After reading about these papers here, I decided to try some out.

1. Exacompta ruled journal: this actually has a surprisingly rough texture and is off-white. I'm not sure I like it, as the color of blue ink doesn't really show up as well as with white paper. And there is actually the occasional slub in the paper that the nib can catch on. However, the paper does not feather or bleed at all, which is good. Although I've learned here that Exacompta is under the same umbrella as Clairefontaine, the paper in this journal is very different. Also, the lines are spaced quite wide apart, meaning you need a medium or broad nib and can fit less writing on a page. There are probably people who like all these features, but I'm not sure I'm one of them.

2. Clairefontaine ruled pads: silky smooth, ultrawhite, and no bleeding or feathering at all. Wow! i see why people rave about this paper. For me, another nice feature is that the pads I got from Swisher's are actually exactly the same size as the paper in the medium-sized Levenger circa notebooks, and I have a punch that will allow me to bind the Clairefontaine paper in these notebooks.

3. I picked up a pocket-sized Moleskine ruled notebook in a local stationery store. The paper is a disappointment, however. Very thin, and almost all of my inks bleed through to the other side of the page. The notable exception is Aurora Blue, which makes absolutely zero bleedthrough. The sensation of writing on this paper is actually very interesting. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like the paper is melting under the nib.

Still, I found it very handy to carry one of these on my recent trip, to store important little bits of information.

I have read elsewhere that there may be some variation in the paper quality in different Moleskines. Does anyone know if the larger ones have better paper?

Don

Alas, the paper quality of the large Moleskine notebooks is also hit-or-miss. I used my first large Moleskine [ruled paper] from August 2005 to January 2006. There was some bleedthrough with broad-nibbed fountain pens but overall, nothing that really put me off the brand completely. My second journal was the plain [blank] pages, with similar results. I've just purchased another ruled journal and it seems to like Aurora Black so far. Also, Moleskines generally like Noodler's Black ink [standard black that's waterproof]--but as I understand it, that ink was specially formulated to perform well on cheap paper, like newsprint. I have noticed that the paper in the ruled, extra-large Cahier notebooks [tan cover, pack of 3] certainly feels rough and cheap! Yeah, pens actually write slightly better on my 3 Cahiers but I almost hate brushing my hand over the page because ouch. Not fun.

In my own experiences, other permanent Noodler's inks, like Legal Lapis and Iraqui Indigo [both sold exclusively through Pendemonium] also perform well on Moleskine paper, probably because they're formulated like the Noodler's Black ink.

Hope this helps

I think your always going to have batch veriability with Moleskine these days as I don't think they give any consideration to their product being used by fountain pen users. I think there qc standard is ballpoint, gel, and pencils. If it passes those three it is acceptable for Moleskine.

When I was in Fahrney's several weeks ago, I spent some time in their paper section in the back of the store. Naturally, I was curious about the Rhodia pads so I did what I do in every store - I asked the salesgirl which paper was the best. Without hesitation she told me that Clairefontaine was the clear winner but that Rhodia was popular because people liked the sizes and the orange covers. I was so happy to see the paper and to be in Fahrney's that I purchased two of the Clairefontaine small notebooks. The paper is great but later on I was able to find Clairefontaine books for less on the internet. Since Fahrney's charges drugstore prices they should really change their name to Fahrney's Drug and Pen Emporium....

I use the Moleskine Sketchbook as a notebook. The paper is slightly off-white and thick, like card paper. There is some feathering with fountain pen inks but zero bleed-through.

I keep my everyday business notes on a Moleskine ruled calendar, with a Noblesse Oblige MB fp and MB royal blue ink. I haven't noticed any bleeding yet. Problems occur if droplets of water might leak ont he paper. Then, the writting, almost disspaers...