Up: [[Visual Arts]] Created: 2024-03-10 Cold press is the standard one people expect. It’s absorbent, paint dries faster, it has a lot of texture. Hot press has had the texture pressed out of it. It’s smooth, very much like Bristol board, but unlike Bristol board it can absorb a lot of water. Hot press is the preferred one for final details. They don’t get lost in the bumps and grooves. And light refracts differently off hot press so colours are brighter. It dries more slowly so you can work with paint longer, which can be an advantage or disadvantage. I’ve been using hot press for [[Illustrated Journals]] because hand lettering, not just painted details, get lost in the bumps and grooves of cold press.