The benefits of printing onto cotton paper

Cotton rag papers are ideal to print on because of their luxury feel, rich texture, natural colours and overall archival rating.

1. Archival quality

Archival quality is the number one benefit for printing on cotton rag. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper. It is said that 1% of cotton equals one-year lifespan making cotton-based paper ideal for archival purposes, which is why cotton paper is known to last hundreds of years without appreciable fading, discolouration or deterioration. All of our cotton rag papers have archival certification of 100+ years. This means that you can confidently sell your fine art prints with a high-quality rating. Artists selling art prints will often choose cotton rag papers because of their luxury feel, rich texture, creamier whites and overall archival rating.

What is cotton rag paper? Back in the day, cotton paper was referred to as cotton rag as it was made from cotton rags (used cloth).

2. Natural colours

Unlike wood pulp-based paper, which may contain high concentrations of acids, cotton paper is acid-free (unbleached), which means that it absorbs ink better. Cotton papers thus appear richer in colour compared to other papers and retains its natural colour, which makes it ideal to print on.

3. Strong fibres

It is an extremely durable paper as cotton is known to be one of the strongest fibres around making the paper more resistant to damage from various environmental conditions and repeated handling than paper made from wood pulp (do not try this with your fine art print or at home!).