The Best Papers for Gelli Plate Printing: My Top 5 Picks
If you've ever found yourself wondering which papers give the best results on the Gelli plate, you're not alone. I've tested loads of papers over the years, and today I'm sharing my top 5 favourites. These are the ones I reach for again and again for better textures, richer layers, and more satisfying prints.
From beautiful Japanese Maruishi tissue to good old printer paper dyed with coffee, tea, or onion skins, each one has its stengths. I'll show you each one in action and explain why they work so well. I'll also chat about acrylic paints, layering papers for depth, and adding interest to prints with stencils and stamps.
If you're ready to experiment and want to see which papers are worth your time, you're in the right place!
Watch the full video tutorial here:
Materials You’ll Need:
Paper:
• Wet-strength tissue paper - Carnival is my favourite brand - I love using it for layering.
• Copy Paper - Standard printer paper, but it's brilliant for getting started. You can dye it with onion skins, teabags, coffee, etc to create a soft vintage look - but just be aware that soaking it can make the paper a bit more fragile and prone to tearing.
• Cartridge Paper - I like using heavy A2 cartridge paper (170gsm).
• Japanese Rice Paper - I love using thin, delicate Maruishi paper. It's brilliant for layering and picking up detail.
• Book Paper - Literally pages from old books. You can use them as-is, or dye them in the same way as copy paper.
You don’t need to have all of these to get started. If you’re just beginning, I’d recommend starting with copy paper and, if you can get it, the Carnival wet-strength tissue. They’re both great options that give lovely results.
Gel Plate:
For this video, I’m working with an 8 x 10 Gelli plate, which is a great all-around size for a variety of prints.
Brayer:
You’ll need a rubber roller, called a brayer, to layer the paint across the plate. I'm using a 15 cm brayer and i like having 2 on hand so that I can change paint colours.
Acrylic Paint:
I'm using Golden's Open Acrylics (which have a bit of a longer working time) in Manganese Blue, Teal, Titan Buff, and Titan Green Pale. I'm also using Daler-Rowney Graduate Raw Umber and Pebeo's Iridescent Green Yellow.
Stencils & Stamps:
I'm using nested circle stencils and stamps in this video from PM Artist Studio. They’re great for layering and adding movement to the page. If you fancy trying them out yourselves, you’re in for a treat—I've got a discount code I'll drop at the end of the blog.
Clear Drying Adhesive:
I use Matt Medium to adhere and layer my prints. You’ll also need a paintbrush for applying the medium.
Tissue or Baby Wipes:
I always keep a bit of tissue and water or baby wipes nearby. They're handy for blotting off excess paint or for cleaning the Gelli plate in between prints.
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I’ve got my Gelli plate and brayers laid out in front of me, as well as variety of paints. I’m starting off with Manganese Blue, one of the Golden Open Acrylics paints with the longer working time. It’s quite a transparent paint, this one, and I just really love the colour.
I apply a small amount onto the gel plate directly from the tube and just roll it out with my brayer into a nice, thin layer across the plate.
First I lay down a stencil into the wet paint. I'm using this one with these gorgeous organic shapes - it was handmade and gifted to me by a friend.
