I think the biggest problem was trying to use standard white printer paper. Think of using it for paper piecing, you have to get the tiny stitches to break it apart. For quilting most of us want the larger stitches and we want them to hold so getting the tension right (along with quality thread) is really important. If you can break your thread apart, you don't really want to use it for quilting through paper.
Not all home printers work well with newsprint but you can buy reams of it as well for reasonable prices. Larger amounts have cheaper pricing but do you really need 500 sheets to start??
A very light spritzer bottle spray can also be good, or even a mostly dry sponge. You definitely want slightly moist without being wet. A favorite tool of mine was a popsicle stick. Along with the big bag for the shavings!
One of the big advantages of sewing through paper is no one can see where you wobbled off the lines. For me with my vision issues, I can't really follow or mark well a scrappy top to see the lines, much less follow them.