New and Recently Adopted Accounting Standards (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation	$ 0.3

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Share-based Compensation, Excess Tax Benefit, Amount

No definition available.

Name:	pkg_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationSharebasedCompensationExcessTaxBenefitAmount
Namespace Prefix:	pkg_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration