Is there such a list? I'm not seeing one.

While I'm well covered on the notebook front (got a Black-n-Red at work and have lots of journals left over from my younger days and have a Circa punch for making my own), there are some things which aren't working out, most notably:

- 3 x 5 cards --- I know Levenger makes decent ones, and really should order some from them the next time I'm in funds, but I'd prefer something more readily available. (Unfortunately, when I was buying this sort of thng from Levenger I bought a Palm Notes case which has since been discontinued and I've used up all of my 2.75 x 3.5" cards). I did pick up some Oxford 1/4" grid design index cards (both 3 x 5 and 4 x 6, the latter I'm cutting down to the afore-mentioned size, but they're not what I'd call fountain-pen friendly). I'm keeping the Exacompta brand in mind the next time I place an on-line order.

- Post-it notes --- has anyone found a fountain pen friendly brand?

- stationery / letter-sized paper seems to've been well-covered in other threads, though my particular preference is for legal-sized sheets which I fold into 16ths so that they fit nicely in my Palm Notes case or a business card holder.

One thing in retrospect I've been kind of surprised no one has made is a notebook the same size as a CD jewel box case --- seems a useful size and neat to hide away w/ one's CDs.

William
(who is probably going to make a CD jewel-box-sized notebook later this evening)

Unfortunately the list you're talking about is only 1/3 of the writing trinity: paper, pen & ink. There are some papers that work great with pen & ink combinations and not others so the best that could be done is a list of paper that has found to be good with some combinations but in the end you are going to have to try it out yourself.

Not to say that a list of FP friendly papers isn't a good idea but there has to be another step after it. Speaking from experience with some paper that for me didn't work a darn with the pen & ink I was using but other people swore by.


K

Those Levenger index cards are nice. I just wish they were cheaper.

I took advantage of a moment of denial and bought a big box of them, and now they're free! I think I have 1000, which should last awhile.

I don't remember where I stole this from, but I've found it helpful. Hopefully someone here will too. With apologies to the unacknowledged author:

I should add that I really like the Crane 32 lb. Kid Finsh. It doesn't feel gritty to my firm broad, stub, or italic nibs.


Fountain pen paper

After using various kinds of paper, my main paper now is the Crane Crest
24lb in 8.5"x11" format, flourescent white. Very standard, simple paper.
That's because I like the somewhat sterile look, yet high quality to back
it.



Clairefontain Triomphe - Clairefontaine is a French brand that make good
quality paper. They offer a very wide range of products, from notebooks to
scrapbooks to plain paper. The Triomphe is extremely smooth for fountain
pens and absorb very well. I think the smoothness might be achieved from
clay of some sort. Anyway, the paper come in ISO paper sizes. The Triomphe
paper is not the same as the Clairefontaine notebook's paper, although those
are the same pleasure to write on.


Crane - Crane is the American company that make the paper for them dead
presidents. Their papers are 100% cotton. Check out their www.crane.com site
and you'll find a lot of information. Crane's 32lb Kid Finish is pretty
gritty but I think is very nice as it's thick and firm. I use this paper for
special occasions or special letters where my general 24lb Crane Crest won't
do it for letters that need the special touch.



Then there's Smythson, a British brand used by the Queen herself. Extremely
expensive and out of my reach, but their paper are nice, odd sizes and have
very nice packaging.



Now that you've gotten the info on the "premium" papers, I would also
suggest that if you use as much paper as I do on a daily basis (financial
exec - make lots of notes, plans, calculations, etc.) the premium stuff will
start to cost a lot. I've been using Ampad Gold Fibre pads for several
years, with excellent results. The pads are available in legal ruled (some
colored paper here) and planning pads (graph paper), all being very FP
friendly. Normal retail pricing is around $2 USD per pad, sometimes less at
Wally World.

I don't know if you're looking for cheap paper or good paper, but I've been using the basic graph paper Staples sells for a while now (five pads for ~ $7), and I'm very happy with it. Using both a Rotring 600 and a Hero 329, the paper has a nice feel, no feathering, and no bleed-through. Neither of my pens are very wet (especially the 329), but even really inky doodles don't bleed through much at all.


Overall, I've been really happy with the paper.


They sell two qualities; I use the higher quality one at work and buy the cheaper ones for myself. The only difference I've really noticed is in the glue they use for the binding -- it's much nicer on the expensive pads, and the pages rip off a bit easier. I haven't had any tears on the cheaper pads.

I second Crane's Crest . I use the 24lb Monarch sheet in natural white
with a smooth finish. Not the most luxurious, but great general purpose stationery.
You have to order it in reams from the company directly. Not available in
their retail stores. It also comes in 8.5 x11 in, laid finish, and other colors.

If you find Crane's 32lb kid finish gritty, check your pen!
My pens run smoothly over it, even the fine nibbed ones.
Enjoy!