That tip about using receipt paper for quick sketches really stuck with me

I overheard a cashier at a gas stop in Billings telling someone that the thermal paper behind the counter makes decent doodle paper in a pinch. I grabbed a few blank rolls from my glove box and tried it at my desk during a 30-minute break. The smooth surface actually holds pen lines better than I thought, but the ink smudges if you touch it right away. Anyone else tried this with receipt paper or found a better scrap paper trick for quick sketches?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronf881mo ago

Have you ever tried freezing the thermal paper first? Sounds weird but I stuck a few rolls in my desk mini-fridge for like 10 minutes and the coating stays put way longer, plus the curling is way less bad. The smudging is still a problem if you're heavy handed with ink though. I also found that ballpoint pens work better than gel pens on it because the ink dries faster. It's definitely not perfect but it beats digging through the trash for envelopes when you're bored at a desk job.

felix_hayes641mo ago

3 minutes into a doodle the thermal coating started flaking off onto my hand. The paper also curls up bad if the room is even slightly warm so you can't lay it flat. Honestly you're better off just grabbing the junk mail envelopes from recycling they work way better for quick sketches.