Watercolor painting requires a mixture of water and paint. The water activates the hard, dry paint, which dries out and sticks to the paper once the water dries. Watercolors, then, unless done with a very light touch, only works on particular paper. Thick, heavy watercolor paper comes in three types: hot press, cold press and rough. Hot-pressed paper has a smooth surface that works well for smooth expanses of color but doesn't add much depth. Cold-pressed paper has a bit of texture that allows for more intricate and detailed figures. Rough paper is coarsely texture and adds a sense of gritty depth.
In printmaking with paper, the artist lightly etches the drawing onto the paper without tearing it. Then, that drawn image is dipped into paint or other solutions and placed on a clean sheet of appropriate paper. This gives a negative effect that's not exactly how the artist etched it. Paper for printmaking is very thin and delicate like onion skin. It will not stand erasure so mistakes must be adapted or the print must be restarted.
According to True Art, the paper is the most important part of pencil, pastel and charcoal drawings. There are many varieties of drawing paper for different materials, but they produce varied effects. Sketch paper is lightweight and has some texture to it for graphite and pencil. Bristol paper has a shiny finish and is ideal for pen, ink and marker. It's also the generic art paper type for any type of drawing or sketching. Charcoal paper is also good for pastels, but it's thinner and rougher than Bristol. It allows for better shading but doesn't take much abuse.