Removing water from prints

I'm a barbarian, I admit. When first starting out, I was like the OP, on a budget. I found a paper towel that was quite lint free. I'd wipe the back of the print dry, lay the print face up on a layer of towels and wipe the face of the print with fresh towels. Never had a problem with lint sticking to the print.

But, then I'm a barbarian.