Small Studio Solutions - Paper Storage

I love paper. I love working on it, collaging with it, and simply admiring it. Consequently, I have a big paper stash – much of it in large sheets that unfortunately don’t marry well with my small studio. I dream of drawers for flat paper storage, but my 2 x 3 meter studio (in which I work and store all my supplies) demands a different solution.

My first storage solution was to stack my large paper sheets vertically in a tall shallow box. Recently though, I was compelled to do a deep studio organization in preparation for a workshop and I found that some papers had slipped down and gotten lost while others had crumpled along the lower edge. This inspired me to come up with a quick and inexpensive solution that seems obvious in retrospect and is working well so far.

Here’s what I did:

Sorted my paper by type. I have paper that I work with regularly and want easy access to, like my Arches Oil Paper, Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper, and large sheets of cartridge paper. I also have many sheets of decorative and specialized paper that I’ve collected over the years and don’t need regular access to, but would prefer to store flat. And then I have a bunch of miscellaneous paper that I don’t mind rolling up.

Selected a storage box. I used a wide, tall, and relatively shallow sturdy cardboard box that was bigger than my biggest paper sheets. Mine measures 73cm high x 64cm wide x 24cm deep and originally held something from Ikea.

Created large rigid “pockets” for each paper type. To create these pockets, I first found or made large plastic sleeves for each grouping of paper – something that fit the paper with a bit of wriggle room but wasn’t too loose. Some of these sleeves were simply the bags that the paper had arrived in and some I made out of salvaged plastic (I tend to save most of the plastic sheets/bags that I receive as packaging as it can usually be reused for something). I slipped the papers into their plastic sleeves and then used packing tape to tape each sleeve to a cardboard support (again, saved from various deliveries). I used supports that were bigger than the paper, narrower than the storage box, and tall enough to come up to the top of the storage box.

I made sure that the bottom of each plastic sleeve was higher than the bottom of the cardboard support so that the paper sheets would not sit directly on the bottom of the storage box.

For my decorative papers, I took the easier route of sandwiching them between two sturdy sheets of cardboard, clipping everything together with some large alligator clips and slipping the sandwich into the storage box. Although I have to unclip the whole thing to get at a sheet of paper, I don’t access these papers frequently so that’s not a problem.

Taping the bottom and sides of a plastic sleeve onto a cardboard support.

The completed pocket ready to be inserted into the storage box.

Labeled and organized my pockets. I labeled each pocket and slipped them into the storage box. Now I have something like a big filing box (remember those?) where I can quickly flip through the cardboard supports to find that paper I want and slip a sheet out of its plastic sleeve. As long as the plastic sleeves aren’t too roomy, the paper lies flat against its cardboard support. Because the sleeves are suspended off the ground, the bottom of the paper sheets do not get crunched.

I still store some paper rolled up in tubes that can be tucked in a corner. I don’t mind rolling paper that’s lightweight, infrequently accessed, or is going to be torn up for collage anyway.

I hope you find this useful if you’re also working in a small space and are struggling with storing your paper. The end result is not the prettiest thing to look at, but it is functional!