Best Bristol Paper of 2025

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Bristol paper is a high-quality, heavy-weight paper that is perfect for a variety of artistic and professional projects. It is known for its smooth surface and ability to hold ink and other media without bleeding or smudging. Bristol paper is ideal for use with markers, pens, pencils, and even watercolors. It comes in a range of sizes and weights, making it a versatile choice for any project. Whether you're a professional artist or just starting out, Bristol paper is a great choice for creating high-quality works of art.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Bristol Paper
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Paper Pad
The Strathmore Bristol Paper Pad offers a heavy weight option for your artistic needs, making it perfect for final artwork. With its smooth surface, it is ideal for various mediums like pen, ink, mechanical drawing, airbrush, and markers. The 100 lb. weight ensures that you can achieve fine details without worrying about bleed-through. At 9"x12", this tape-bound pad contains 20 sheets, providing ample space for your creativity. Whether you're an adult artist or a student, this pad is designed to elevate your artwork and enhance your drawing experience.
Strathmore 400 Series Bristol Paper
Experience high-quality fine detail work with Strathmore 400 Series Bristol Paper. It comes with 15 sheets per pad and is heavyweight smooth for precision drawing. Ideal for using with pens, inks, mechanical drawing, airbrushes, and markers. The vellum surface of the paper allows for a broad range of media, making it versatile for various projects.
Neenah Vellum Bristol Cardstock, Lightweight
Neenah Vellum Bristol Cardstock is a high-quality, lightweight, and fast-drying paper with 325 sheets per package. It is perfect for all types of light-weight applications such as stamped or folded pieces, documents, presentations, letterheads, greeting cards, calligraphy, and drawing. The cardstock provides jam-free, double-sided prints in copiers, inkjet, and laser printers. It is also lignin and acid-free to reduce yellowing over time. You can mix and match it with other Neenah products for bold and vibrant impact.
Koh-I-Noor 9" x 12" Bristol Paper Pad
The Koh-I-Noor Bristol Paper Pad offers high-quality 270 GSM vellum paper, perfect for your artistic needs. Its bright white surface enhances contrast, making your artwork stand out. The innovative dual loop, wire-bound design features "in & out" pages, allowing you to easily remove sheets for drawing or reworking your art. Once finished, simply place the sheets back into the pad, or transfer them to another Koh-I-Noor or Grumbacher pad, providing you with flexibility and convenience.
Strathmore 500 Series Bristol Paper
Strathmore 500 Series Bristol Paper is heavyweight with a 2-Ply Vellum Surface and acid-free. It's perfect for your final artwork and can be used with pencil, charcoal, sketching sticks, airbrush, pen, and ink. The pad is tape-bound and contains 15 sheets of 11"x14" paper.
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Pad
This Bristol Pad is perfect for finished artwork with high-quality Bristol weight board and Vellum rated as Very Good for graphite pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, sketching stick, mixed media, airbrush, and oil pastel. The weight of the pad is 100 lb., and the media applications include graphite pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, sketching stick, pen & ink, marker, soft pastel, mixed media, oil pastel, and collage.
Canson XL Series Vellum Bristol Paper
Canson XL Series Vellum Bristol Paper is heavyweight and bright white, making it perfect for high contrast with excellent erasability. The 7" x 10" pad comes with 25 sheets of 100 lb./260 Gsm acid-free paper, which is excellent for pencil, colored pencil, and pastel. This Bristol paper is a great choice for artists who want to achieve a professional look for their artwork.
Bee Paper Vellum Bristol Pad
The Bee Paper Vellum Pad is a top choice for artists looking for high-quality materials. It features a neutral pH, ensuring that your artwork remains vibrant and true over time. The professional-grade, textured surface is perfect for various mediums, including airbrush, pencil, crayon, pastel, and watercolor. You will appreciate the hard surface, which allows for easy tape removal after masking, making your projects cleaner and more efficient. With 15 sheets of 100 lb. weight, this pad provides a sturdy foundation for all your creative endeavors.
Borden & Riley Bristol Smooth Paper Pad
The Borden & Riley #120P Bristol Smooth Paper Pad is a high-quality paper pad made in the USA, containing 20 sheets of 11" x 14", 157 lb. paper with a neutral pH. The sturdy 2-ply paper provides a smooth rendering surface, making it ideal for use with pen, pencil, pen & ink, dry brush, and other mediums. The plate finish also allows for finished pen and ink drawings.
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Paper
The Strathmore Bristol Paper is an excellent choice for artists and crafters alike. This pack includes two sheets of high-quality paper that is acid-free, ensuring your work remains vibrant over time. The smooth surface is perfect for pen ink and mechanical drawing, giving you precision in your creations. If you prefer using crayons or watercolor, the vellum side is designed to handle those mediums effortlessly. Additionally, both surfaces are suitable for airbrush techniques, allowing you to explore various artistic styles with ease. This versatility makes it a must-have for your art supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is Bristol paper best for?
Bristol paper is commonly used for technical drawing, illustration projects, comic book art, and other two-dimensional art forms. It provides two working surfaces, front and back, making it versatile for various artistic purposes.
2. What is the difference between Bristol paper and watercolor paper?
Compared to watercolor paper, Bristol paper is less absorbent but more absorbent than typical drawing paper. It is also slightly thicker, allowing it to handle light watercolor washes without warping.
3. Is Bristol paper good for acrylic?
Bristol paper is suitable for acrylic artists who use an airbrush to apply paint or ink. It can also handle light applications of paint as long as they do not contain excessive amounts of water.
4. What medium works best on Bristol paper?
Bristol paper is well-suited for dry media such as colored pencil, graphite, and charcoal. It is a wood-free cellulose paper available in both smooth and vellum surfaces, offering a slight texture that enhances dry media effects.
5. Can you use watercolor paint on Bristol paper?
While it is best to use watercolor paper for watercolor paints, some artists do use watercolor on Bristol paper. However, it is important to note that the paint may bleed through the paper, so caution should be exercised.
6. Can I put Bristol paper in my printer?
Bristol paper can be used in printers, but it is important to check your printer's manual to ensure that it can handle thicker papers without jamming. Some printer models with a larger bend in the paper feed may pose issues with thicker papers like Watercolor and Bristol.
During our bristol paper research, we found 24 bristol paper products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 88,959 customer reviews through our big data system to write the bristol paper list. We found that most customers choose bristol paper with an average price of $19.44.
The bristol paper are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of bristol paper, including Strathmore, Neenah, Koh-I-Noor, Canson, Bee Paper Company. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 385 consumers with an average rating of 4.7.

Ann Hale is a seamstress, pattern maker, and fashion designer with extensive sewing experience. She has worked in the fashion industry for over 10 years now after receiving Associates's Degree in fashion design in 2010. Also as a writer, she has many creative and unique insights when it comes to articles.