Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Pad: 350 lb, 3-Ply Cotton
The Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media pad is a glue-bound pad of 12 sheets of 350 lb (570 g/m²), 3-ply, 100% cotton paper with a vellum surface. Strathmore sizes it internally for wet media and sells it in 6 × 8, 9 × 12 and 11 × 14 in for watercolor, acrylic, ink, pencil, pastel and collage.
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Product facts
- Product
- Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pad, 9 x 12 in, 350 lb (570 gsm), 3-ply, vellum, 12 sheets
- Brand
- Strathmore
- Brand origin
- United States
- Made in
- Not stated*
- Material
- 350 lb (570 g/m²) 3-ply 100% cotton mixed media paper, vellum surface, internally sized, glue bound
- Price range
- $$$$20–75 per ream or pad
Notes on these facts
- Made by Strathmore Artist Papers, a division of Dixon Ticonderoga (F.I.L.A. Group); owned by Pacon Corporation from 2006 until F.I.L.A. bought Pacon in 2018. Country of manufacture not stated: Strathmore's 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media page, as returned by search, gives weight, ply, fiber and sizes but no country of origin, and the Blick, Utrecht, School Specialty and Eckersley's listings we read don't state one either. Strathmore's other 500 Series Bristol pads are labelled made in America by Staples, but we don't carry that over to this pad. Check the back cover. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Each sheet is 350 lb (570 g/m²) and 3-ply, almost twice the weight of 140 lb (300 g/m²) watercolor paper.
- Every pad holds 12 sheets; Blick and Strathmore list three sizes: 6 × 8, 9 × 12 and 11 × 14 in.
- Strathmore lists the paper as 100% cotton, vellum surface, internally sized, archival and lignin free.
- It is Strathmore's top 500 Series grade; the 9 × 12 in pad sits in our $$$ band ($20–75) at US art stores.
- Neither Strathmore nor the retailers we read state where this pad is made.
What is the Strathmore 500 Mixed Media pad?
It is Strathmore’s heaviest mixed media paper in pad form: 12 sheets of 350 lb (570 g/m²), 3-ply, 100% cotton paper with a vellum surface. Strathmore’s full name for it is the 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media pad.
Strathmore says the sheet is internally sized so it stands up to several layers of wet media, while the vellum surface has enough tooth for drawing. It lists watercolor, gouache, acrylic, graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil, marker, pastel and collage.
Strathmore 500 Mixed Media pad specs
| Spec | 9 × 12 in pad |
|---|---|
| Size | 9 × 12 in (229 × 305 mm) |
| Sheets | 12 |
| Weight | 350 lb (570 g/m²) |
| Construction | 3-ply |
| Fiber | 100% cotton |
| Surface | Vellum, natural white |
| Sizing | Internal, for wet media |
| Archival | Archival, lignin free; acid free (Eckersley’s) |
| Binding | Glue bound |
| UPC | 012017584091 |
| Made in | Not stated |
Weight, ply, fiber, sizing and the archival claims come from Strathmore; the color, binding and sheet count from Blick; the UPC from School Specialty. Strathmore doesn’t say on which edge the pad is glued.
What sizes are there?
Three, all with 12 sheets: 6 × 8, 9 × 12 and 11 × 14 in. Blick lists all three, and Strathmore’s own page shows the 6 × 8 in pad as reference 584-6.
| Size (in) | Size (mm) | Sheets |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 8 | 152 × 203 | 12 |
| 9 × 12 | 229 × 305 | 12 |
| 11 × 14 | 279 × 356 | 12 |
The 6 × 8 in pad is small enough to carry; the 9 × 12 in matches the common size of student watercolor and mixed media pads.
How heavy is 350 lb paper?
At 570 g/m², one sheet weighs almost twice as much as 140 lb watercolor paper and more than three times a 98 lb mixed media sheet. Strathmore pitches that weight at acrylic, collage and repeated washes; we haven’t yet measured how flat it stays.
3-ply means three layers of cotton laminated into one sheet. Its 2-ply 500 Series Bristol is 152 lb (250 g/m²), so the Heavyweight Mixed Media sheet is a much stiffer board.
How does it compare to cheaper mixed media pads?
It trades sheet count for weight and cotton: 12 heavy cotton sheets against 60 lighter wood-pulp ones.
| Strathmore 500 Heavyweight MM | Canson XL Mix Media | Canson XL Watercolor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 350 lb (570 g/m²) | 98 lb (160 g/m²) | 140 lb (300 g/m²) |
| Fiber | 100% cotton | No cotton stated | No cotton stated |
| Surface | Vellum | Fine texture | Cold press |
| Sheets (9 × 12 in) | 12 | 60 | 30 |
| Price band | $$$ | $$ | $$ |
Canson figures come from our guides to those pads. For dry media alone, the Strathmore 400 Sketch pad gives 100 sheets of 60 lb paper for far less per sheet.
Which should you choose?
Pick the 500 Heavyweight for finished mixed-media pieces that pile on wet layers, and a lighter pad for practice. The weight and cotton make each sheet more forgiving, but 12 sheets go quickly.
- Wet and layered work: acrylic, collage, gouache with ink on top.
- Drawing on a stiff surface: pencil, colored pencil and pastel on vellum tooth.
- Not the best value for sketching: a 60-sheet pad costs less per sheet.
How much does it cost, and where is it made?
The 9 × 12 in pad sits in our $$$ band ($20–75 per pad) at the US stores we checked in October 2026; the 6 × 8 in pad costs less. Strathmore is an American brand, now part of Dixon Ticonderoga in the F.I.L.A. group.
Neither Strathmore nor the retailers we read state the country of manufacture for this pad, so we list it as not stated.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy is Strathmore 500 Mixed Media paper?
It is 350 lb, or 570 g/m², and 3-ply. That is close to double a 140 lb (300 g/m²) watercolor sheet and more than three times the 98 lb Canson XL Mix Media.
Is Strathmore 500 Mixed Media 100% cotton?
Yes. Strathmore lists the surface as 100% cotton with a vellum finish, and Eckersley's describes it as a 3-ply cotton sheet.
Can you use watercolor on Strathmore 500 Mixed Media paper?
Strathmore lists watercolor and gouache among the intended media and says the paper is internally sized for wet media. We haven't yet tested how much water it takes before it buckles.
How many sheets are in a Strathmore 500 Mixed Media pad?
Twelve, in every size. The pads are glue bound, so each sheet tears off along the bound edge.
What sizes does the Strathmore 500 Mixed Media pad come in?
Blick and Strathmore list 6 × 8, 9 × 12 and 11 × 14 in pads. Larger loose sheets and boards are sold separately in the 500 Series.
What is the difference between Strathmore 400 and 500 Mixed Media?
Strathmore ranks its paper series from 100 to 500, so the 500 is its top grade. The 500 Heavyweight sheet is 350 lb, 3-ply, 100% cotton; School Specialty lists the 400 Series Mixed Media pad at 184 lb.
Is the Strathmore 500 Mixed Media pad acid-free?
Strathmore calls the paper archival and lignin free, and Eckersley's lists it as acid free.
Sources
- Strathmore: 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media (350 lb / 570 g/m², 3-ply, vellum, 100% cotton, internally sized, archival, lignin free; 584-6 6 x 8 in, glue bound, 12 sheets; page blocks automated reading, read through search results)
- Strathmore: NEW! Strathmore Heavyweight Mixed Media (announcement)
- Dick Blick: Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pads (read in full: 6 x 8, 9 x 12 and 11 x 14 in, gluebound, 12 pages, natural white vellum, 350 lb / 570 gsm; items 13855-1021, -1023, -1005)
- Utrecht: Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pads (read in full: internally sized, vellum, media list, 350 lb, 12-sheet pads)
- Eckersley's: Strathmore Series 500 Heavyweight Mixed Media Pad 9 x 12 in (read in full: 3-ply cotton, internally sized, vellum, archival, lignin free, acid free, 570 gsm)
- School Specialty: Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Pad, 9 x 12 in, 350 lb, 12 sheets (UPC 012017584091)
- Jerry's Artarama: Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pads (3-ply cotton)