I ordered a whole roll of Arches Lavis Fidelis 280 gsm, 25% cotton. I needed some more smooth hot-press paper and this kind is versatile: it is hot press on one side and cold press on the other! My tests show that the paper is of good quality, even though it is only 25% cotton. However – for water colors it is better to use the cold press side (a bit rougher) than the hot press. But it is wonderful to have the versatile option – it is still really good, and sometimes I need the smoothness of hotpress to make details when inking.

An important test for me was to see how the Noodler’s Lexington Grey ink would perform on the paper. It is a good ink for making ink outlines – grey, so not harsh, and with superb water resistance. Previous tests showed that the Lexington ink bled and feathered on all papers except Arches – even on the Saunders 100% cotton hotpress!