An Introduction to Papers for Calligraphy

With papers being the most common surface for calligraphy, here are some suggestions for papers to try out.

For most calligraphy, the most important consideration when it comes to paper has to do with whether or not the paper bleeds when you write on it. So always experiment with a scrap piece of your project paper to make sure that any inks or markers you use will work the way you want them to on that paper.

You may also want to check out our page on how to protect your paper from the moisture in your hand as you write on it.

The most common paper of course is just ordinary bond paper, the kind you use for your printers. It's not a high class paper by any means when it comes to calligraphy, but it works well enough for learning, experimenting with designs, doing rough drafts and just playing with ideas.

Before going through the following list of papers, you may want to take a minute to read up on the About Papers page to familiarize yourself with paper finishes, weights, etc.

Here are some specialty papers that you might want to try out.

Arches
Arches carries several different papers. You can get their watercolor papers in different finishes - hot or cold press, and different weights. Their Arches Text Laid has a text laid finish. There is also an Arches Text Wove which is a softer paper with a smooth finish. All of these papers are 100% rag with a neutral pH. They are fairly popular papers. They come in white and cream colors. Arches also has a black paper called Arches Cover Black.

Ingres
German Ingres white paper is made from 100% alpha cellulose and comes in a text weight with a laid finish.

Rives BFK
A netral pH, 100% cotton paper, with deckles on two sides.

Frankfurt
This is a lovely wavy laid paper. Apparently it will even allow some inks to be corrected with a white plastic eraser.

Bugra
This is a thicker paper with a pronounced laid finish. It is mould made in Germany from 100% Alpha Cellulose. It has become a popular paper for calligraphers.

Pergamenata
This test-weight neutral pH paper is machine made with the appearance of vellum or parchment (but considerably less in price). It is a wonderful paper to work on.

Parchment
This is a smooth finish paper with a pronounced parchment appearance. You can get parchment papers in a variety of colors. They are often used for certificates.

Papyrus
Papyrus is handmade in Egypt from strips of actual papyrus reeds. It involves beating together two layers of reed strips laid cross-wise to each other. It is then dried and later smoothed with pumice. There is a definite texture to this translucent paper, but it does accept ink well.

Glassine
This lovely transparent acid-free paper can be used in a variety of ways. It also comes in handy for burnishing down paper fibres after erasing or razor scraping.

Vellum
True vellum is not a paper, but calfskin prepared for writing. However there is also a tracing paper that is called vellum because of its transparent quality.