I've used lots of regular printer paper and it works okay. I also did two string quilts on newspaper and I thought it was actually harder to tear off because it tore easier but didn't tear cleanly along the stitching lines. I just bought two boxes of Gilbert Paper onionskin. It's really sturdy but tears off really easy. I did have to hand draw my blocks on the onionskin because it wouldn't go thru my printer. But that's not hard to do with a ruler and a fine point sharpie.