I'm a little new here but this is something I haven't seen discussed much (or else I used the wrong search terms). I've seen Clairefontaine mentioned once or twice but beyond that I've not seen any talk about paper. And we all know that when you use a fountain pen, the paper is one third of the combo that can make or break the whole experience.

I generally use a Duofold Centennial with a medium stub nib plus several other pens of questionable origin and I've found, as most of you probably have, that nice heavy papers seem to work much better than the thin stuff. Amalfi from Italy is a nice one. It's hard to find in just individual sheets though....either in journals or writing sets. Last night I tried out a bit of Arches 90lb watercolor paper and it was incredible. It was the hot pressed variety. It's a little bit expensive though. I've read about Arches Text Wove......has anyone tried this? Rennaisance makes a nice journal filled with this stuff and you can buy it online. I've also used Cranes stationery and paper....it's very nice, all rag, works well with the fountain pen. Canson MiTentes is generally used for pastel painting but I've found that it works pretty well with my pen. It has a little bit of tooth but not so much that it interferes with the pen. Last week I bought a pad of Phoenician handmade paper and it's is VERY nice. It's got a bit of tooth to it but generally it's a very smooth paper that accepts large amounts of ink without bleeding. Only thing, the pad cost $24! At this point I think it's worth it though.

Anything I've missed?

Here are a couple of links to places where you can get some of the stuff I've mentioned....pardon me if you've already got them bookmarked!

http://www.artpaper.com/

http://www.renaissance-art.com/default.aspx

http://www.pantheon-roma.it/

This last one might be a little bit iffy.....it's where I bought my journal made with the Amalfi paper....I'm trying to find out if they ship internationally.

Miguel Ruis notebooks
Rhodia
Clairefontaine
and surpisingly the Barnes & Noble Craft journals that are also on a thread around here!

Fabriano
Clarefontaine
Rhodia
Apica
Amalfi
Southworth 100% cottons
Gilbert 100% cottons
Crane's Crest
Frankfurt Zerkall
Lana Laid
Arches Text
G. Lalo

Clairefontaine :bunny1: :bunny1:

I haven't tried the others, yet.

At work, I use Mead

Here are some I like. The Crane's and Southworth are 100% cotton.
The Lalo and Smythson have a mixture of wood pulp and cotton.



















Regards,
Jeen

I found this comment confusing. I have been searching for the right combination of ink/notebook and one notebook I like is the Moleskine. However, it does not do so well with ink. (I generally use Aurora black.) Someone in this forum recommended black Noodlers (and a few other brands) as a good ink for this paper. Just yesterday I got my first bottle of Noodlers ink ever, in black. I did a little testing so far and it does okay on Moleskine's less-than-perfect paper.

However, your comment seems to indicate that Noodlers Ink feathers and is very wet. I watched the ink on the paper I was using (a Barnes and Noble journal, one I'm not too pleased with) and it dried pretty fast compared to my Aurora.

Could you please clarify your comment about Noodlers Ink quality?

Thanks.

For paper I still find that a heavy (100gsm) quality inkjet paper works best for me. If I want headed then I put it through the computer printer, if I want a pad, then I cut the paper and make one, if I want it in a loose leaf booklet, then I punch it and put it in a binder.

Apart from that, there is a brand of notebook called SIGNATURE in the UK, sold by the discount stationers in packs of 6 in both A5 and A6 size both with 120 lined pages. I could not function without the A6 size for writing permanent notes, fits in my jacket pocket you see.

I also use a plain reporters notebook as a rough working medium. I again buy in bulk from the discount stationers, and my favorite company right now is Partners based in Crewe, Cheshire, England.

Hope this is helpful, more so for the UK based Members though I am afraid. Although I would consider shipping some stuff to the US, but I think that the cost might be too great.

Jim

That Smythson paper is new to me. I adore watermarked paper...

Gilbert papers do custom watermarks and a fake "customark" that still looks pretty good The advantage of the customark is that you only have to order 250 lbs not 2000 lbs

To date I have only been using Clairefontaine paper... I really like it after getting a free sample at the DC Pen Show...
I just ordered some Clairefontaine ElastiBooks from Pendemonium ... just the right size for sitting next to my computer and taking notes...
5x6" and 120 ruled pages.... and the price is right 2 for $10...

IMHO, nothing beats Rhodia!! It is the best fountain pen-friendly paper I have used!!

Clarefontaine is my paper of choice for my journal writing. If I cannot get my hands on Clarefontaine, then I will use Miguel Ruis. Miguel Ruis is not my first choice of paper but it is not my last!!

TNS

I use Clairefontaine top-spiral notebooks. The quality is wonderful and no bleed through. Also the top spirals have a really sturdy back-board that makes writing in bed or the couch much easier. The pages are perforated at the top, too. I had a little trouble finding them in my area but eventually did. Here are some sites on-line that sell their products

www.swisherpens.com

www.thedailyplanner.com

I am curious to try the Fountain Pen Network paper as well - looks great!

I like these papers from here:

ur1

They don't have pictures, though. it's a site that sells picture frames and other weird stuff. They're in Australia.