The 9 Best Hot Press printing Papers (2023 reviews)

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 provides timeless beauty and an inimitable touch. It allows arches water color paper to slacken uniformly when wet for outstanding control. It is used for professional artwork.

Glued on all sides to preserve paper integrity, each arches hot press block boasts a protective cover sheet and ph-neutral paper with a harmonious natural grain and no optical brightening agents. It provides extra protection from light and elements, meaning this paper is made to last for years to come.

Why We Like This:

Texture can be good depending on your painting style
Rough has more texture than cold pressed
Excellent quality paper for cyanotype printing
You can scrub, shape and 400 grit sand almost at will

Best For Watercolour Painting: Arches Hot Press

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If you often find yourself scrambling for convenient and suitable paper, arches hot press is your end point. This 140 lb, hot-pressed, Arches paper is exactly what it is supposed to be. It handles color washes very nicely and allows for great color blending. The paper stands up to a lot of water. It is ideal for detailed watercolor work. The hot press is smooth, the cold press has a nice texture, and rough texture for special projects. It is also very easy to sketch on. It's the best watercolour paper. They offer a wide variety of textures and sizes in pads or large sheets.

Why We Like This:

Incredible for calligraphy, authentic gold gilding, sketching, and any paint
Great flat surface paper, due to the hot press
Absorbs watercolor faster than cold press paper

Best For Really responsive Paper: Strathmore Hot Press printing Paper

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The strathmore hot press printing paper's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. This hot press paper has a much smoother texture and prints really nicely. It is perfect for water color renderings. It provides greater water hold-out, improved color lifting, and blending. They also work nicely for alcohol and water based marker art. This paper will hold up to virtually anything the artist can 'throw at it' while still keeping its fine texture and smooth, reflective surface.

It is perfect for small art projects. These would be great for sketches while traveling, though a journal/notebook/pad format would probably be easier to wrangle than the pre-cut sheets.

Why We Like This:

Cute size cotton paper, easy to handlebudget friendly for beginners
Color blends beautifully, looks sharp (not dull at all) on the paper
A heavy-weight paper with a hot press finish for mastering watercolor techniques
A very smooth watercolor paper that stands up to intense spray pigments

Best With Acrylic Paint: Fabriano Hot Press printing Paper

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It handles water and gel medium quite well. It has strength and thickness to not warp (much) when water media are applied. The paper is slightly less white (slight yellow cast) than the paper of the cover. It is great for polychromos color pencils.

It has a rougher texture and watercolor moves differently across it. It is hard to handle gradients on this paper, however the paper is of excellent quality and illustrations that are done with thin layers look great. The paper does not stand up to any rubbing and fast pills. It is really good if you want to apply a lot of water and then drop in the paint, as you get really nice flow.

Why We Like This:

Excellent watercolor paper for botanical studies
, handles ink and wash beautifully
Sketch pad good for young artist
Works beautifully with a wide variety of art mediums

Best For illustration: Legion Paper Hot Press printing Paper

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The legion paper hot press printing paper is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily purpose. The white artist tapes from both proart and art alternatives work well, as long as you remove the tape slowly and with care. It really holds details very well. The cover colour just tells you what the different paper textures and uses are in that brand. This paper dries relatively quickly. It is suitable for ink, watercolor, gouache and airbrush, but also enough tooth for colored pencils.

The quality is superb, 100% Cotton, and has a lovely texture. It is finely crafted and affordable. This is quite a nice paper, colors blend easily, as long as you don't get it too wet.

Why We Like This:

Colors hold their vibrancy fairly well, even when working with many layers
A fantastic paper for any watercolor artist
Great quality and the best priced hot pressed paper out there
Minimal warping, absorbs paint well, great texture

Best For portrait: Leda Art supply Hot Press printing 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 leda art supply hot press printing paper is exactly that - it's a simple paper that hits all the right notes. This paper has an exceptionally smooth texture and it is not rough at all. It is the best value paper around, but it really is a pleasure to paint on using all sorts of techniques, and everything looks good when the pictures are finished. It is suitable for artists who prefer to work quickly or layer their paintings. It is a twin pack with 2 watercolor pads for a total of 48 pages.

It is a softer paper with a bit less rigid texture on the surface. It works well for gouache, acrylic, and ink too. It comes in two pads to add to that takes colors well. The surface is very smooth (no tooth) compared to the cold-pressed, which is as it should be. It is definitely pretty smooth.

Why We Like This:

Takes paint well, with minimal warping or change in surface texture
Doesn't warp so much, looks great
Good investment for long term

Best For colored pencil Drawing: Stonehenge Aqua Hot Press printing Paper

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Hot press papers are generally quite smooth when compared with the more textured cold press variety. It measures 7 by 10 inches and includes 15 sheets. This block is glued along two long edges to hold each sheet flat while painting. It is perfect for colored pencil drawing. The hot press is so smooth and paint moves and blends so easily.

Just the feel of this paper will tell you how wonderful this paper is. It’s like sketch paper surface/tooth wise.

Why We Like This:

Perfect size for folding in half and fitting in a standard greeting card envelope
Beautiful block of paper in a cream color, smooth service
Performing, cost effective paper for watercolorists
Takes pencil, ink and ink washes very well with a very nice surface finish

Best For pen: Fabriano Hot Press

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This wonderful paper comes in a block, all the sheets are glued together so when you work on the top sheet with wet watercolor washes, the paper won’t buckle. It is beautiful watercolor paper and preforms fabulously. It is double-sized, acid-free/ph neutral, chlorine-free and features the purest natural white available without artificial optical brighteners. It is also key how you apply the color to be patient and you will love it.

The Quality of the paper is good. It is excellent for all water media, printmaking, digital printing, charcoal and drawing. It is good for small fine details. It is perfect for pen and ink, marker and watercolor.

Why We Like This:

Incredible watercolor paper to help you make incredible paintings
Thick, smooth paper that is of a high quality
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For Acrylic: new York Central Hot Press printing Paper

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This is a block of paper, glued on all four sides. This grain drinks a lot of moisture from a pen, holds soft pencil extremely well, but also does not erase cleanly if you make any indentation in the paper, as with a hard pencil lead. It takes a lot of water without buckling, and can take scrubbing as well.

This paper is made in China, the sizing is not vegan (animal-sourced gelatin), and the paper is 100% cotton, 140 lbs. It's relatively easy to get off, too, despite that it's all one block. This is a good block, the paper doesn't curl or distort when really wet, and it holds paint well but doesn't dry instantly allowing for more time to work. This paper would be fine for fine ink drawing, such as felt tip pens, or any dry media that doesn't require ultrafine detail.

Why We Like This: