i've seen references here to 32#, 28#, and similar weights of paper.

is this a basic item at staples, office depot, etc., or does it come from a specialty retailer?

thanks

should be able to find these weights at most places. I get the HP 32# at Office Depot

Staples carries some nice Southworth papers that come in 24# and 32#. 32# is a bit on the heavy side.

I think 32# is 'just right'...

I went to a 'specialty printers store', XPEDX in Fort Worth Texas, that carried too much paper and asked the staff, "What do you have that is close to this?" and handed them a sheet of 32# HP paper. The store staff person felt the paper and went through picking individual sheets fo paper for me to try. I had with me three pens filled with inks I knew sometimes gave problems.

I ended up buying a ream of 32# International Paper 'HamerMill' laser print for things 'better' at ~$11 a ream and two reams of International Paper 'Accent Opaque' 65# cover stock for my laser printer. BTW, the 32# stock is 120 gr/m^2 and the 65# stock is 179 gr/m^2. 500 sheets of the 32# paper is ~66mm thick and the same number of the cover stock is ~50mm thick.

Ron

I like heavy weight paper. I discovered Strathmore drawing tablets 5.5" X 8.5", 40 sheets to a tablet of white, acid-free, 70# paper. The tablets are made in Canada and sold in the craft department of the Fred Meyers grocery/department store chain, Michaels craft stores and college and university bookstores.

tm3, to respond to your initial question, you can go to any office supply store to find different weights in paper. Just read the packaging and it will indicate what weight the paper is. From there, try some different weights to see what you prefer. The character of the paper will differ between manufacturers, so there is a whole world of experimenting to do.

Like most of the other folks here, I have developed personal preferences. I like Hewley Packard paper. I have found the 32-pound to be quite smooth, almost glossy, and some of my pens skip on it. The 28-pound seems more universal. I have not done a lot of experimenting with other brands, but I am still doing so.

Any paper sold in an office supply store will tell you somewhere on the package what the weight is. The "#" stands for pounds, so 32# is called "thirty-two pound."

Basis weight (which is what that number is called) is a little confusing, as the scale varies depending on the type of paper. So 80# text is not more than three times heavier than 24# bond, as one might naturally assume.

A reasonably clear discussion and comparison are here: http://www.reichpaper.com/info/terms.htm.

I really prefer 24# for letters, 32# is too heavy for my taste. Others feel differently.

There are several excellent threads in this forum about using different kinds of office papers with FPs, do a search and you'll find very good stuff.

thanks!

i stopped by office depot on the way home from work. and found the HP 28 but no 32.

i'd kind of like to try some before buying 500 sheets, but since 28 is all they have i guess it doesn't matter.

I went into a large Office Depot and couldn't find the 32# at first. It was placed with the photo paper stuff. Another had it along with the 24# and 28# right next to each other. The 32# is a laser printer paper. Nice and slick.

OK, success at another store! had to buy 500 sheets so i hope i like it.

now i'm looking into printing lines on it and possibly having it cut to a smaller size. i'd like something like the levenger circa leather pad but at a better price.

thanks for the help!

I'm also looking into printing my own. Since I use a Circa, I want something a bit heavier than standard 20# office paper. How does the 32# HP laser paper hold ink? Any bleed-through?

Thanks!

The 32# HP holds up great---no bleed-through. I really like the stuff & use it whenever I know I am going to write on both sides of the paper.

The HP 32# is great. The 28# is also great for most applications that I've tried with no bleed through. So, you may want to look at them. The 32# feels about the same weight as the Circa stuff that I've tried.

I went to Office Depot last night and found a ream of HP 28# laser paper, which I had the opportunity to test during my evening class. What a difference! The ink stays put on the page, no bleed-though or feathering whatsoever. I found it dried quicker also, which is a big plus since I'm lefty. The only minor complaint I have is that I need to apply a big more pressure at the start of a word to get the ink on the page, but it's smooth as silk once the ink is flowing. And to think all this time I had grown accustomed to a toothy paper. I think it might take a little while to adjust; I think I may be applying too much pressure simply because I am used to feeling more of the paper under the nib.

Another habit I've noticed that seems to have corrected itself with this paper is that I would often write with the nib upside down to get a finer line and prevent feathering. No need to do that here.

Would anyone be interested in purchasing 200+ sheets of Levenger's paper?

I came across this page recently, which has a really good description of how the "basis weights" work: Basis Weights.

Stew, if you use the Circa system, why are you selling your Levenger paper?
Also, do you use the Circa Address book? I have just bought the address book and am in the process of filling it. I find that I must take care to use a blotter before flipping the page over to add details to the backside of the cards. Is this my ink or the paper? I am using Noodlers Black.

I have the advantage of three major office supply stores available (Office Max, Office Depot, Staples). I found Office Max to have the best price on 32# HP Laser paper at $16.oo. I have them custom cut it; I get 4 pieces of 3x5 size and 3 pieces of 2x3 1/2 from each sheet of paper. I also ask to keep the scrap margins as these can be used for short reminders. It costs an additional 8.32 for the cutting.

I can use both sizes of paper in my Levenger accessories - Circa included. I have designed my own GTD forms using Excel and print them out on my HP Laser printer - 3x5 only (business card size is too small). I have forms that are lined, windowed, checklists, shopping etc. Since they are personalized with my name, I also created a set for my wife with her name.

I have both sizes of blank paper on my desk for notes. I use two Retro 51 desk sets for every day use. One is a double with pencil and rollerball, the other is a single for fountain.

Often the copy section/shop of the large retail office supply stores will give you one or 2 sheets of the paper they carry and use for copies in that section. It is a good way to tie down the weight you like best.

Would anyone be interested in purchasing 200+ sheets of Levenger's paper?
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I've got a ton of it too. Anyone want it. Most of mine is journal sized. It is terrible for a fountain pen. It pretty much doubles the line width of the pen, at least it is smooth. Unfortunately, the HP bloats the line also but about half that of the Levenger. Might try Strathmore Writing, or one of the other high end paper. JD