Why You Should Use the Best Marker Paper with Every Alcohol Art Marker Project (Plus Our Favorites!)
Updated: Nov 12, 2020
Does the paper or cardstock I use with my alcohol art markers really matter? In a word, yes, absolutely. This is perhaps the biggest mistake first-time users make when they first open their markers. The paper or cardstock you use is just as important as the markers you're using. Use of regular copy paper or cardstock soaks up and spreads your alcohol ink quickly, leading to a greater incidents of bleeding and streaking.
Here are four of the top reasons to use high quality marker paper with every project:
1. Office grade paper will never blend as well as marker paper
Office paper and cardstock is designed to be used by printers and copy machines, not with alcohol art markers. By applying alcohol ink and attempting to blend three, four, or more different shades, you're simply asking your paper to do something it was never designed to do. Office paper wasn't designed for use with alcohol markers and simply doesn't allow a smooth, beautiful blend.
2. You learn what you use
You do yourself a disservice by coloring daily on inexpensive, regular paper, and then switching to good quality blending paper for special projects. Switching back and forth confuses your brain. When you color on one type of paper day-after-day, your brain adapts to how to best color on that particular paper. Simply, you learn how to use what you're using. If you save your best paper for only the best projects, you're always going to get mediocre results because you have no experience using good quality paper. Your time is better spent learning how to make beautiful art on high quality paper.
3. Are you really saving money?
Yes, office grade copy paper is quite a bit cheaper when you look at price per sheet; however, there's a hidden cost. Marker papers use less ink than office grade paper. Because marker papers are slightly moisture resistant while office papers are absorbent, you'll use up your marker ink more quickly when using cheap paper. Plus, you need to add in the cost (in time and money) of starting over on a project. When you make a mistake on blending paper, you can usually fix the error. Not on office grade paper. In short, you're not really saving much money by using cheap office paper.
4. Every once in a while, magic happens
When you sit down to a project, you never know if this is going to be the best thing you've ever done or the worst thing you've ever done. Every once in a while, magic happens, and you're plum out of luck if it happens while you're working with cheap office paper. If you're always working with your best paper, your finest work will always be captured on quality paper. When the magic comes, be ready for it.
So which marker paper should I buy?
You have a love of art, of color, of creating, so invest in the proper supplies. Below are top-rated alcohol marker papers with links to buy:
XPress-It Blending Card - "blends like a boss"
Bee Paper Bleedproof Marker Pack - "smooth, elegant paper"
Canson XL Series Marker Paper Pad - "absolutely love this paper!"
Comment below to share which marker papers are your favorite!
Are you looking for a beautiful new alcohol marker set? Check out and purchase our AspireColor 80-Piece Alcohol Art Marker set on Amazon (with product bonus).
Portions of this post were inspired by Vanilla Arts. Thank you, Amy!