How to use 40,000 sheets of letterhead paper?
October 10, 2013 6:15 AM Subscribe
Instead of ordering one set of 200 sheets of letterhead writing paper (with mine & my husband's names and our address), I ordered 200 sets of 200 sheets of paper. That means I will now be receiving 40,000 sheets of letterhead... how can I make this less wasteful and use it all up?
I'm really appalled at my stupidity and as penance for my mistake am looking for ideas on how to use every bit of this paper. Obviously I can simply write as many long letters as possible, but I thought maybe the hivemind had some other, more creative suggestions on how best to utilize it!
I'm really appalled at my stupidity and as penance for my mistake am looking for ideas on how to use every bit of this paper. Obviously I can simply write as many long letters as possible, but I thought maybe the hivemind had some other, more creative suggestions on how best to utilize it!
Best answer: If you use it for all your letters, all your shopping lists, all your notepads for the rest of your life, it'll take care of itself. And won't you be fancy!
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:28 AM on October 10, 2013 [11 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:28 AM on October 10, 2013 [11 favorites]
My dad worked for a state's attorney general when I was a kid so every time there was an election they would end up with a lot of old letterhead with the old AG's name on it. He would bring it home and we would do all of our "junk" printing on it: If we wanted to take printed directions or a confirmation email somewhere, printing drafts of school assignments, airline boarding passes, recipes, etc. I seem to recall we used a lot of it for school stuff, so if you have kids or know someone with kids that may be a use for it.
posted by ghharr at 6:35 AM on October 10, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by ghharr at 6:35 AM on October 10, 2013 [4 favorites]
Random poetry! Print or handwrite poems you love and distribute the poetry. You can cover up the address with a carefully positioned line or a black sharpie. Then leave them around in cafes and bus-stops and so on as little moments of beauty for other people to find.
posted by viggorlijah at 6:38 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by viggorlijah at 6:38 AM on October 10, 2013
Best answer: I am pretty sure there would be non-profits and schools that would love to take it off your hands. At my daughter's preschool, they print worksheets for the children on the backs of donated letterhead paper. Kids don't care... trees are saved... money is also.
posted by molasses at 6:43 AM on October 10, 2013 [13 favorites]
posted by molasses at 6:43 AM on October 10, 2013 [13 favorites]
Do you do the Christmas letter thing, where every year you write long reviews of the year's events to your friends and relatives? That might use up some of the paper.
posted by koucha at 7:02 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by koucha at 7:02 AM on October 10, 2013
Legally change your name before it gets delivered, every time you and your husband disagree about anything you can blame him for hoarding boxes and boxes of letterhead with some other woman's name on it.
If for some reason you don't think it's a good idea to change your name just because you screwed up a stationary order I think giving some to a preschool is probably your best bet -- little kids will happily draw on anything.
posted by foodgeek at 7:17 AM on October 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
If for some reason you don't think it's a good idea to change your name just because you screwed up a stationary order I think giving some to a preschool is probably your best bet -- little kids will happily draw on anything.
posted by foodgeek at 7:17 AM on October 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
Here are two sets of instructions for turning spare paper into cute glue-bound scratch-pads with tear-off sheets.
If you don't like the idea of handing your names/address to schools/kids/etc you could easily trim the identifying parts off. That makes it great as squares for origami, or smaller notepads, etc.
Crafts that use paper: Christmas tree paper chains, long strings of banners/pennants, paper lanterns.
posted by aimedwander at 7:24 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you don't like the idea of handing your names/address to schools/kids/etc you could easily trim the identifying parts off. That makes it great as squares for origami, or smaller notepads, etc.
Crafts that use paper: Christmas tree paper chains, long strings of banners/pennants, paper lanterns.
posted by aimedwander at 7:24 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Get a high quality rotary trimmer with a replaceable blade. Cut it into various shapes for custom notepads, etc.
If you have to print out any pdf reference files and have them bound, you can print on the back.
posted by mecran01 at 7:26 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you have to print out any pdf reference files and have them bound, you can print on the back.
posted by mecran01 at 7:26 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
Per molasses above you can have the identifying portions chopped off for cheap at the back-up facility that supports your local copy place [40,000 sheets = eight boxes]. Eight boxes shouldn't cost much at all as it would take about ten minutes - if that [I worked at a facility that did this type of thing for nearly a decade]. Ask if they will do it for free and then donate it to a local school.
posted by vapidave at 7:34 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by vapidave at 7:34 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
If the letterheads are monarch sized, you can guillotine them down to post quarto size, use some yourself and give the rest away.
posted by tel3path at 7:43 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by tel3path at 7:43 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
You can chop up the paper into different card sizes to make personal business cards (since your info is already on it), thank you cards, etc. If the paper is too flimsy, you can mount them to card stock and do as above.
posted by JiffyQ at 7:44 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by JiffyQ at 7:44 AM on October 10, 2013
My kids went to a small Catholic school where paper was often donated by people and/or companies who had to change their letter head for some reason. It was used for copying as well as for scrap paper and drawing. This eliminated the need for purchasing so many boxes of paper and recycled a lot of waste. Find a small school, church, non-profit and donate it.
posted by maxg94 at 7:50 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by maxg94 at 7:50 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
Please, print this post and comments out on the letterhead.
And mail me a copy. (I will provide my mailing address, and postage upon request)
I want to show it to my wife next time she mocks me for making a mistake.
posted by DigDoug at 7:58 AM on October 10, 2013 [15 favorites]
And mail me a copy. (I will provide my mailing address, and postage upon request)
I want to show it to my wife next time she mocks me for making a mistake.
posted by DigDoug at 7:58 AM on October 10, 2013 [15 favorites]
I'm a writer. I always need paper like this. You must know someone like me.
posted by miles1972 at 8:53 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by miles1972 at 8:53 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're like most people a high percentage of your home printing will never be sent or given to anyone else. If your paper is A4 sized, turn it over and use it in your printer.
If not, then cut it into smaller sizes and use it for scrap paper and notes. Think of it as a lifetime investment in notepaper.
You could also guillotine off your address and donate the paper to charity, especially one dealing with education in poor developing countries.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:25 AM on October 10, 2013
If not, then cut it into smaller sizes and use it for scrap paper and notes. Think of it as a lifetime investment in notepaper.
You could also guillotine off your address and donate the paper to charity, especially one dealing with education in poor developing countries.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:25 AM on October 10, 2013
Nthing donation to a school or giving it to friends with early grade school aged children, especially little girls. They draw and draw and draw and they don't care what size the paper is.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:36 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:36 AM on October 10, 2013
Please ask your local public elementary school if they would like it! Public schools are operating on insane shoestring budgets (at least around here), and it would be helpful! My son's teacher specifically asked us to bring in paper that only had printing on one side so she could use it for paper supplies in the classroom.
posted by Joh at 9:56 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by Joh at 9:56 AM on October 10, 2013
You might be able to sell it at a reduced price on craigs list. In my office, most of what is generated by our printer is for in-house use. I just checked, our last purchase of copy paper was 2500 sheets for $38, dleivered. It would be interesting to purchase a load of paper at a significant discount.
posted by elf27 at 10:40 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by elf27 at 10:40 AM on October 10, 2013
Make everything in this book.
posted by augustimagination at 10:58 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by augustimagination at 10:58 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think I'd do a couple of things.
Nthing the idea of DIY notepads. Years ago, I worked at a Kinko's and made all manner of fun notepads for myself. At the time they had the in-house ability to do the glue binding and the guillotine cutting of large stacks of paper. This may not be true today of local copy shops. But if it is, I'd chop the personalized end off your letterhead and turn it into a custom 8.5" long and narrow pad for grocery and to-do lists. And use the remainder of that cut for whatever size pads you wish.
But you can only do that with so much paper! I'd identify your local homeschooling group and donate at least a box each to those families. Also FWIW, if a friend of mine had this issue I'd be happy to take a ream home to use as my printer paper for nonessentials. You probably know others like this.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 10:59 AM on October 10, 2013
Nthing the idea of DIY notepads. Years ago, I worked at a Kinko's and made all manner of fun notepads for myself. At the time they had the in-house ability to do the glue binding and the guillotine cutting of large stacks of paper. This may not be true today of local copy shops. But if it is, I'd chop the personalized end off your letterhead and turn it into a custom 8.5" long and narrow pad for grocery and to-do lists. And use the remainder of that cut for whatever size pads you wish.
But you can only do that with so much paper! I'd identify your local homeschooling group and donate at least a box each to those families. Also FWIW, if a friend of mine had this issue I'd be happy to take a ream home to use as my printer paper for nonessentials. You probably know others like this.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 10:59 AM on October 10, 2013
That's about 12 months supply of doodling paper for my kids.
Luckily, I get lots of one-sided-printed-on paper from work for them to draw on the back-of.
Surely you know a family or two with younger kids who could use some drawing paper?
posted by bystander at 4:24 AM on October 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
Luckily, I get lots of one-sided-printed-on paper from work for them to draw on the back-of.
Surely you know a family or two with younger kids who could use some drawing paper?
posted by bystander at 4:24 AM on October 12, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tilde at 6:19 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]