August 27, 2017
By Rayane Alvim

The Best Papers For Brush Pens

In this post, I’ll talk about the best papers for your felt tip brush pens. You’re gonna be able to make decisions about which one fits in your budget and help your brush pens live for much longer.
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The Best Papers For Brush Pens

When you’re first starting with brush lettering (or brush calligraphy), you can’t understand why your brush pen is being ruined, especially if you’re using the Tombow Dual Brush Pens because they fray so easily. What are you doing wrong? Is it the way you’re holding the pen or you just don’t know how to use it yet?

The thing about brush pen lettering is that paper matters a lot. If you’re not using the right papers, you’re just wasting your money by buying more and more pens because they get ruined a lot easier.

In this post, I’ll talk about the best papers for your felt tip brush pens. You’re gonna be able to make decisions about which one fits in your budget and help your brush pens live for much longer.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you happen to purchase something, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you! See my full disclosure here.

What Is The Best Kind Of Paper For Your Brush Pens?

As a beginner, it can be tempting to use regular printer paper to practice your brush lettering. After all, you’re still a newbie and you don’t master the art at all. So you’ll probably want to spend less money on your supplies. But what you don’t know is that a regular printer paper can end the life of your pen. Even though it may seem like printer paper is smooth, it really isn’t. And that’s what we’re looking for: smooth paper is great for your pens!

Why Is Smooth Paper The Best For Felt Tip Brush Pens?

On Strathmore’s website (which is one of the brands I’m going to talk about later on) they say: “Smooth surfaces are great for pen & ink, mechanical pencil, airbrush, and markers. There is little to no tooth, making these surfaces great for creating fine lines, detail drawings, or marker drawings.”

Every paper is made of fibres and textured paper has long fibres. With smooth paper, the fibres aren’t as long as any other kind of paper. That is why there’s less tooth, as mentioned above. Amanda Arneill explains on her blog: “Tooth is the amount of roughness that a paper has. While the difference in tooth might be negligible to the touch, the difference on your pen is massive!”

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The Best Paper For Brush Pens


Tracing Paper

Tracing paper is one of my favorite papers to use when I’m brush lettering. Because it’s a see-through paper, you can use guidelines underneath and you can also trace your designs. For example, if you have a pencil sketch on another paper, you can put the tracing paper on top and trace directly with your brush pen. This is my go-to paper for practicing my letters and words.


Rhodia Pad

The Rhodia Pad is among the favorites for many brush lettering artists. They come in various sizes and with different types of sheets. You can get them with blank sheets, lined sheets, dotted sheets and graph paper. This is also a very good paper for your practice sessions.


HP Premium Laser Jet Paper

This is a really good paper if you are looking for an alternative for the regular printer paper. It is used in laser printers and their surface is smooth, which why this paper is great for your brush pens.


Canson XL Marker

The Canson Marker Paper is great for any marker, not just felt tip brush pens. The paper is semi transparent, so you can also put some guidelines underneath. They are very thin but it doesn’t let the ink bleed through. They come in a pad of 100 sheets, so it’s really affordable.


Canson XL Bristol

The Canson XL Bristol is a great paper for finished pieces because they have a heavyweight paper and a smooth finish, so it’s good for your pens. They only come in pads of 25 sheets, but you can pick up the 11”x14” pad, cut it in half and you will end up with 50 sheets. Win!


Strathmore Bristol

The Strathmore Bristol pad is very similar to the Canson Bristol paper. It’s fantastic for your finished pieces as it is also heavy weight paper with a smooth finish, so it won’t hurt your brush pens. They only come in a pad with 20 sheets, but you can always get the 11”x14” pad and cut it in half as well.


Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Brush Pens on Printer Paper

If there’s one thing I want you to learn after reading this post is the following: don’t use regular printer paper! Your pens will fray and the ink won’t last much. Unless you’re using a cheap brush pen that you don’t mind losing quickly (or if you don’t mind wasting your money by needing to buy others brush pens over and over again ), just stay away from it. Use it for sketching, for practice with pencils and other types of pen (like a micron, for example) but please, let your brush pens last longer.

Since we’re talking about felt tip brush pens here (they are non-refillable), it’s pretty obvious that they don’t last forever. They will run out of ink one day. It all depends on how much you’re using each brush pen. But using the right papers will help your pens live much longer than you expected.

Bonus

I have to refer to Amanda Arneill’s post one more time, because she talks about a paper that is good for finished pieces as well and it’s the one that she personally uses. Even though I haven’t tested it myself yet, I completely trust her!

She talks about the Lynx FSC – Certified Cover Stock Smooth Finish, which comes in a pack of 50 from Amazon. The paper has a smooth finish and the size is 11”x17”, which you can also cut in half. Amanda says she uses it all the time for her work, so I will definitely give it a try sometime.

If you have any questions about papers for brush pens, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. If you found this post help, please share it your friends, family or however you’d think might appreciate it!

About the author

Hi! My name is Rayane Alvim and I’m a lettering artist and illustrator based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I began my career as a graphic designer in the startup world but quickly realized I wanted to be a full-time lettering artist. I’m passionate about creating unique pieces of artwork on topics I care about such as women’s rights and empowerment, pop culture, and more. On this blog, I write about lettering, calligraphy, creativity, illustration, and more.

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65 Comments

  1. Just tried Rhodia pad yesterday and I had a horrible time trying to blend on it. All of the coating the put on the paper lifted off rather than the colors blending. Might be good if you want a single color. Anyone find a paper that works really well with the blending marker??

  2. If I am going to use tracing marker paper on top of printer paper would that work or I have to use the HP premium paper + the tracing paper ?

  3. hey!
    so Ive been thinking about starting a instagram for hand lettering and
    I’ve been trying to find the hp laser paper for my finished piece but its very hard to find online and most of them are waayyy too expensive(around 200 for aud) or don’t ship to Western Australia
    I was wondering if there were any alternatives or if I could use paper from any brand that is around 120gm-200gsm

    • Hi, Elsa!
      I wouldn’t recommend using any kind of printer paper unless you’re using some cheap pens that you don’t mind losing. The thing about papers for brush pens is that they need to be smooth. One thing you could do is check the packaging to see if there’s anything written “smooth” on it. If it says that the paper is smooth, you’re good to go!

      I would also recommend checking out Emma Witte’s website. She is from Australia and she sells brush lettering kits HERE, so it might be a good deal for you!

  4. Hi! Great post! Would you recommend Canson XL mixed media paper for Tombows (or any felt tip pens? It seems to me that there might be took much tooth. Thanks for your help!

    • Hi, Saosan. Thank you!

      Unfortunately, I have never used the Canson mixed media paper with my Tombows, so I can’t really speak from my own experience. If you wanna use brush pens or even other types of felt tip markers, I always recommend smooth paper. I’ve seen people using brush pens with watercolor paper but I don’t see how they are not ruining their pens in a short amount of time. I’m assuming the mixed media paper has a bit of texture, just like the watercolor ones… If you’re planning on using it for brush lettering I wouldn’t recommend it. Paper with texture can ruin/fray your pens so easily!

  5. Hi!

    I’m planning in buying the Laserjet paper but am also considering for tracing paper as well for practicing. I have parchment (vellum) paper at home, is this smooth enough to substitute for tracing paper? Trying to save a few bucks here lol. Any idea?

    • Hi Judy!

      I used parchment paper for practicing with my brush pens when I was starting out and it worked out just fine. In my experience, they’re very similar to the tracing paper. I used this kind of parchment paper that I had at home. If the paper you have is like this one, you’re good to go!

  6. Hi great article.

    I have a regular inkjet printer but I would love to be able to print out images to be able to use the blending technique with my Dual Tombow brush Pens. What I want to know is there any brand or any particular or specific brand of paper that I can use in my printer to print out coloring images to color that won’t hurt the printer or smudge the black ink?

    • Hi, Sarah!

      I guess you can use the HP Premium Paper. The paper is optimized for laserjet printers but it can be used with inkjet printers too. I’m only recommending this one because you wanna use it with the Tombow Dual Brush Pens, but I’ve never actually tried to print anything on this paper and then write on the ink with the Tombow brush pen…so I’m not really sure if the ink will smudge or not. I think you’ll need to make a test with one page to check if the ink won’t be smudged. Hope that helps!

  7. Fantastic post!

    If I wanted to used lined paper using Tombow brush pens…to help me keep aligned? Can I? (I know there are dotted ones but have gotten used to using lines paper).

  8. Hello! You wrote a great article, Rayane.
    I recently bought the Strathmore Calligraphy pad, but the front side of the paper feels kind of rough. The back feels a bit smoother, but I’m not sure if I should use it. What should I do?

    • Hi Alison!

      Thank you, I appreciate it. I’ve never used the Strathmore Calligraphy pad, but from the information I read on their website and on Amazon, it’s not made for use with brush pens. I believe this pad is made for use with actual calligraphy pens and nibs. They do mention that the paper is textured with a wove finish (and not a smooth finish, which is ideal for brush pens). Unless you’re using the ecoline brush pens (they were created to handle more rough papers like watercolor paper), I wouldn’t recommend using this paper with felt tip brush pens. I hope this helps!

  9. Hi, this might be a silly question – but when you refer to “finished pieces” for the Bristol paper, what do you mean ?

    • Hi, Angela!

      Not a silly question at all! When I say finished pieces, I mean the final art. Like, you may be commissioned to create a lettering piece for someone (whether it be a friend or a client), you may wanna keep this piece for your portfolio or you maybe you wanna gift a lettering piece to someone you know. For example, I keep a folder with all my finished pieces, so if I were to use a brush pen to create a piece I would recommend doing it on this Bristol paper! The Bristol paper is a bit more expensive, so that’s why I say to use it for finished pieces, not for your daily practice. Hope that helps!

  10. Thank you for your article!! I started doing lettering 4 months ago and I’ve been ruining my brush pens, which are very expensive in my country, because I was using the wrong paper (Bienfang bristol paper, regular laserjet paper, regular watercolor paper and lastly, Montana Marker paper). Today I tried my Tombows on Tracing Paper and I felt that I discovered the greatest thing in the world!! On the other hand, I like to make some blendings, but none of the papers mentioned before are good for it, because the inks dries too fast and does not give me any chance to blend o mix anything!! Can you please recomend the best paper to use for blending with Tombows.. Thanks!

    • Hi Linette!

      I totally understand that! These pens are really expensive in my country as well, which is why I wanted to write this post in the first place. I’ve ruined SO many pens when I starting out and it frustrated me A LOT! Because I was using regular printer paper and not the good papers for my brush pens!

      What kind of blending are you trying to do? I don’t usually do much blending, but I think the HP premium is good for this – as someone mentioned here in the comments before!

  11. Hey, can you use Canson XL marker pad for blending and also, is good for Tombow Dual Brush Pens so they do not fray.

    • Hi!

      I don’t think the Canson XL marker is very good for blending since the paper is so thin, but you can always experiment it yourself to see if you like it. And yes, this paper is very good for your Tombow Dual Brush Pens!

  12. Hi, I just bought the tombow pens and the Canson Bristol smooth pad but I was wondering if you can use the water pen on paper like that or if I need something more like mixed media? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

    • Hi Samantha!

      To be honest, I never really experimented using a water brush on the Canson Bristol paper, but they do claim to be a heavyweight paper so I’m assuming it could handle a little bit of water. It’s just a matter of experimenting it. If you don’t like the results, I would recommend using the mix media paper with your water brush.

  13. Hi, I have tombow dual brush pens and they are starting to fray….I’ve been trying to find some paper that is smooth but I’m trying to get some cheaper ones.i need some help choosing the right paper for the pens because they where expensive but on a sale.
    So I hope it doesn’t bother you giving me a recommendation for paper because that would be great!

    • Hi Gema!

      I listed every paper that won’t fray your pens in this post. I guess if you want something cheap I would recommend the HP Premium Paper (you can find the link to buy it in the post), it comes with 500 sheets of paper, so it lasts longer too depending on how much paper you use it on a daily basis. I can generally keep one ream for months 🙂 I hope this helps!

    • Hi!

      All the papers that I mentioned in this post can be used with any brush pens. For daily practice, I would recommend sticking to the HP Premium paper or tracing paper. That is if you’re using it for brush lettering. If you wanna know about something more specific just let me know!

  14. Is there a right side & a wrong side to Strathmore Bristol Smooth 300? & is there a smooth hot press watercolor paper put there? I swear I found 1 @ Hobby Lobby but I decided to wait as funds were short that day & now I can’t find it lol

    • Hi! I don’t think there’s a right & wrong side to the Strathmore Bristol Smooth 300. Make sure you’re getting the one with the Smooth surface, not the Vellum one.

      I don’t have any watercolor paper listed here on this post because I’m always too afraid to use my brush pens on watercolor paper lol. But I can recommend something like the Arches hot press watercolor paper, cause it’s a very good brand.

  15. hey! can I use double a premium 80gsm paper for Tombow brush pens? it says super smooth and there is a description: smoothness—-feel the difference? thanks

    • Hi! I’ve never used this brand before so I can’t really tell you from experience. But if the package says that the paper is smooth, I’d say go for it! If you feel like your pens are fraying or dying way too soon, try to use one of the papers that I mentioned in the post.

    • Hi, Gwyneth!

      Have you tried Ink & Lise? She sells blank cards (squared & A6 sized). I’m not sure what size you’re looking for – but these are the ones that came to mind. She also sells other papers that are suited for brush lettering, so if you browse around her shop maybe you can find a bigger sized paper and cut it in the size that’s most suited for what you want! I hope that helps.

  16. do you know about japanese grid paper such as Muji or Kokuyo, do they good for brush pen/marker? I heard they are smooth

    • Hi! I’m not familiar with these brands. If they’re really smooth, it will be okay for your brush pens and markers! I’d suggest you try using them with a brush pen you don’t like that much (it could be a brand you don’t like or a color you don’t like that much!) to see if the paper is making your brush pen fray. If it doesn’t happen after a few tries, I’d say go for it!

  17. Marker paper tends to be really thin right? So what if I wanted to do lettering for a card so would need a stiffer, thicker paper? What kind of paper is best for brush pens to keep them from fraying?

  18. Hello! Your article is very helpful, but I just want to ask if Hammermill Printer Paper, Premium Color 32 lb Copy Paper would be okay to use? It has a glossy finish and feels very smooth, but I am seeking professional help on this haha. Thanks!

    • Hello,

      I have never used this brand of paper before! But I took a look at Amazon’s technical details and I would not get the one with glossy finish. Glossy paper usually makes the ink smear over the surface. For brush pens, the best type of papers are the ones with smooth finish. So, I looked at all the different versions of this brand and there is actually one with smooth finish. You can get it on Amazon here. (FYI this is an affiliate link, if you wanna know more about affiliate links, click here) This is the one I would get if I were to buy it from this brand. I hope this helps!

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