The wonderful and exciting world of papers! There are so many varieties, weights, colors and surfaces to choose from it can become a little overwhelming when trying to select papers for your calligraphy projects.
If you have been practicing your lettering on graph paper or bond (printer) paper, you might have noticed that sometimes the ink will run or “bleed” into the surface. It might not be an issue when practicing letter forms or working on a layout, but there is nothing worse than lettering a final project and having the ink bleeding into the fibres – usually right in the middle of your work!
These are just a few terms and tips on what to look for when shopping for calligrapher papers, but don’t be afraid to experiment with papers – you can even try making your own!
- Sizing
The most common papers suitable for calligraphy are “sized” papers. Sizing refers to a treatment of the paper surface during the manufacturing process that inhibits the absorption of ink into the fibres. Since clean, sharp lettering is usually desired in calligraphy, a sized paper is the first consideration when comparing papers.
- Acid-free or neutral pH
Wood pulp paper will eventually yellow over time and begin to deteriorate. A common example of this would be old newspaper clippings that have not only turned yellow but have become brittle. Acid-free or netural pH paper is a treatment that neutralizes this effect and should be considered for works that are expected to last a significant amount of time and/or will be exposed to light (such as a framed work.)
- Archival or “Rag” Paper
Rag papers are made from natural fibres such as cotton or linen and are naturally a neutral pH that will not yellow over time. Professional artist quality papers such as those used for watercolor painting are usually made from rag fibres and contain a gelatin size that makes them an ideal support for calligraphy inks. Some drawing papers and even sketchbooks might also be labeled “acid-free”, “archival” or “rag” and would be suitable for a calligraphy project.
- Weight of the paper (in pounds or g/m2)
Paper weights can be a rather complicated calculation that determines the mass of the paper based on sheets per ream. For example, 500 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 bond paper weighs 20 lbs or 75 g/m2 so we refer to bond paper as “20 lb”. As a comparison, watercolor papers generally are available in three standard weights: 90 lb (190 gsm), 140 lb (300 gsm) and 300 lb (638 gsm). I have found 90 lb paper to be suitable for calligraphy projects that contain lettering only or include a simple painted decoration, but any projects that would incorporate extensive painting or gilding are best executed on a 140 lb paper as the greater weight will provide a more rigid surface.
- Paper Surfaces
Smooth-surfaced papers are generally a suitable choice for calligraphy, but sometimes a little “tooth” or roughness will help “grab” the ink and can also be used for artistic effects. Watercolor papers are available in three surfaces: Hot-Pressed (smooth), Cold-Pressed (some tooth or roughness, sometimes referred to as Not because it is Not Hot-Pressed), or Rough (very rough surface.)
I generally prefer a Hot-Pressed watercolor paper for my work as it is well suited for incorporating all the elements of calligraphy, painting and gilding. Projects that require only lettering or other ink elements (pen borders or ink drawings) are a little more flexible for my paper choices but I still produce all work on at least 60 lb, acid-free or archival papers.
Note: Calligraphy Paper Pads generally range from about 20 lbs to 70 lbs and are sized, but may or may not be acid-free or archival. If you require an acid-free or archival paper, this information is usually printed somewhere on the pad cover. If it is not marked as such assume it is not acid-free or archival.
Other considerations when selecting paper:
- if the work is to be framed, you might consider selecting a paper or cutting a sheet into a “standard” frame size (8″ x 10″, 11″ x 14″, 16″ x 20″, etc.) as frames with mats can be purchased at department stores, are easy to frame yourself and cost considerably less than a custom frame. Be aware that most of these “pre-made” frames are not archival and might yellow your work either on the back or where the mat touches the paper.
- Some professional quality artist papers contain a deckle – this is a thin, uneven edge that occurs during the paper making process (or artificially created) and can be quite a beautiful addition to the work.
Tip: Found a beautiful sheet of paper but it’s not sized? Try “pouncing” the surface with a little gum sandarc – it will keep the ink from absorbing into the paper and produce crisp lettering.
For the ultimate calligraphy experience, try a calligraphy project on genuine vellum.
Hi there,
I just picked up an order of some of Crane’s beautiful Lettra envelopes, but as soon as I began lettering them the ink began to ‘spider’. I prefer to use a simple Speedball 101 nib- it’s rather sharp, but has always allowed me to achieve really nice line variation. At someone’s suggestion I switched from Higgins eternal black ink to an acrylic, then India ink, and I’m just having a difficult time finding a magic ink-nib combination that let’s me get those nice thin-thick lines without bleeding everywhere (the paper is 100% cotton). I would really, really appreciate any advice you might have to offer as this is quite perplexing. Thanks so much!
It’s most likely the paper has sizing issues rather than an ink problem especially if you have had no success with an acrylic-based ink. One more ink you could try is ground stick ink as you can control the density of the ink produced (refer to the Selecting Calligraphy Inks: Tests and Reviews post.)
If you are using a sharp nib it is could also be pushing the ink into the paper where there is less or no size rather than just sitting on top of the paper.
Try a few samples with a broad-nibbed pen – if the ink doesn’t bleed then it might be the paper/sharp nib combination. You could try dusting the paper with a bit of gum sandarac (available from John Neal, Bookseller) or if all else fails, you could also try Daniel Smith Dry Paper Sizing but be aware that the description states it might affect the size already in the paper as it is designed for papermaking rather than commercial papers.
Thanks so much for your helpful, timely response! I have been experimenting all day with various inks/nibs and think I may have finally found a happy combination- we’ll see! Thanks again!
Please tell us of your success!
Hi,
I’m looking for a kind of paper suitable for everyday use, i like to write notes with my pen, could you give me some sugestions? I can’t find sized paper in my local art stores, nor in “staple”. Might they be labled differently?
Thanks
W.K.
I like Rhodia paper, it doesn’t bleed and is high quality for an inexpensive amount. I bought mine on Amazon. It comes graphed, dotted, and plain.
hi! i’m slowly building up a calligraphy service for weddings and i was wondering if you have some tips to describing paper suited for calligraphy… i’d like to be able to help my customers choose paper for their envelopes especially if they haven’t ordered them yet.
i use pointed pens – Esterbrooks and Birminghams – with acrylic or calli ink 🙂
As long as the paper is sized it should be suitable although I’m guessing most wouldn’t know what “sized” means. It might be worth your time to get various samples of typical “invitation” paper, try them out and then you could recommend a variety you know will work with calligraphy, and perhaps give the customers a sample they can take when shopping for paper.
Once you find something that works, recommend it to your customers and be sure that they are aware some papers are not suitable for calligraphy so they don’t purchase paper ahead of time and are disappointed.
So much good information about calligraphy in one place!
Do you have a favorite place to order paper from?Or paper brand? I am about to do a project in writing my wedding vows and trying to find paper that is great for it. Your post has great insight in what to get. But wondering where you favorite places to buy!
thanks!
Paper depends entirely on the project, although I prefer to do a lot of my work on hot-pressed watercolor paper. I have a lot of “favorite” places to purchase supplies I don’t think I could just pick one 😀
[…] Papers for Calligraphy « The Calligraphy PenMar 9, 2009 … These are just a few terms and tips on what to look for when shopping for calligrapher papers, but don’t be afraid to experiment with papers … […]
Hi, I am creating a guest post on an “intro to calligraphy” for a friend’s blog. I have found your site so useful. Would you mind if I refer readers here?
I have trouble finding any shop that wouldn’t be selling already cut in size parchment paper. All I see is the ones used to copy. I need parchment paper to make a blank book with odd pages that can go 2-4 times bigger than the book size itself (it’s a a A5 size book). Have you ever encountered an online shop that has this?
I don’t know of anyone who sells parchment paper in odd sizes as I don’t usually use it myself. You might want to look at drawing papers as some of them are available in rolls and you could cut the size you need.
Daniel Smith sells paper in rolls as an example. I’m sure other art supply companies would have them available as well.
Japanese rice paper for calligraphy? it does not work for me as it comes, should it be treated?
No, it won’t work as is because absorbing the ink is integral to the art form of brush painting/lettering. It could be treated with sizing but it’s really not the “nature” of the paper. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it creatively with lettering, however if you’re looking for “traditional” lettering then the papers suggested in the post would be more suitable.
Ingres paper in the heavier weights is superb for calligraphy many colours and as it comes. mr m. walker. Perhaps I need a Japanese brush for the rice paper, I was disappointed because Japanese art and style is superb
Hello Folks, I am writing a big book of over 1000 pages. The pen i will be using is Rotring Art Pen Set with Ink Cartridge from Rotring. I am having trouble find A3 size paper with 110 GSM quality…Can anyone guide me where to find 110gsm A3 size paper or anything equivalent to that ?
Thanks
AJ
try the heavier weight Ingres paper 100gsm at least. Mr M Walker.
Thanks Melvyn
hi everyone,
what would be a good paper to use for beginners? I am really enjoying this journey… I love to write and I when I tapped into Calligraphy, I knew I found a home. I just have my pen a couple of weeks and have been practicing on notebook paper.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
thanks so much you darling writers!
Well, I mean in layman terms about what kind of paper to practice on and where I can purchase it.
tx again.
cg
If you want to just practice, there are some suggestions for paper in the Basic Calligraphy Tools post. As to where to purchase depends on what you have available locally and what you can order on-line. I’d suggest an inexpensive pad of graph paper for practicing, as it should be available at any department, arts, crafts or stationary store.
Thanks for this info. I’m doing a big calligraphy project and I found a sheet of watercolor paper that is the perfect size and has the perfect look for my project but I wasn’t sure if the ink would bleed. This article has been very helpful.
[…] It’s probably not recommended, but a girl’s gotta cut corners somewhere! Here is a helpful guide to selecting paper for projects from The Calligraphy Pen. And […]
Hi wolfgangcat,
Slightly random question, but I’m looking for some larger paper for a (roughly) A1, hand-drawn and decorated map. I’m planning on splitting it in half for ease of transport, but that still means that I need A2 size high quality paper, and I’m having trouble finding appropriate stuff. Any advice or suppliers would be much appreciated!
I’m not in the UK so I’m not familiar with the sizes or suppliers – maybe one of our UK readers would reply?
A “general” answer I could give you would be to check with art suppliers. Art paper comes in many different sizes – even in rolls if you require extremely large sizes although the cost would be very high.
The media you will be using will also determine what type of paper would be suitable. If you have access to a local art supply store, it might be worth a trip to see the papers for yourself and decide what would work best.
If you are looking to purchase on-line, send them an e-mail with as much specific information as you can (dimensions, type of media you want to use e.g. ink, watercolor, pencil, etc.) and ask them to suggest a suitable paper. Most art suppliers are extremely helpful 😀
Hi wolfgangcat
That’s great, thanks a lot. Very helpful advice! I think there’s an art shop not too far away, it’s quite small but might have something suitable, or be able to order it in. I’d looked in craft shops, but for some reason not art shops!
Thanks again
I will be doing calligraphy place cards for a wedding. The bride wants to use velum paper. Will this work and what type of ink and pen do I use?
If it’s what I’m thinking, a gouache might work. I’ve had success with this for papers that are smoother than typical calligraphy papers. But wolfgangcat is right – get a sample and try it out.
Depends what you mean by “vellum.” Calligraphy “vellum” paper would probably be fine.
The only way to know for sure is to get a sample of paper she wants to use and test it. If the paper isn’t sized it’s unlikely any type of pen/ink would work well without some bleeding.
A calligraphy marker *might* work on iffy paper, but there is no way to know until you actually try it.
I’d suggest getting a few samples of paper you know will work with calligraphy and see if the bride would find one of those suitable for place cards.
If not, you could try treating the paper with a paper size but that’s not always a good solution.
Better to let her pick from papers you know will be suitable than take the chance of having calligraphy with “fuzzy” edges or bleeding through the paper 😉
I have sets of William Mitchell and Gillott on the way from UK and want to use nib pens to draw in details on painted wooden boards I make pictures with. The boards will be smoothly sanded and painted using acrylic craft paints and I’m using speedball permanent acrylic inks, so hope I’ll be able to draw some extra décor onto the boards. Once pen and ink is done and dry, I’ll paint them in or use colored permanent felt tips. I hope this will work for me. I plan on being gentle with my nibs and just hope ink will flow onto the boards for me. I’ll be doing some practice on prepared boards before using on pictures for sale. Does anyone think this could possibly work here in the real world and not just in the land of the Enchanted Avalon?
It will depend on whether or not the inks will flow through the pens – testing is the only way to know for sure. If it doesn’t work with pens, you might try using Speedball poster nibs or a flat-edged paint brush. Good luck!
i’ve found that strathmore 100% cotton resume paper is a great paper to use. it comes in both 24 and 30 lb and does not bleed at all (providing your ink isn’t too thin, as i found out once hahaha). it’s also a nice creme colour and is reasonably priced. just a thought.
sorry, i meant 24 and 32 lb weights. please forgive the double post.