I would like to hear the views of FPN menbers with regard to their favourite choice of paper. I love using Verge de France paper and envelopes and I like the range of Moleskine notebooks. I've also found the Pukka Pad range from WH Smith to be fairly good qaulity.

Looking forward to your responses,

Graham

I keep coming back to Clairefontaine. I like the super smoothness and that it's not insanely heavy--some of the office papers make my snails feel like bricks.

My favorites include (no feathering or bleed-throughwith several differnet ink brands):

Clairefontaine notebooks

Exacompta (also Clairefontaine) journal

G.Lalo stationery

Maruman notebooks: Boston Note and Cover Note (cannot find these on-line, if you have a Maido store near you, go! )

Paper: Clairefontaine and Rhodia (love that orange cover) Normally use these for writing articles, outlines, etc.

Moleskine: Not really that fond of the paper as much as Clairefontaine and Rhodia, BUT, the overall package works better for meeting notes, etc. The back pocket of my moleskine contains about 5 sheets of Rhodia, that I use for notes when away from my desk or doodling in a boring meeting. I have just purchased an automatic ink numbering stamp to stamp each page o my moleskine. I go through about three 5x8 sized moleskines a year.

Levenger: I use the levenger 3x5 cards as to-do lists, and put them in the front of my moleskine's plastic pocket) When done I then punch holes in them and insert them into a levenger's Circa folder. #x5 paper isn't that great for FP's but I haven't found ANY 3x5 cards that are (if anyone knows of one, please chime in).

Exacompta makes graph lines 3x5 cards, but I have no idea if they are fp friendly or not. They were in the most recent catalog from the daily planner, but of course now I cannot find them on the website. They come in a multicolored pack.

Pendemonium has those as well, next time I order from them I must try and remember to get some.

I love Clairefontaine paper and journals. Luscious, smooth, pure white.

On the other hand, I bought some Exacompta journals after reading that they're made by the same conglomerate, and I found that they are very different from the Clairefontaine. The Exacompta paper doesn't feather at all, which might seem like a good thing, but actually it makes my pens seem to write on the dry side. Seems like the ink just doesn't flow well onto the Exacompta paper. And it's fairly rough, with the occasional slub that causes the nib to catch. Also, the paper is off-white, unlike the Clairefontaine.

Hi Sparky, your system sounds impressive. I've been looking for an FP freindly alternative to my present A5 "Time-Management" Filofax. A Moleskine Planner with Lavenger index cards sounds good. Does anyone know of a Levenger stockist in the UK?

Graham

Crane & Company is my favorite. They offer 100% cotton paper
in a variety of sizes, weight, color and finishes. But not sure
how available it is in the UK.
Your country is so beautiful. I had the privilege of hiking
through a good part of the NW and "hill wallking" on
Isle of Skye's Black Cuillin range several years ago.
My Toyota truck bears an "Ecosse" eurodecal in
commemoration.

My favorite too, although I have more Rhodia pads than anything.

Rhodia and BnR top my general use list with Rhodia getting the top spot for its 5mm line spacing and off white paper. Clairefontaine has a better cover for my purposes but the 8mm line spacing dwarfs my writing.

If any knows of a cover that I can slip a Rhodia 6 x 8.25 inch pad into, I'd be very interested in hearing about it. Then I could use Rhodia everywhere.

As far as I know, Levenger is a small business operating in only one or two locations.

Actually, Levenger's has several retail locations in the US (but not outside of it), although I believe they started out as a mail-order company. They're not huge, but not tiny either. I don't think you can get Levenger's stuff outside of the US, though, unless you order through their catalog or website.

http://www.levenger.com/ABOUTLEVENGER/SomeHistory.asp

Thanks Ana, I've requested a catalogue.

For letters, I like G. Lalo's Verge de France. It's not smooth as glass like HP's 32# paper, but it's not rough either - and I like the appearance of "classic laid" paper. In the 1950s my mother used Eaton's classic laid. I haven't seen Eaton paper in years. Are they out of business? Anyway, Verge de France is almost identical to the Eaton classic laid.

Judybug

Good question.

I only recently went through my Box of Mysterious (Potty Mouth) That I Have Been Dragging Around Since College, and I found a box of Eaton textured laid resume paper and envelopes in "natural." I remembered using it in college for my med school application...I wonder what I'm going to use it for now? It's still in really good condition. Is the textured laid similar to the classic laid? And whatever happened to Eaton? They probably got absorbed into some other company....

Eaton is a Southworth brand. I've seen some at OfficeMax. I'm trying to find out if they have always been a Southworth brand or when Southworth bought them out.

A few years ago I met a young woman who was trying to start a business making ornate paper boxes and journals. The journals were very expensive but the idea was that you would collaborate in making them. She sent me samples of leather for the spine, cloth for the boards, and different marbled papers for the end pages. I was just starting to use a fountain pen then and wanted paper that would not feather. She sent me a kit from New York Central Art Supply containing 3" x 5" examples of sixty different papers. I tested all of them, becoming a bit obsessive in the process, and the one I finally picked was a German brand, Zerkall Frankfurt Cream. It's a laid paper, yellowish-white, with very distinctive lines held up to the light and a beautiful feel to it, a nice snap. It's acid free, made of high alpha cellulose (not sure exactly what that is). It comes in 19" x 25" sheets, so you have to cut it yourself to make stationery. It has a bit of tooth but doesn't impede even an extra-fine point and holds a line of ink perfectly, no filled-in o's and e's with even the smallest handwriting.

As for the journal, I got together with her in her studio, where we made the final decisions on materials, size, and the number of pages. She made me a beautiful, solidly bound book. Sadly, she couldn't make a go of it as a business and is doing something else now. But I'm grateful to have had the experience and to have this signed sample of her craft.

For me, Clairefontaine first & Rhodia second.

Hammermill Color Copy paper is delicious--smooth and thick--but only for fine nibs that are a tiny bit on the dry side. Anything too broad or wet and it get sloppy. It makes my Phileas F into a wonderful thing.

I've use Clairefontaine for the last 15 years with the greatest joy and I always carry a little Rhodia notepad, the Bloc Rhodia number 11.

Moleskine is good, but a little tricky and I've been trying a nice little Milquerius a little smaller than my Rhodia pad, it's a classy little notebook to carry in a shirt pocket along with a nice pen.

I love G. Lalo's laid finish-- But it's not the best for needlepoint nibs, especially if you use very little pressure..(The finish is noticeably bumpy if your writing is delicate.) Yet I keep using it, since I love the look and feel of the finish so much. X_X

I ordered some Clairefontaine, and it should be coming soon. I wonder how my pen would like it.

-Hana