What gsm paper is best for kids’ colouring pages?

For crayons and coloured pencils, ordinary 80 gsm copy paper works well, and 90–100 gsm feels a little sturdier. For felt-tip markers or textas, 120–160 gsm paper or light card reduces bleed-through.

Can my home printer take card?

Many home printers accept heavier paper, but the limit varies a lot by model and by tray. Check the printer’s manual or specifications for the maximum paper weight, and use the rear or manual feed if it has one.

Should I print colouring pages on both sides?

Single-sided is usually better. Markers and heavy pressure can show through to the other side, and children often want to cut out or pin up a page they love.

Can kids paint on printed colouring pages?

Watery paint will wrinkle normal copy paper. For watercolour or washable paint, use a heavier paper rated for wet media, if your printer can feed it, and keep paint light.

Best Paper for Colouring Pages (gsm Guide)

Q: Is A4 or US Letter better?

Use whatever paper you have and download the matching PDF. A4 is standard in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and most of the world; US Letter is standard in the US and Canada. Puddleleaf books come in both sizes with the same pages.

On this page

What gsm means
Crayons and pencils
Markers and textas
Paint and wet media
A4 or US Letter
Printer limits
Single-sided printing and less waste

What gsm means

Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre, written gsm or g/m². The higher the number, the thicker and stiffer the sheet usually feels. Standard office copy paper in Australia is typically 80 gsm. US packs often show weight in pounds instead: as a rough guide, 20–24 lb “bond” copy paper is similar to 75–90 gsm, and “cardstock” usually starts well above 160 gsm.

You do not need special colouring paper for most children’s colouring. You only need paper that suits the tools your child will use.

Thicker paper for wetter tools: a quick guide to paper weight.

Crayons and coloured pencils: 80–100 gsm

Wax crayons and coloured pencils sit on top of the paper, so ordinary copy paper works well. 80 gsm is cheap, easy to find and feeds through every home printer. If your child presses hard or likes to colour the same area again and again, 90–100 gsm paper feels a little sturdier and is less likely to tear.

Very smooth, glossy paper is not a good choice: crayons skid on it, and pencils can look patchy. Plain matte paper gives the best grip.

Felt-tip markers and textas: 120–160 gsm or light card

Markers put down wet ink, and on thin paper it can spread past the lines or show through on the back. A heavier sheet, around 120–160 gsm, or light card holds the ink better. Two simple habits help even on thinner paper:

Print single-sided, so bleed-through never spoils another picture.
Slide a spare sheet under the page to protect the table and the next page in a stapled book.

Our free samples and books suggest the same thing in their printing notes: print one-sided if you are using markers.

Paint and other wet media: paper rated for watercolour

Watercolour, washable paint or dot markers will make copy paper buckle. If you want to paint a colouring page, look for paper sold for wet media and check that your printer can take it before you buy a whole pack. Keep the paint light, let the page dry flat, and remember that a heavy textured sheet may print a little less sharply than smooth paper.

A4 or US Letter

Use the paper that is normal where you live, then download the matching PDF. A4 measures 210 × 297 mm and is standard in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and most of the world. US Letter measures 8.5 × 11 inches and is standard in the US and Canada.

Every Puddleleaf colouring book comes in both sizes with the same pages, so you never have to stretch or squash a picture to fit. Print at Actual Size or 100%, one page per sheet. Printing an A4 file on Letter paper (or the other way round) usually means the printer shrinks or crops the page.

Check your printer’s limits first

Home printers differ a lot in how thick a sheet they will accept. Before buying heavier paper:

Look up your model’s maximum paper weight in the manual or on the manufacturer’s website. The main tray and a rear or manual feed slot can have different limits.
Choose the matching paper type in the print dialogue (for example “heavy” or “card”), so the printer slows down and adjusts.
Feed a single sheet first. If it jams or smudges, go back to a lighter paper.

We have not tested every printer and paper combination, so treat these as starting points rather than guarantees.

Single-sided printing and less waste

Print a page, not a book. Start with the free sample or the two or three pages your child wants today.
Keep the colour guide on screen. Colour guides look great printed, but viewing them on a tablet beside the page saves ink.
Use the back for drawing. For crayon or pencil pages, the blank back of a single-sided print makes good scrap paper for drawing practice.
Colour on screen sometimes. The free online colouring studio uses no paper at all, and book companions let you colour the same pictures on a tablet.

Ready to print? Read how to print a colouring book at home, then try a page from our free colouring pages or our colouring pages with a colour guide.

Pick tools and paper together

The paper question is really a tools question. If you are still deciding between crayons, pencils and markers, our guide to choosing crayons, pencils or markers walks through what each one is good at for ages 4–8. And if you would like to turn your printed pages into a proper book, see how to make a colouring book at home.

The best paper for printing colouring pages