Units of paper quantity as ISO 4046. In Europe, the DIN 6730 standard for Paper and Board includes a definition of 1 ream of A4 80gsm (80 g/m) paper equals 500 sheets. The word 'ream' derives from Old French "reyme", from Spanish "resma", from Arabic "rizmah" "bundle" (of paper), from "rasama", "collect into a bundle". (The Moors brought manufacture of cotton paper to Spain.) Early variant rym (late 15c.) suggests a Dutch influence. (cf. Du. "riem"), probably during the time of Spanish Habsburg control of the Netherlands. The number of sheets in a ream has varied locally over the centuries, often according to the
Norman B. Ream Norman B. Ream Norman B. Ream (1844-1915) was an American businessman. A Civil War veteran, Ream became a millionaire by investing in steel, railroads, insurance, and banking. Norman B. Ream was born on November 5, 1844 in Harnedsville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He was educated in public schools. During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he served in the 85th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Union Army. He became the youngest man to be promoted from private to First-Lieutenant in the Union Army. However, he was "incapacitated" by war wounds. Shortly after the war, in 1866, Ream moved to Princeton, Illinois, where