WHAT IS COLD PRESSED PAPER | THEIR TYPES

Introduction to cold-pressed paper

Do you ever go to an art supply store and wonder the difference between a smooth paper base and a rough paper base? We’ll be discussing everything about the rough paper. It is found very quickly in any art supply store. Because it is used the most by artists. The rough paper is called cold pressed paper because of the manufacturing process.

Formation of cold-pressed paper:

Cold-pressed paper is the exact opposite of hot-pressed paper. The paper consists of loose cellulose fibers that are rolled over with cold metal slab hence the name cold-pressed paper. It is relatively smooth in texture but not as smooth as hot-pressed paper. The cellulose fiber in the paper causes uneven surface making it’s base rough. It is the most commonly used paper worldwide as it is easy to handle and work with; this is also a factor.

Some important factors about the cold-pressed paper are:

1) It is more absorbent than a hot-pressed paper so you must move fast if there is any blending of colors needed.
2) The paper absorbs most of the color and makes the artwork less pigmented and pale when compared to hot-pressed paper. However, this doesn’t happen with good archival paper.
3) The bumpy and uneven base of the paper gives an aesthetic look to the artwork. It offers more texture to the artwork.

It is the best choice for works that require texture. You can use watercolor markers and inks on it. You can observe the rough surface of once the paint dries. Using a cold-pressed paper you can paint faster as it has more absorbing capacity as compared to hot-pressed paper.

Weight of the paper:

The heavier the paper is, the more the water gets absorbed. A preferable weight by artists is 300 GSM (Grams per square meter) or 440 GSM. The standard thickness lies between 185 to 440gsm or more depending on the manufacturing capacity. We could suggest you watercolor book for practices and professional paintings. Usually, artists wet the surface with water, but with the heavy paper, you don’t have to worry about it.

Types of the manufacturing process:

1) Vatt paper: This is an entirely handmade process. Each paper made one by one. They put these papers on a felt cloth that absorbs access water. After some time, they will go for drying. This process involves three to four people on one machine and is a more labor-intensive process.
2) Machine mold paper: This is a new technology where a cylindrical mold rotates and the entire process automatic. This process requires one staff on the machine.

Post manufacturing vatt process and mold-made paper need to be kept for drying in the shade with covering to avoid dust and any unwanted particle. Paper takes up to 1-2 days to dry, depending on the location and atmospheric moisture. It isn’t very easy to dry during monsoon season.
Understanding both the processes and with some experience about the paper, I strongly feel vatt paper is way better than mold paper. We will talk about this in our upcoming blogs.

Types of cold-pressed papers:

1) One is cellulose paper, and the other is cotton paper. Wood paper is affordable and readily available, even in small local stores. But wood paper is acidic. After a while, the wood cold-pressed paper starts to become yellow and brittle and will get ruined by the weather.
2) Cotton cold-pressed paper is acid-free. With this paper, the artwork is never destroyed, not even due to moisture. However, it is possible that some papers may look and feel like cotton but could be wood paper. To avoid this, always look for the 100% cotton sign on the paper or book.

We hope this blog has helped you understand the paper you have been using. If you are new to this subject you could learn how to use this paper through our videos on youtube.