Blotting paper, made for pressing flowers
Find the right paper for your press
The sheet touching the petal is what decides the colour. Tell us what you press in and we will tell you which pack fits, whether that is one of our presses, somebody else's, or a heavy book.
★★★★★ Over 1,700 ratings across our papers Home of @flowerpresstips
The paper finder
What are you pressing in?
Pick yours. The Square pack drops straight in. The Travel pack needs its corners snipped to clear the bolts. The XL is deliberately oversized so it trims to fit anything.
Poppy, the travel press
The small rectangular press, four corner bolts, 10.8 x 6.9 in.
Flora, the square press
The large square press.
Lilabelle, the extra large press
The big one, for bouquets and long stems.
Tilly and Tansy, the minis
The pair of small presses, for single stems and little finds.
A heavy book
No press yet, or pressing something too big for the one you own.
A press from another brand
Any make, any size, including the ones we do not sell.
Trimming a larger sheet works perfectly. Piecing smaller sheets together does not, because the seam leaves a line across the petals.
All four packs
Every paper we make
The same acid free blotting paper in every pack. The only difference is the size and how much cutting you want to do.
Fits anything
XL Blotting Paper Refill
15 sheets · 14.7 x 11.2 in · 200gsm
Deliberately oversized, so you trim it to whatever you press in. The safe choice if you own a press we did not make.
$15.00
Cut for Poppy
Travel Blotting Paper Refill
24 acid-free sheets · 5.9 x 10 in · 200gsm
Sized for the Poppy travel press, so there is nothing to measure. The corners are still square, so give each sheet a quick snip at the four corners to clear the bolts.
$15.00
Cut for Flora
Square Blotting Paper Refill
24 pre-cut sheets · 10.2 x 10.2 in · 250gsm
Made for Flora, our 11 inch square press. The corners are already clipped to clear the bolts, so a sheet drops straight in with no trimming at all.
$14.99
For books and minis
A4 Flower Press Paper
10 sheets · 11.7 x 8.3 in · 200gsm
The size most people already think in. Slides into a book, or cuts down for a small press.
$10.00
Why it matters
The paper does the work, the press only holds it still
A press applies pressure. It cannot remove water. That is the paper's job, and it is the reason the same flower comes out brown in a book and bright in a press.
It pulls the water out
A 200gsm blotting sheet draws moisture away from the petal instead of holding it against it. Book pages absorb a little, then stop, and the petal sits wet for weeks.
It comes out and goes back in
Change the sheets after 24 hours, again after two or three days, then weekly. Stand the damp ones somewhere warm and once they are fully dry they go back in. That swap is the whole difference, and it is the thing a book cannot do.
It leaves no print
Kitchen roll and textured paper stamp their pattern into the petal. Printer paper is thin and sticks to it as it dries. Blotting paper is smooth, so the flower comes out with its own surface intact.
What customers say
Real words from real reviews
★★★★★“I am experimenting with pressing flowers and had tried books and parchment paper and printer paper with not much success. I finally invested in a pack of this paper and am thoroughly pleased with the results.”
Amazon.com, verified purchase
★★★★★“This blotting paper really makes a difference in keeping mold at bay when pressing flowers. 100% recommend”
Amazon.com, verified purchase
★★★★★“I'm still using heavy books, but the pressings are smooth and have retained most of the original colour.”
Amazon.co.uk, verified purchase
Before you go
Get the six step pressing guide, and 10% off your next order
Two pages with the whole method, including the paper changing schedule that decides whether your flowers keep their colour.
Good to know
Common questions
How many sheets do I actually need?
Two per layer, one under the flower and one over. So a four layer press uses eight sheets in one go. Because you change the paper after 24 hours and again a few days later, most people keep a second pack so there is always a dry set ready while the first set airs.
Can I cut a bigger sheet down?
Yes, and it works perfectly. What does not work is piecing smaller sheets together to cover a big board, because the seam leaves a line across the petals. If in doubt, buy the size above and trim it.
How long does pressing take?
Two to three weeks for most flowers; thick blooms can take four. Open the press or book only to change the paper: after 24 hours, again after two or three days, then weekly. They are done when they feel papery and no longer cool to the touch.
How many times can I reuse a sheet?
Several, as long as it dries fully between uses. Retire a sheet when it stays limp after airing, when brown staining transfers to the next flower, or when a thick stem has left a dent. Use a fresh sheet under anything with a thick stem and reuse the rest.
Why not watercolour paper, printer paper or kitchen roll?
Printer paper is thin and sticks to the petal. Kitchen roll and textured paper print their pattern into it. Watercolour paper works for some people but costs more per sheet than you think and was never made to be swapped and dried. We compared all of them on the blog.
Will it work in a press that is not yours?
Yes. Blotting paper is not brand specific, it is just the right material at the right weight. Measure your boards, cut the XL sheet to match, and you are done.
Still not sure which one?
Start with the XL. It is the one pack that fits every press ever made, because you cut it to your own boards.
See the XL refill