The 9 Best 100 percent Cotton Papers (2023 reviews)

The arches 100 percent cotton paper's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. This is gorgeous, thick smooth paper, perfect for drawing with pen and ink and then adding color. It is cotton fiber so it makes painting on it much more successful. It lends itself better for media that don't require a rougher texture. It is available in several formats and sizes including blocks, pads, sheets and rolls, and 3 luxurious textures.

All arches paper is acid-free and made from 100% cotton, ensuring it valiantly stands the test of time and allows you to make the most out of every sheet. It is good for multiple layers of washes. Tape comes off easily without ripping and masking fluid also comes off easily without pulling at the paper.

Why We Like This:

Very thick and absorbent paper for a beginner artist, good quality
Takes water well with minimal pilling and holds its shape fairly well
Beautiful, high quality hot press watercolor paper

Best For Artist: BAOHONG 100 percent Cotton Paper

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate paper. The baohong 100 percent cotton paper is exactly that - it's a simple paper that hits all the right notes. Artists' grade paper can hold more water than academy grade, whereas it absorbs faster than the academy grade paper. It comes with a salix opener and also it is a good deal money wise. It works well on mixed media so it should work on hot press.

It comes with 20 sheets of 140lb/300gsm watercolor paper and is glued on four edges to eliminate the need for stretching and avoids cockling. The paper is durable enough to withstand wet-on-wet painting without buckling and is scrubbable when correction is needed. They can take a lot of water without damage and it is able to absorb just the right amount of moisture. It is perfect for different mediums and subjects.

Why We Like This:

Wet painting without buckling and is scrubbable when correction is needed
Hot press paper is flat with no texture
Excellent paper for new and experienced artists

Best For applying The finest Watercolor paints: Speedball 100 percent Cotton Paper

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Watercolor artists love these watercolor paper block pads that are bound on 2 sides for easy removal of one sheet at a time. It is the finest quality watercolor paper that conforms to the ISO 9607 standards of permanence, 100% cotton rag and gelatin-sized. It is produced at slow speeds for precise control for a stronger, premium quality paper.

Each style of paper is offered to artists in the widest range of sizes and formats for creating unique watercolor paintings.

Why We Like This:

Cotton archival quality paper that is perfect for applying the finest watercolor paints
One of the new comers and featured product

Best With gouache: Winsor Newton 100 percent Cotton Paper

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The winsor newton 100 percent cotton paper is suitable and reliable and fits well with your regular usage. This is just as good or better than Arches and other cotton papers. It is made with 100% archival grade cellulose wood pulp and natural artesian well spring water with neutral ph properties. It retains the color saturation from wet to dry impressively well. It’s strong enough to rough up and you can lift paint easily.

The 5x7 wire bound is the only one which is 100% cotton. It’s also easy to add watercolor paint to water on the paper to achieve playful flow affects. It has a less textured finish and is the most widely used paper surface. It is a great size and the 100% cotton paper holds watercolor beautifully.

Why We Like This:

Handy 5" x 7" size for field or studio sketching
A brighter white without being beige, cream, or yellowish
Retains color brilliance, very smooth surface
Nice weight, nice texture, nice scrubbability, pricy

Best With Acrylic Paint: Newbested 100 percent Cotton Paper

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These watercolor paper enable to move color greatly to show a good vision experience. It can be sent to someone who likes acrylic painting, watercolor painting, sketch, etc. It can be as origami paper or cutting paper to do some craft work. It’s only 90 lbs and is super soft. It is great paper to burn trough when practicing.

It’s not high quality watercolor paper, but it is way better than copy paper for kids who are wanting to make a hundred nice-ish watercolor paintings. It isn’t as thick as most watercolor paper, but takes paint nicely. It’s a good product for beginners.

Why We Like This:

Great for drawing, not for watercolor
Wrinkles and buckles due to the thinness
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For inkjet printing: PROMASTER 100 percent Cotton Paper

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate paper. The promaster 100 percent cotton paper is exactly that - it's a simple paper that hits all the right notes. It doesn't have texture like watercolor paper has. It can learn the fine art watercolor paper is a 100% cotton rag composition. It has a beautiful soft watercolor paper texture and a slight warm tone to it. It does indicate whether it is hot or cold pressed. The ink sets in the cotton fibers to give a watercolor effect with printing.

This is cotton paper, not a woven cotton fabric. It is perfect for fine art prints at home. It is not sheer and too thick for general use.

Why We Like This:

Made beautiful prints of original watercolor artworks
Perfect for your regular inkjet printers
Good brand reputation

Best For Professional: new York Central 100 percent Cotton Paper

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All four sides of the New York central watercolor blocks are glued to prevent the top sheet from curling and buckling as you paint. It can withstand a multitude of techniques, including wet color blending, paper scratching, and scrubbing. The machine evenly distributes long cotton fibers to make each durable sheet and internal gelatin sizing prevents paint bleed-through and preserves color vibrancy.

The rigid backing board supports the paper and makes plein air painting simple. It has a balanced grain that softens as a unit when wet. It's easy to blend and mix on the paper and it has a nice texture. The paper is very nice quality and takes water well. It is no need to stretch the paper before using it.

Why We Like This:

Good brand reputation
New and hot release

Best For beginners: artbeek 100 percent Cotton Paper

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The ArtBeek cold pressed cotton watercolor paper is really a good watercolor paper, but it doesn't bead up when you have to correct or add layers of color. Each thick, durable sheet of paper comes with a smooth side as well as a textured side, allowing for flexibility in your creation. It quickly absorbs water, keeping your paints looking as vibrant as ever with no bleed through.

This paper is decent for watercolor practice as it does work somewhat similar to other cotton papers but it is not 9x12 so when it comes to matting or framing it is not a standard size. It can be used in high concentration with very little water. It is thicker & heavier (140 lb/300gsm), so it can stand up to multiple washes without warping or bleeding through. This paper is a fantastic value especially for 100% cotton, cold press paper.

Why We Like This:

Excellent for the beginner watercolor artist
Excellent watercolor paper, great for beginners or pros
Definitely recommend for beginners that want to practice wet on wet

Best Premium: Saunders Waterford 100 percent Cotton Paper

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This paper is made using 100 percent cotton that is suited to archival standards. It includes 20 sheets of 140lb hot press paper that is traditionally produced on a cylinder mould machine in england. It is also buffered with calcium carbonate to help protect work from discoloration caused by acids in the air. This is an amazing watercolor paper.

Why We Like This:

Easy to do washes on for a hot press finish
Paper texture is so rich and good quality
New and hot release

The 9 Best 100 percent Cotton Papers (2023 reviews)

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Arches 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best For Artist: BAOHONG 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best For applying The finest Watercolor paints: Speedball 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best With gouache: Winsor Newton 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best With Acrylic Paint: Newbested 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best For inkjet printing: PROMASTER 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best For Professional: new York Central 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best For beginners: artbeek 100 percent Cotton Paper

Best Premium: Saunders Waterford 100 percent Cotton Paper

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