5 x 11 in paper, 20 lb, 92 bright, item 162008 (Tidal)