^so have I^ but I think "real" filter paper holds together better and actually does the job better. "Paper towel" seemed to take much longer to drip and just stopped (due to clogging?) before a big cup was full.
The Aeropress uses a common "laboratory" filter round that you can get in different grades (micron openings) if you buy them from a lab supply where they sell for fractions of a cent when you buy a stack of hundreds. Wonder what grade Aeropress decided was ideal for coffee pressing? I don't use one of those myself, I may be a snob but they are just too much plastic and too fussy; ditto the french press: fine idea until you have to clean out the grounds!