Intaglio's Ultimate Guide to Printmaking Paper

At Intaglio Printmaker we have a huge selection of paper. If you have ever visited us you will know our paper room cave of floor to ceiling shelves stacked with sheets – from Japanese tissue to dense Hahnemuhle and everything in between. When beginning your printmaking journey it can be a bit daunting making sure you have the right type of paper for your medium, so we have created a guide to get you started. This is just a guide however, experiment and explore the endless results that paper can offer.

Papers for Etching & Drypoint

When looking for Etching and Drypoint paper you want a paper that is is a good weight as it goes through a lot of pressure whilst printing. It also needs to be strong and absorbent to make sure it doesn’t fall apart when being soaked. We recommend papers that are over 250gsm. As for texture, it is completely up to your style and the effect you are seeking. Papers we recommend are:

Hahnemuhle Etching White 300g
Hahnemuhle Etching Natural 300g
Velin Arches White 250g & 300g
Velin Arches Cream 250g
Velin Arches Noir 250g
Somerset 250g & 300g
BFK Rives 250g & 280g

Papers for Lino, Woodblock & Relief

For Lino, Woodblock and Relief printing you have the most options of paper, lucky you. When printing with a press you can have much weightier paper. If your work isn’t too detailed you could go up to 300gsm. When hand printing with a baren or wooden spoon you will need a lighter paper to be able to get the detail to transfer with less pressure. For these papers we recommend papers under 145gsm. These lighter papers are great whilst hand printing as you can see the image being printed through the paper. Papers we recommend are:

Velin Arches White 250g & 300g
Velin Arches Cream 250g
Velin Arches Noir 250g
Fabriano Rosaspina White 220g
Fabriano Rosaspina 285g
Fabriano Accademia 120g & 200g
Somerset Satin 250g
BFK Rives 250g & 280g

HAND PRINTING ONLY
Zerkall Printing 145g
Hereford Book & Printmaking 145g
Masa (mid-weight)
Hosho Pad 90g
Kozo (light-weight)
Canaletto Velino 125g
Awagami Editioning Papers

Papers for Engraving

Papers for engraving require a super smooth surface and to be a middle weight paper, we have found that between 100g to 150g is the perfect weight. This is to ensure all the fine detail is picked up when printing. Papers we recommend are:

Liber Charta 145g
Canaletto Velino 145g
Hereford Book & Printmaking 145g
Awagami Shiramine Select 110g

Papers for Screen Printing

When looking for a Screen Printing paper you want a lovely flat smooth paper to ensure the screen sits straight and for the squeegee to glide over the surface. We suggest a paper with a slightly heavier weight to stay robust through the printing method. Papers we recommend are:

Arches 88 300g
Fabriano Rosaspina 285g
Fabriano Accademia 200g
Fabriano 4 Liscia 220g
Fabriano 5 Liscia 210g
Somerset Satin 250g & 300g
BFK Rives 250g & 280g
Botanical Ultra Smooth 300g

Papers for Lithography

When it comes to lithography a range of papers can be used. Traditionally smooth and absorbent paper are used for stone and waterless lithography, however slightly textured paper can be used to enhance the grainy look. Papers we recommend are:

Fabriano Rosaspina 285g
Velin Arches White 250g & 300g
Velin Arches Cream 250g
Velin Arches Noir 250g
BFK Rives 250g & 280g
Somerset 250g & 300g
Awagami Editioning Papers

Papers for Chine Colle

Chine Colle papers will need to be very light-weight and thinner than the main printing paper, it must also be absorbent. Many Japanese light-weight papers are great for chine colle as the long fibers keeps the paper strong when dampened. Papers we recommend are:

Kozo (light-weight)
Maruishi (light-weight)
Awagami Kitakata 36g
Awagami Kitakata Green 36g
Awagami Kozo Natural Select 46g
Awagamu Okawara Select 51g

Papers for Embossing

When Embossing you are really looking for heavy-weight textured paper. The thick paper will give a clearer and cleaner emboss. Papers that are made from cotton work better as they are a bit more malleable. Papers we recommend are:

Velin Arches White 250g & 300g
Velin Arches Cream 250g
Velin Arches Noir 250g
Somerset 300g
BFK Rives 280g

Papers for Proofing

Proofing Papers are your basic but staples. These papers are going to give you an idea of what your print is going to look like without all the flashiness of other papers, a real workhorse. Papers we recommend are:

Bread and Butter Edition 270g
Heritage Woodfree 200g
Snowdon Cartridge 300g
Newsprint 48g
Fabriano Unica 250g
Fabriano Rosaspina White 220g