As I was making my "Fountain Pen Musings" journal (3.5 x 5.5 Moleskine) entry this morning with my Sonnet, I noticed it was a bit scratchy. "Must be because it's been sitting a few days and there's some crusted ink hindering the flow", thought I. So I flushed and refilled with the Noodler's blue, figuring it would improve the flow. It did work, but not to the satisfaction that I new the nib could achieve.

After completing that entry, I turned my attention to my Prayer journal (same kind and size, even came in the same 3-pack). The smoothness of the nib was immediately apparent.

I completed my entry there, then returned to the first journal, wondering if just using the pen and getting the ink to flow had made the difference. It had not. The pen was once again scratchy - UNTIL I flipped the page and continued my entry on the back side (yes, I'm a double-sided journaler). Smoothness once again.

That was when it hit me. I spent five years working for a print shop and the training I received then concerning paper, paper making, and paper characteristics flooded back. During the manufacturing process, there will be a distinction between the smoothness of each side of an individual sheet of paper. Even the 20lb W. B. Mason copy paper we use at work has, "Print this side first ^" printed on the wrapper. That's because the indicated side is smoother.

Paper also has a grain, either long or short. If the sheet you have is 8.5 x 11, the long grain runs with the length of the 11 inches. Short grain, obviously, runs the length of the 8.5 inches. A sheet of paper will only have one grain direction. To determine the direction of the grain, tear the sheet in half, top to bottom. Then turn the sheet 90 degrees and tear it again. One of the tears will be noticably less jagged. This is because the smoother tear went with the grain of the paper. I mention this because I know some of you out there make your own journals. As you cut sheets down to the desired size, grain direction may make a difference in how the pen lays down the ink, or even how the ink will be absorbed based on your writting style. This may be something you want to experiment with.

So, all said and done, before you blame the pen for being scratchy, turn the paper sideways and/or try the other side of the sheet. You may find out it's the paper, not the pen.

Happy writing!

Edit to add: Hint - paper curls with the grain.

That's interesting. Thank you, Steve.

Bill

I've noticed this with HP 32 lb paper. With certain pens, one side is smooth as can be, while the other side seems to make the pen "drag" a little on the page. I thought my pens were having problems, but nope...it was the paper! I don't have this problem with my Pelikan M605, though. It writes smooth as silk on either side of the page.

It is true that paper often has differing degrees of finish on different sizes, though a lot of business paper strives in the manufacturing process to eliminate that. However, the "Print this side first" frequently refers to the direction of curl the paper has rather than which side is smoother. Since all modern business paper (read print and copy papers) are made on what is essentially a Fourdriner paper machine, they are all rolled in production and have a tendency to curl more in one direction or another. The degree of curl can impact how well the paper feeds through a printer or copier. One of the old copier tricks is to flip the paper over if you get a lot of jams - and certain Xerox production machines would have instructions on the tray for "curl side up" or "curl side down".

As for grain that is absolutely true for all machine-made paper. Hand-made paper that is poured into flat screens rather than rolled through a mill will not have a grain direction. The grain direction is a product of the rolled paper-machine.

John

I've never noticed before that the two sides of the paper can be so different, but you are so right about the paper. I've was using some 20 lb HP paper and discovered that one side is much smoother than the other. Which side of the paper I use makes a big difference in the way my fine nibbed Sailor Sapporo writes.

I haven't yet tried any EFP (Everybody's favorite paper, HP 32 lb Premium). I hope one side feels as smooth as the other (at least to my Sapporo).

"If the sheet you have is 8.5 x 11, the long grain runs with the length of the 11 inches."

This is not always true. Depends on the specific sheet or the roll the 8.5 x 11 is cut from.
(I distinctly recall sending back a large order of paper that was cut "short" rather than "long")

Calendering I think is more important to performance. Worn calendering rollers will give a poor surface.

(Been in printing almost 14 years now. Fun thing is I get to try out all kinds of papers!)

It's definitely true of the moleskine cahiers. I don't mind it, but the back side sometimes has radically different properties than the front. These are what I journal in, so I'm most aware of them on a daily basis.

That was really interesting and intelligently written. I enjoyed it. Thank you!

Jen

Agreed. I've often noticed how paper surface varies from one side to the other. Not only can the pen scratch (or, at least, feel different) on the reverse side, but I have used some papers which are more absorbent on the reverse side, so that the pen writes a relatively dry or feathery line. I have an additional problem with notebooks, in that I dislike writing with the raised edge of the page stack uner my hand. This causes irritation and makes me hold the pen at a different angle, which alters the characteristics of the pen, and the handwriting. For me, good single sheets with identical surface on both sides cannot be bettered.

I have noticed this with paper because I do write on the back of pages but obviously not on tracing paper!
Thank you for the very interesting peek into the papermaking process!

I noticed a big difference in the papers surface in my last purchase of Moleskine Cahiers. One side is fairly FP friendly, the reverse is scratchy and feathery.