This paper deals with the retention and drainage properties of the high substituted degree cationic starch (HCS) prepared by half-dry process. The experiments show that HCS has remarkable effects on filler retention and drainage in papermaking industry. With the degree of substitution (DS) of HCS increasing, the effects on filler retention and drainage increase. When the DS of HCS is 0.509 and the dosage is 0.08%, the freeness decreases about 12oSR and the filler retention is 79.82%.