Andrea Cotton and Naomi Lethbridge @ Paper Gallery, Manchester, until 15 Jun

For the sixth show at Manchester's Paper Gallery, Andrea Cotton exhibits alongside Naomi Lethbridge. Both artists are represented by the gallery, and have a base at Mirabel Studios, where Paper finds its home.

This was my first visit to Paper Gallery, and I was met by three of its four directors – Cotton herself, David Hancock and Simon Woolham – who set up Paper in response to a desire to take control of their own destinies, and out of frustration at the lack of spaces in which to exhibit in the city. Paper's curatorial direction is to show works on or using paper, in an accessible space, with the works available at an affordable price. With prices starting at £35, Paper makes it easy for anyone on a budget to become a collector, and 75 per cent of the gallery's custom comes from passing trade (which is not surprising – the gallery is easy to find, and just a minute's walk from Victoria train station).

Against the white walls of the small space, Cotton and Lethbridge's work is striking. Their styles are similar, and both artists use precise techniques and processes. Lethbridge's work shows a more traditional approach to drawing, using lines to create forms recognisable to the viewer. In her Instruments for Storage series, everyday objects of the not so distant past, such as floppy disks, become suspended, immortalised forms on the white paper. Grouping together objects and ideas, Lethbridge's classifications are a way of defining history; they represent an acquisition of knowledge.

Cotton's representational drawings are so precisely detailed that, at first glance, they don't seem to be drawings at all. Born out of her experience of working in a high security prison, Cotton's drawings show the monotony and regime of life incarcerated. A painstakingly accurate copy of a prison sign, Tin Opener highlights regime in the institution; the utensil can be a weapon, and the sign represents a set of rules. Cotton tells me that her process reflects her surroundings: "That is the nature of the regime," she says. "You become obsessive, you are aware of your environment."

A through line can be drawn between the artists' work: while Cotton's drawings represent the rigid regime of prison life, Lethbridge's highlight the freedom of everyday life outside. As I look at Lethbridge's Casio Classic Collection, Cotton tells me that in prison, an inmate doesn't need to be reminded of the time.