Quick answer: Easel paper is large-format paper, typically 24 by 36 inches or 27 by 34 inches, sold in rolls or glue-bound pads designed to hang from or clip onto an easel. It comes in plain white, lined, grid, and self-adhesive versions, and in weights from thin newsprint-style sheets for children’s painting to heavier 50 to 70 lb paper for markers and tempera. Classrooms use it for finger painting and group art, presenters use it as flip chart paper, and artists use it for large sketches, gesture drawing, and planning compositions before working on canvas.
The term “easel paper” shows up in school supply lists, office catalogs, and art stores, and it does not mean quite the same thing in each place. A kindergarten teacher means a roll of inexpensive paper for the painting easel. A meeting facilitator means a flip chart pad. A drawing instructor means a large newsprint pad clipped to a studio easel for quick figure studies.
This explainer defines easel paper, sorts out the different formats and weights, explains which paints and media each type can handle, and covers how to mount it on an easel so it does not tear or buckle. If you are shopping for the easel itself, our guide to choosing an easel for painting canvas covers models that work equally well with paper pads and stretched canvas.
What Easel Paper Is
At its most basic, easel paper is any paper manufactured in sheets large enough to fill the working area of a standing easel, with a binding or packaging that allows it to be hung or clipped at the top edge. The defining features are size (large), orientation (used vertically), and a top edge designed for attachment.
Three formats dominate.
Easel pads
Sheets glued or stapled along the top edge into a pad with a stiff cardboard back. Pads typically contain 25 to 100 sheets. Many have two or three pre-punched holes along the top that slide onto the pegs or hooks of a flip chart easel or a children’s art easel. The back board gives support so the paper does not sag against the easel’s bars.
Easel paper rolls
Continuous paper, usually 18 or 24 inches wide and 75 to 200 feet long, wound on a cardboard core. Rolls mount on a dowel or holder at the top of many children’s easels, and the paper is pulled down, clipped at the bottom, and torn off when the painting is done. Rolls are the most economical option for heavy use.
Loose large sheets
Individual sheets of newsprint, drawing paper, or kraft paper in 18 by 24 or 24 by 36 inch sizes, clipped to a drawing board on an easel. This is the format most art students and studio painters use.
What Is Easel Pad vs. Flip Chart Pad?
The two terms are often interchangeable, but there is a usage difference. A flip chart pad is the office product: 25 to 50 sheets of white or faint-grid paper, roughly 27 by 34 inches, designed for markers and meant to be flipped over the top of a presentation easel. An easel pad is the broader term and includes flip charts along with children’s painting pads and artist pads.
Self-adhesive easel pads (sometimes called sticky easel pads) have a strip of repositionable adhesive along the back of each sheet’s top edge, so pages can be torn off and stuck to a wall. These are popular for brainstorming sessions and for displaying children’s artwork during a class.
| Type | Typical size | Typical weight | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children’s easel pad | 17 x 20 in to 18 x 24 in | Light (newsprint to 40 lb) | Tempera, finger paint, crayons |
| Easel paper roll | 18 or 24 in wide | Light to medium | Classroom painting, murals, table covering |
| Flip chart pad | 25 x 30 in to 27 x 34 in | Medium (about 20 lb bond) | Presentations, markers |
| Self-adhesive pad | 25 x 30 in | Medium | Brainstorming, wall display |
| Newsprint pad | 18 x 24 in or 24 x 36 in | Very light (about 30 lb) | Gesture drawing, charcoal, quick sketches |
| Drawing or sketch pad, large | 18 x 24 in | Medium to heavy (50 to 80 lb) | Graphite, charcoal, ink, light washes |
| Mixed media or heavyweight pad | 18 x 24 in | Heavy (90 to 140 lb) | Acrylic, gouache, watercolor studies |
Paper Weight and What It Can Handle
Paper weight tells you how much wet media the sheet tolerates. In the U.S. system, weight is given in pounds per ream, and because ream sizes differ between paper types, the numbers are not perfectly comparable across categories. The practical guide below avoids that problem by focusing on behavior.
- Newsprint and light easel roll paper (roughly 30 to 40 lb): Thin, slightly absorbent, inexpensive. Handles crayon, pencil, charcoal, pastel, and a light coat of tempera. Buckles under watery paint and tears when wet. Yellows within months because it is not acid-free.
- Bond and flip chart paper (roughly 20 lb bond, similar to 50 lb text): Smooth, white, made for markers. Water-based markers do not bleed through; permanent markers often do. Tempera and acrylic pool on the surface and can soak through.
- Drawing paper (50 to 80 lb): Firmer, usually acid-free, with a slight texture. Takes graphite, charcoal, ink, and light washes without buckling badly. The most versatile weight for an artist’s easel pad.
- Heavyweight and mixed media paper (90 to 140 lb): Stiff enough to take acrylic, gouache, and moderate watercolor washes. Expensive in large sizes, so it is often used for finished studies rather than practice.
For children’s painting, the lighter papers are appropriate because the goal is volume and low cost; a child may go through ten sheets in a session. For adult practice, 50 to 70 lb drawing paper is the usual compromise between durability and price.
Which Media Work on Easel Paper
| Medium | Light newsprint/roll | Flip chart bond | Drawing paper | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crayon, colored pencil | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Graphite, charcoal | Good | Fair (too smooth) | Excellent | Good |
| Water-based markers | Fair (bleeds) | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Permanent markers | Poor (bleeds through) | Fair | Good | Good |
| Tempera | Fair (buckles) | Fair | Good | Excellent |
| Washable finger paint | Fair | Poor (slides) | Good | Good |
| Acrylic | Poor | Poor | Fair | Good |
| Watercolor | Poor | Poor | Fair (light washes only) | Good |
| Oil pastel | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Oil paint is not suited to any standard easel paper unless the sheet is first primed with gesso or an oil-ground, because the oil soaks into unprimed paper and causes it to become brittle over time.
How Easel Paper Is Used
Classrooms and early childhood
The paper roll or pad on a child-height easel is a standard preschool fixture. Painting upright develops shoulder and arm strength, encourages large movements, and keeps paint off tables. Teachers favor rolls for cost and pads for ease of tearing off finished work. Clips at the bottom corners keep the sheet from curling.
Presentations and workshops
Flip chart pads on a tripod easel remain common in meeting rooms and training sessions. Grid-lined versions help keep handwriting straight. Self-adhesive sheets let a group fill a wall with ideas without tape.
Art instruction and studio practice
Figure drawing classes run on newsprint pads: cheap paper, large sheets, one or two minute poses, dozens of drawings per session. The low cost removes the fear of wasting paper, which is the point. Painters also use large paper on an easel to work out compositions in charcoal or thin acrylic before committing to canvas.
Murals and large planning
Rolls of kraft or white easel paper serve as full-scale cartoons for murals, as templates for cutting fabric or wood, and as backdrops for photos and parties.
Mounting Paper on an Easel
Paper behaves differently from a stretched canvas on an easel and needs a little support.
- Use a backing board. A sheet of hardboard, foam board, or a commercial drawing board slightly larger than the paper gives a firm surface. Pads with a thick back cover may not need one.
- Clip the top edge. Bulldog clips or large spring clips hold the paper or the pad to the board. Easels with a top clamp can grip the board directly.
- Clip or tape the bottom. Two small clips at the lower corners stop the sheet from lifting when you paint upward. Artist tape works on heavier paper but tears light newsprint.
- Angle slightly back. Tilting the easel a few degrees past vertical keeps drips from running down wet paper and reduces glare.
- For rolls, mount the roll on the easel’s dowel, pull the paper down behind the paint tray if there is one, and clip it. Tear against the edge of the board or use the serrated bar some easels include.
Choosing Easel Paper
A few questions narrow the choice quickly.
- Who is painting? Children: light rolls or pads, washable media. Adults practicing: 50 to 70 lb drawing pads. Finished work: heavyweight or canvas instead.
- What medium? Markers: bond flip chart paper. Charcoal: newsprint or drawing paper with some texture. Paint: the heaviest paper your budget allows, or switch to canvas boards.
- How much volume? Daily classroom use favors rolls. Occasional use favors pads for tidiness.
- Does it need to last? Newsprint yellows and becomes brittle within a year or two. Acid-free drawing paper keeps for decades. Choose accordingly for anything you want to frame.
- Does your easel have pegs or a dowel? Pre-punched pads fit peg-style easels; rolls need a dowel or roll holder. Otherwise, plan on clips and a board.
Easel Paper vs. Canvas for Painting
Paper is cheaper, lighter, and easier to store, which makes it ideal for learning, sketching, and children. Canvas is stronger, accepts heavy paint and repeated reworking, and is expected for finished acrylic and oil paintings. Many painters use both: paper on the easel for daily studies, canvas for pieces they intend to keep or sell. The same easel can hold either, provided its clamps adjust to the thin profile of a board and the thick profile of a stretched canvas; sturdy adjustable models are covered in our review of adjustable easels for canvas and board.
Storage and Care
- Store pads and loose sheets flat, away from sunlight and humidity. Standing pads on end causes the glued edge to curl.
- Keep rolls in their original wrapper or a cardboard tube to avoid edge damage.
- Newsprint drawings you want to keep should be sprayed with fixative and interleaved with acid-free tissue, though the paper itself will still yellow.
- Painted sheets should dry flat before stacking, with a sheet of wax paper between tempera paintings to prevent sticking.
FAQs
What is easel paper used for?
Children’s painting and drawing on classroom easels, flip chart presentations, large practice drawings in art classes, planning compositions before painting on canvas, and full-size templates for murals and crafts.
What size is easel paper?
Common pad sizes are 17 by 20 inches for children’s easels, 18 by 24 inches for art pads, and 25 by 30 or 27 by 34 inches for flip charts. Rolls are usually 18 or 24 inches wide.
Can you paint with acrylics on easel paper?
Thin, washy acrylic works on heavier drawing paper, and full-bodied acrylic works on mixed media or heavyweight paper of 90 lb and up. Light newsprint and flip chart paper buckle and can tear under acrylic.
What is the difference between easel paper and newsprint?
Newsprint is one type of paper often sold as easel pads; it is thin, gray-white, and inexpensive. “Easel paper” is a broader category that also includes white bond, drawing paper, and heavyweight sheets in easel-friendly sizes.
Is easel pad paper the same as flip chart paper?
Flip chart paper is a specific kind of easel pad made for markers in meetings. Easel pads for art and classrooms may be lighter paper intended for paint and crayons.
Do you need a special easel for easel paper?
No. Any easel that can hold a drawing board works with clips. Children’s easels and presentation easels often include pegs or a dowel designed for pre-punched pads and rolls, which is convenient but not required.
Final Thoughts
Easel paper is simply large paper made to be used upright, and the right kind depends on who is holding the brush and what is on it. Light, cheap paper is correct for children and quick sketches; heavier, acid-free paper is correct for studies you want to keep; canvas takes over for finished paintings. Whatever the paper, a stable easel with adjustable clamps makes the difference between a sheet that stays put and one that curls and tears mid-stroke. Our guide to the best easels for canvas and paper covers models for every budget and height.
