About Southworth
Southworth has manufactured fine paper for over 180 years, dating back to 1839. The company's paper has a documented place in American history: Abraham Lincoln used Southworth paper to write his acceptance of Stephen Douglas's invitation to debate. Today Southworth operates as a brand of Mativ, and its resume, business, and specialty cotton papers remain a mainstay of the professional stationery category.
The current lineup spans 100% cotton and cotton-linen resume papers in multiple weights, colors, and finishes, alongside planners, journals, and printable templates for resumes, invitations, and business cards. Every cotton resume sheet we tested is acid-free and lignin-free for archival stability, carries a Southworth watermark, and is endorsed by the National Resume Writers' Association, the kind of third-party professional validation that few paper brands in this category can claim.
Brand website: southworth.com
What Southworth makes
Southworth's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
100% Cotton Resume Paper
Wove finish in multiple weights and colors, watermarked and archival-grade — featured on DeskRated
100% Cotton Linen Resume Paper
Textured cross-hatch finish for a distinctive, traditional presentation — featured on DeskRated
Cotton Linen Business Paper
Lower cotton content linen finish for everyday professional printing — featured on DeskRated
Planners
Dated and undated formats
Journals
Casebound and flex-stitch construction
Templates
Printable resume, invitation, and business card templates
Why we recognized Southworth
The DeskRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Southworth earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, used at a real desk, and judged on merit.
Southworth products we rated highly
Southworth 100% Cotton Resume Paper, 24lb, Ivory
100% cotton fiber gives this sheet a soft, substantial feel that reads as premium the moment it's picked up, and it's the paper endorsed by the National Resume Writers' Association. It printed smudge-free across inkjet, laser, and copier output in our testing, and the acid-free, lignin-free construction means printed copies hold up over years of storage.
Read the 7 Best Resume Paper Options of 2026 guide →
Southworth 100% Cotton Resume Paper, 32lb, White
The heavier 32lb weight gives this 100% cotton sheet a noticeably substantial, card-like feel, and the bright white base delivers strong contrast for black text. In our testing it fed cleanly through inkjet, laser, and copier trays despite the extra thickness.
Read the 7 Best Resume Paper Options of 2026 guide →
Southworth 100% Cotton Resume Paper, 32lb, Ivory
This 32lb, 100% cotton sheet carries the same fiber quality, Southworth watermark, and archival-grade construction as the brand's other cotton papers, at a lower price than the white 32lb option. It held up well to handling and mailing in our testing without creasing or wrinkling.
Read the 7 Best Resume Paper Options of 2026 guide →
Southworth 100% Cotton Linen Resume Paper, 32lb, Almond
The cross-hatch linen texture gives this cotton sheet a distinctive, tactile finish that's also NRWA-endorsed, and the acid-free, lignin-free construction keeps the almond tone and texture stable in long-term storage. We found it best suited to traditional industries like law, finance, and academia.
Read the 7 Best Resume Paper Options of 2026 guide →
Southworth 25% Cotton Linen Business Paper, 24lb, White
This 25% cotton linen sheet delivers a textured, professional finish at a more accessible price than Southworth's 100% cotton line. Its 94 brightness rating produced crisp, high-contrast text in our testing, and the acid-free, lignin-free construction gives it the same archival stability as the rest of the range.
Read the 7 Best Resume Paper Options of 2026 guide →What earned Southworth the recognition
- 180+ years as a fine paper manufacturer, with a documented history that includes Abraham Lincoln's own use of Southworth paper
- The 100% cotton resume paper line is endorsed by the National Resume Writers' Association, third-party validation few competing papers in this category carry
- Every cotton resume sheet we tested is acid-free and lignin-free for archival-grade durability, and watermarked as an authenticity signal
- Offers both wove and linen finishes across multiple weights and colors, giving candidates in different industries a fit for their presentation
- Five distinct Southworth papers earned a place in our resume paper testing, spanning entry-level cotton-linen through premium 100% cotton weights