Choosing Screenprint Paper: What Actually Works

I've been screenprinting for 26 years. Paper choice used to baffle me.

You think the ink matters most. Or the mesh count. But pull a hundred prints on cheap stock and you'll see the truth. Paper makes or breaks the edition.

Why Weight Changes Everything

I work with 250 to 300 gsm. Anything lighter and the ink bleeds. The paper buckles under the squeegee pressure.

Arches BFK Rives at 250 gsm is my baseline. It's what I learned on at Central Saint Martins. Cotton fibre. Slight tooth. Takes water-based and oil-based inks without complaint.

When I'm printing five layers or more, I step up to 280 or 300 gsm. The extra weight stops cockling. Each pass stays flat on the bed.

Somerset Papers: The British Option

Somerset comes from St Cuthberts Mill. It's made twenty minutes from my Hertfordshire studio.

I like the satin finish for geometric work. Clean edges. Minimal ink spread. The velvet surface works better for organic shapes where you want a softer print.

Somerset Satin at 300 gsm holds detail like nothing else. I've printed eight-layer editions on it. Every registration mark hits perfectly. The paper doesn't shift or stretch.

Arches BFK Rives: The Studio Workhorse

This is what most UK print studios stock. There's a reason.

The blanc is pure white. No cream undertone. If you're printing transparent layers, that base colour shows through. I've learned this the hard way on ivory stock.

BFK Rives comes in tan and grey too. I use the grey for editions where I want the paper colour as part of the design. It saves a layer.

The 56 x 76 cm sheets fit my press bed. No trimming. No waste.

Surface Texture Matters More Than You Think

Smooth papers show every flaw. A hair on the screen. A thin patch of ink. You can't hide mistakes.

I prefer a slight tooth. It grabs the ink. Gives the print a hand-pulled feel that collectors notice.

Saunders Waterford has more texture. It's mould-made. If you're after a traditional printmaking look, it delivers. But register carefully. The surface can shift ink placement by a millimetre.

Sizing and Ink Absorption

Sizing controls how ink sits on the surface. Too little and the ink sinks in. Too much and it pools.

Arches BFK Rives is lightly sized. Perfect for screenprint. The ink bonds without soaking through.

I tested unsized papers early on. The colours dulled. Edges feathered. Not worth saving a few pounds per sheet.

What I Actually Buy

For most editions, I order Arches BFK Rives blanc at 250 gsm. Reliable. Available everywhere in the UK. Jackson's Art stocks it. So does Pegasus.

When the work demands something special, I use Somerset Satin at 300 gsm. British-made. Archival. Worth the extra cost when you're printing limited runs that won't be repeated.

For experimental pieces, I'll try Saunders Waterford. The texture adds character. But I wouldn't use it for tight geometric work.

Testing Before You Print the Edition

I always pull test prints on the actual stock. Not scraps. Full sheets from the same batch.

Paper varies between mills. Between production runs. I've had editions where the first fifty sheets printed differently than the last fifty. Same paper. Different batch.

Buy your full stock at once. Store it flat. Let it acclimatise to your studio for a week before printing.

Cotton Matters

100% cotton is non-negotiable for archival work. Wood pulp yellows. Breaks down. Collectors know this.

Every paper I've listed here is cotton. It's acid-free. Your prints will outlast you.

Availability in the UK

Arches BFK Rives is everywhere. If you run out mid-edition, you can reorder fast.

Somerset takes longer. Fewer stockists. Order ahead. Don't risk running short halfway through a print run.

Saunders Waterford sits somewhere in between. Most good art suppliers carry it. But weights and surface options vary.

What Not to Waste Money On

Cheap cartridge paper. Inkjet paper marketed as "printmaking stock." Anything under 200 gsm.

I've tried budget options. They all fail the same way. Warping. Bleeding. Edges that tear under squeegee pressure.

A sheet of proper screenprint paper costs three to five pounds. Spread across a limited edition, it's nothing. Compared to the hours of work and ink cost, it's the cheapest part of the process.

Final Thought

Paper choice becomes instinct. After a few hundred prints, you'll know what works for your process.

Start with Arches BFK Rives blanc at 250 gsm. Pull fifty prints. See how your inks behave. Then try Somerset or Saunders if you want to experiment.

The right paper makes your work look finished. Professional. Worth collecting.

If you'd like to see the prints I'm currently making, visit olifowler.com. Every edition is strictly limited and hand-pulled. Once they're gone, they're gone.