That's all I use! Newspaper is great because it's cheap, it's available, it's easy to clean up, and it holds moisture without growing mold (I had that problem with the aspen). It also doesn't look half bad if you use the infared bulbs (ends up looking like red bedding). I lay down about 3 layers of solid newspaper, then add some shredded paper on top. The only downside is that fresh paper can leave ink smudges on the snake's belly and chin.