Standard printer paper — the plain 20lb stuff most people already have — is fine for most dot-to-dot printables. Where it’s worth stepping up is gel pens and double-sided printing, both of which are more likely to bleed or ghost through thin paper.
When standard paper is enough
If you’re using a regular pen or pencil and printing one-sided, standard copy paper holds up fine. There’s no need to buy anything special just to get started — print a page and see how it feels before changing anything.
When to go heavier
A gel pen, especially a light-colored one on a darker printable, tends to sit longer on the page before drying, which is where thin paper is more likely to let ink show through to the back. If that’s your setup, a slightly heavier paper (24lb or up, or actual cardstock for the darkest pages) holds up noticeably better.
Two-sided printing
If you’re saving paper by printing double-sided, heavier paper matters even more — ink from one side showing through the other is the main complaint people have with thin paper. When in doubt, one-sided on standard paper is the simplest way to avoid the issue entirely.
What pen to pair it with
Paper is half the equation — the other half is what you’re writing with. See our pen and marker guide for what works best on our darker Midnight Reveal pages versus the standard printables.