This is one of those cases where someone has taken a simple item and made a thorough and high quality makeover, taking the tool to the next level. even. I've used store-bought cork-backed blocks and other wooden or rubberized industrial blocks. The industrial blocks I use have either clamps that pierce the paper or screwed holders that clamp the paper. None of them are stuck to the paper, and the paper tends to tear or come loose. Screws/thumbscrews are also slow and fiddly. Suffice it to say that the clamping mechanism on this device pulls the paper taut and the size fits comfortably in your hand.