Choosing the right palette paper matters more than most hobbyists and painters expect. The right paper keeps your paints hydrated, controls dilution, reduces waste, and improves color mixing. These recommendations come from hands-on testing, product research, and expert and user feedback to help you pick the best palette paper for your needs.
Considerations and Testing Approach
We evaluated palette paper using a mix of real-world usage, expert input, and consumer feedback. Our tests focused on:
- Compatibility: Fit and performance with popular wet palettes (Everlasting/Studio XL, Army Painter, Sta-Wet systems).
- Moisture retention: How long paints stay workable (hourly checks up to 24 hours).
- Paint behavior: Color absorption, peeling/curling, contamination, and ease of mixing with acrylics, hobby paints, and heavier media.
- Durability & cleanup: Whether sheets are reusable, permeable, or disposable, and how they handle cleaning.
- Economics: Sheet count, price-per-sheet, and packaging convenience.
Testing protocol: we ran parallel side-by-side sessions using acrylic, hobby (model) paints, and basic gouache-like watercolor mixtures. We observed drying times, mixing stability, and any paper deformation. We also reviewed expert commentary from professional miniaturists and painters, plus aggregated user reviews for known long-term issues.
Factors that most influenced rankings: moisture stability, compatibility with common palettes, no-curl setup, and cost-per-sheet. Consumer-reported reliability and brand reputation were used to validate durability claims.
Strathmore Palette Pad
Strathmore's tape-bound palette pad offers a reliable, disposable mixing surface ideal for artists and students. At 9x12 with 40 sheets of 41 lb (67 gsm) paper, it balances absorbency and ease of cleanup—great for short sessions and fast color mixing.
Strathmore 300 Series Palette Paper Pad — Best Value for Money
Strathmore's palette pad is an excellent everyday choice. The 41 lb/67 gsm sheets give controlled absorption so paints don’t sink away too fast, and the tape-bound pad makes tearing off a fresh sheet painless. During testing the pad provided clean mixing behavior with acrylics and light-bodied paints, and it’s especially friendly for classroom or studio use where quick sheet changes are common. While not intended for long-term wet retention like specialized hydration papers, its low cost and dependable performance make it the best value for most painters.
Masterson Sta-Wet Sheets
Masterson Sta-Wet Premier refill sheets (12 x 16 inches, 30 sheets) are permeable, cleanable, and designed to work with a moisture sponge for extended wet palettes—ideal for professional acrylic and mixed-media workflows where longevity and consistent hydration matter.
Masterson Sta-Wet Premier Palette Refill — Premium Choice
Masterson's 12 x 16" Premier refill sheets are designed for serious users who need long-lasting hydration and consistent paint behavior. The permeable paper combines with a Sta-Wet sponge to keep paints workable for extended periods without contamination. In our tests, colors stayed creamy and mixable across sessions, and the paper cleaned well when used with the intended system. This refill is larger and thicker than many disposable pads, offering a professional footprint for studio work or detailed color mixing. If you use acrylics regularly and want the most reliable wet-palette performance, this is the premium option.
Hydration Sheets for Minis
Hydration sheets designed for wet palettes provide reliable, low-curl moisture retention tailored to hobby paints. This 50-sheet pack is optimized for miniature painting—keeps paints moist, minimizes dilution drift, and resists bubbling and curling during setup.
Everlasting-Style Hydration Paper — Editors' Choice
These hydration sheets target hobbyists and miniature painters using Everlasting/Studio XL wet palettes. The paper is formulated to match the dilution and viscosity common to hobby paints: it adheres well to the foam base, doesn’t bubble during setup, and resists curling. In hands-on miniature sessions the sheets kept paints hydrated and stable over many hours, and color consistency remained high—critical for fine-detail work. While pricier than basic palette pads, the engineered performance for hobby paints and the lack of setup headaches earned this product our Editors' Choice for model and mini painters.
100 Wet Palette Papers
A 100-sheet pack of wet palette refill paper compatible with Army Painter-style palettes. Designed for daily changes and cost-conscious users, it promises 24-hour moisture retention and tailored performance for acrylic warpaints.
Army Painter-Compatible Refill Pack — Best Budget Pick
This 100-sheet refill pack is an economical option for hobbyists and studios that change sheets frequently. Each 7.0" x 4.7" sheet is cut to fit common Army Painter palettes and is designed for acrylic warpaints, focusing on sustained moisture and minimal pigment loss. Our tests showed solid 24-hour moisture retention for light to medium paint loads, and the high sheet count makes it a cost-effective choice for regular workspace turnover. It’s not as refined as premium hydration papers, but for everyday hobby or practice work where volume and price matter, it’s the best budget pick.
Comparison at a Glance
- Masterson Sta-Wet Sheets (Premium Choice): Best overall for professional studios—large 12 x 16" sheets, permeable/reusable, excellent long-term hydration.
- Strathmore Palette Pad (Best Value for Money): Affordable, tape-bound 9 x 12" pad (40 sheets) with dependable mixing behavior for classroom and casual studio use.
- Hydration Sheets for Minis (Editors' Choice): Optimized for miniature painting and Everlasting-style palettes—excellent adhesion, minimal curling, and reliable paint playtime.
- 100 Wet Palette Papers (Best Budget Pick): High sheet count and Army Painter compatibility make this the economical choice for frequent sheet turnover.
Which is best overall? For users who want the most consistently reliable wet-palette experience—particularly with acrylics and mixed-media—Masterson Sta-Wet Premier is our top pick. For budget-conscious users or classroom settings, Strathmore offers the best value. Miniature painters who need specialized hydration performance should consider the Everlasting-style hydration sheets, while those needing volume purchases should opt for the Army Painter-compatible 100-sheet pack.
Final Recommendation
After hands-on testing and evaluating expert and user feedback, the best all-around palette paper is the Masterson Sta-Wet Premier refill for its consistent hydration, professional footprint, and cleanability. If you want the best balance of cost and performance for everyday use, the Strathmore Palette Pad is a smart choice. For miniature and hobby painters focused on precision and long wet times, choose the Everlasting-style hydration sheets. For high-volume, low-cost needs, the 100-sheet Army Painter-compatible pack delivers the most sheets per dollar.
All recommendations above are based on side-by-side tests that measured moisture retention, paint behavior, and setup reliability, plus a review of community and expert feedback. If you tell me which palette system you use (Everlasting, Army Painter, Sta-Wet, etc.) and what paints you work with, I can recommend the single best option tailored to your workflow.