Purchase Guide: Paper & Boards

When most people hear the word paper, they probably first think of the standard 8 1/2 x 11 in. sheets of smooth, white printer paper made from wood pulp, so commonly found in schools and offices throughout the world.

Paper, however, doesn't have to be smooth or white, and doesn't even have to be made from wood. In fact, paper is any thin sheet of material composed primarily of compressed cellulose pulp, and that pulp can come from wood, flax, cotton, or even onion or rice. Depending on the fibers used and the process of manufacture, a wide variety of tones, colors, and textures are possible.

This means that there are literally thousands of different papers to choose from when seeking a support for a particular project. While the vast selection may seem daunting at first, most papers are described by a few general characteristics. An understanding of these characteristics will help you to choose the correct paper no matter what the project. Luckily, MisterArt.com is here to help! Not only do we have the best paper prices online, but we have fast shipping all over the U.S. This guide should help artists of all stripes find the precise paper that they're looking for. When buying paper online, there are a few considerations to take into account:

Grade—The quality of a sheet of paper is referred to as its "grade." Grade is based on the material from which the paper is made. Lower grade papers-- like newsprint-- are inexpensive and suitable for students and preliminary sketch work. Higher grade papers, such as those made of 100% cotton, are generally excellent for permanent artwork.

Weight—The "weight" of a sheet of paper is actually a measurement of the weight of a ream, or 500 sheets. Sheet size, for this measurement, is standardized according to paper type. Light weight is 70 lbs. or less, medium weight 90-100 lbs., and heavy weight 140 lbs. and over. It's now common to see the weight as a measurement of grams per square meter. This is often a more accurate and useful measurement, as it is not based on sheet size.

Paper with a lighter weight is most often used for sketching and preliminary work because it can bend or wrinkle more easily than thicker papers. However, this tendency can also make it useful for projects or artworks that require folding and shaping.

Heavy weight paper is more sturdy and durable than light weight, but also more expensive. The heaviest papers can even be used for mounting purposes.

Texture—Paper texture can vary tremendously, from ultra smooth to extremely rough. The rougher the paper, the more "tooth" it has. Hand-made papers are usually highly textured with rough, toothy surfaces. Machine-made papers can be rough, hot pressed, or cold pressed.

• Rough paper is highly textured, with many grooves, hills, valleys, and indentations.
• Hot Pressed means the paper has been pressed with hot rollers during its manufacture. Hot pressed paper has a smooth surface with little to no tooth. It's well suited for precise detail and illustration. And because it is fine-grained, it's also good for even applications of color.
• Cold Pressed paper is made with cold rollers. It has a slightly textured surface that's perfect for mediums such as watercolor and charcoal that require some tooth.

Whether you're an artist looking for the perfect support for painting or illustration, or a crafter in need of something special for your latest project, MisterArt.com carries the paper for you! MisterArt.com offers everyday discounts on our extensive selection of the following kinds of paper:

Bristol Paper is an economical heavyweight paper that often comes in a choice of two surfaces. Smooth Bristol paper is ideal for fine pen and ink, pencil, and mechanical drawing. Vellum Bristol paper has a slight tooth and is designed for a broad range of drawing and painting, including crayon, pencil, charcoal, and watercolor or gouache.

Calligraphy Paper is designed with a smooth surface ideal for an easy flow of ink from a calligraphy pen. Some calligraphy paper is meant for practice and comes preprinted with a practice rule and a slanting grid.

Canvas Paper is an economical alternative to canvas suitable for mounting—its rough surface texture effectively holds pigment and enhances the creative process. Canvas paper is excellent for painting with oils and acrylics and good for mixed media.

Charcoal and Pastel Paper is paper developed with the ideal texture to create stunning charcoal drawings or pastel paintings. Charcoal and pastel paper requires a good, proper tooth for precise shading with charcoal, pastel, pencil, or crayon.

Construction Paper is a classroom favorite! This heavier-stock paper comes in packs, pads, rolls, and sheets of assorted bright colors ideally suited for arts and crafts. Construction paper is trusted by artists ready to cut, paste, doodle, and fold.

Craft Paper serves a variety of uses in the creation of arts and crafts. Craft papers include:

• metallic paper, which adds shine to festive decorations for holidays, weddings, and birthdays;
• origami paper, which is delicate paper used for the ancient Japanese paper-folding art form that's also great for making place settings and party favors;
• textured paper, which comes in many different, course textures perfect for crafts such as screen printing, block printing, posters, and display backgrounds;
• tissue paper, also known as crepe paper, which can be folded and fluffed to any number of shapes great for wrapping, decorating, and other arts and crafts; and
• transparent paper, which adds color and light to the design of any crafting project.
• drawing and sketching paper features a non-reflective surface receptive to pen and ink, pencil, crayon, charcoal, watercolors, and felt markers. Drawing and sketching paper is available in pads, rolls, sheets, sketchbooks and journals.

Graphite and Transfer Paper allows you to transfer your design from a sketch, pattern, template, or free-hand drawing to any surface. It allows for clean, crisp tracings that can be erased and painted over.

International and Exotic Paper includes fine-quality paper of widely varying grades, colors, textures, and uses from around the globe.

Printer and Copier Paper is smooth and sized properly to accept ink and graphics from copy machines, laser printers, and inkjet printers.

Stationary Paper is rugged, colorful paper that can be cut, glued, folded, and printed to create outstanding cards, letterhead, envelopes, and invitations.

Tracing and Graph Paper are kinds of paper that are most often used by designers and commercial artists, for whom precision and transferability is a necessity. Tracing and graph paper come in several different forms intended for a variety of uses:

• Acetate is general purpose film perfect for many commercial art applications. Acetate film is an art industry standard for overlays, color separations and layouts.
• Drafting paper, naturally, is designed for drafting work, and its surface is superb for pencil drafting, ink work, and typewriters.
• Graph paper typically features non-reproducible blue grid lines that simply the process of creating precise drawings for graphic design, interior and architectural designing, and plan and profile views.
• Tracing paper is most often transparent or translucent to aid in tracing and reproducing other works.

Watercolor Paper is notable for its rough tooth and heavyweight thickness, enabling it to stay strong while wet. Watercolor paper comes in many different sizes and qualities; some watercolor paper is priced affordably for students while others are carefully crafted for masters.

Wrapping Paper includes many brightly colored, disposable papers (from contact paper to tissue paper to crepe paper) that are ideal for adding pizzazz and sparkle to a variety of projects, from scrapbooking and picture framing to floral arranging and decorating.

No matter what kind of paper your project requires, MisterArt.com guarantees the lowest price on the Internet. If we don't already offer the lowest price online, we'll gladly match it!

Boards

For some projects, paper just isn't tough enough! For these more rugged forms of artistic expression, many artists call upon boards instead. There is very little in the art world as versatile as a board. Boards can be painted and drawn on, cut, carved, decorated, hung with art or photographs, used to build, used to frame, and used in just about any other way you can imagine.

Artists have long used boards as support and backing for artwork. In fact, only stone has as long a history as an artistic support. Natural boards made of cedar, poplar, beech, walnut, mahogany, and oak have been desired by artists for centuries because of their rigidity, durability, and portability. Today, a number of man-made boards have also been developed to maximize these advantages:

Canvas Boards—Combining the texture of canvas with the rigidity of board, canvas boards are lightweight and low-cost. They consist of artist canvas stretched over heavy board backing. The canvas has usually been sized and primed. Depending on the canvas and primers used, canvas boards are great for painting with oils, acrylics, and watercolors.

Clay Boards—These panels, often constructed of masonite, have been coated with a pH-neutral clay that's both uniform and durable. Most clay boards are smooth and will work with a variety of media, from pencils to oil paints. Clay boards with a textured surface are also available. The texture makes them great for use with such media as watercolors and pastels that require some tooth.

Cork Boards and Rolls—Not only do cork boards and rolls provide insulation and acoustical soundproofing while adding warmth and character to walls and ceilings, they're great for hanging in your home or office to post memos, photographs, drawings, clippings, and more with the help of a few thumbtacks!

Corrugated Boards—These cardboard or polypropylene boards are sturdy and tough, making them ideal for outdoor signs, presentation boards, rugged models, and other tough, weatherproof uses.

Display Boards— Display boards are versatile art materials that can be used to mount, frame, accentuate, and protect artwork. Typically, display boards are rigid and sturdy enough to stand on their own and reinforce flimsier paper artwork.

There are four common types of display boards that serve an array of different purposes:

• Foam boards are constructed of two sheets of poster board bonded together by a thin polystyrene core. Easily scored, lighter than wood, and sturdier than regular poster board, foam boards make ideal presentation boards for science projects and art collages. Acid-free foam board can also be used as mounting board and cut to create unique mats for paintings and photographs.
• Mat boards are thin, sturdy paper boards that are most often used to create mats for the purpose of framing artwork. Some mat boards come in unique textures or can be modified with tools to look rough, sleek, or antique. Other mat boards feature color patterns or can be painted. Still other boards have inner foam cores of various colors other than the standard white. A unique mat can enhance artwork dramatically, but can also overwhelm it.
• Mounting boards are similar to foam boards and are most often used in framing. Artwork created on paper is affixed to the sturdier mounting board, held flat by a mat, and placed inside a frame. Mounting boards are typically of higher quality than foam boards. Because they may remain in contact with artwork inside a frame for a long time, mounting boards are designed to be acid-free and undamaging to artwork.
• Poster boards are the lightest and least-rigid display boards. Poster boards are great for making signs, posters, collages, and other decorative works of art. Although very practical and affordable, poster board is not as durable as other kinds of display boards.

MisterArt.com has a great selection of low-cost display boards in many different sizes and colors!

Illustration Boards—The pressed surfaces of these boards make them perfect for illustration and line work. Cold pressed boards possess textured surfaces that are perfect for pastels, charcoal, and crayon. They also work well with watercolors. Hot pressed boards are non-porous and smooth, allowing for sharper detail. They work best with marker and pen and ink techniques.

Pastel Boards—Designed primarily for use with pastels, these boards have a sandy coating that holds dry media like no other surface. The fine grain tooth also works well with water media.

Scratch Boards—These boards are coated with a fine white clay and then covered with an opaque black ink. Using a scratch knife or other metal tool, the ink can be scraped off without damaging the clay underneath. By scratching through the ink, unique black and white drawings can be created. Some scratch boards come already coated in ink and are ready for scratching. Others require inking before they can be scratched.

Boards are also great for mounting artwork and photographs. Mounting boards are designed specifically for this purpose. They are solidly constructed and possess striking black or white surfaces that showcase the work. Poster boards, corrugated boards, and foam boards provide a cheaper alternative for mounting. Available in a variety of materials and colors, these boards are a quick and inexpensive choice for making signs and displaying artwork. They also make a great material for craft projects, as they're generally easy to cut, shape, and fold.

For actually framing artwork, mat boards are the way to go. Mat boards add contrast and depth to mounted and framed materials. The best mat boards are acid and lignin free so they won't alter or deteriorate artwork over time. We've got low prices on mat boards online every day at MisterArt.com!

Rough paper is highly textured, with many grooves, hills, valleys, and indentations.

Hot Pressed means the paper has been pressed with hot rollers during its manufacture. Hot pressed paper has a smooth surface with little to no tooth. It's well suited for precise detail and illustration. And because it is fine-grained, it's also good for even applications of color.

Cold Pressed paper is made with cold rollers. It has a slightly textured surface that's perfect for mediums such as watercolor and charcoal that require some tooth.