I ordered some samples of Neenah paper, and my first impression was that the "smooth" was not! Reading in these forums, there is no review on Neenah and very little said about it. But I have seen several comments that the HP Prem. Laser is "exceptionally smooth", so that's what I'm comparing it against.

It's a real drag, too! My new fine-nib Lamy All-Star felt like driving a truck. I think perhaps I'm applying too much pressure and the ultra-smooth paper doesn't mind so much. So how smooth is smooth, for efficient and ergonomic writing?

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if the added texture gives more expressiveness and tonal variation, and that would be an appeal to those. Or maybe it's easier to control if you're not ice-skating?

Should I say "yuck, I'll shop for ultra-ultra-polished smooth", or say "hmm, I must still be applying too much pressure" and see if that helps my hand? Just what is "smooth" and how do these notepads that are always being discussed line up in this respect?

--John

I use Neenah Bond, cockle finish, 25% cotton paper for dip pens. It's wonderful for that because it shows shading and line variation. Some pens write better on smooth paper, other nibs cannot live up to their potential if they're just gliding along. In general my flex nib pens are better on toothier paper.

That makes sense.

You need to buy the Neenah Smooth or Super-smooth papers to get the best finish.

Skip

For me, the gold standard in terms of smoothness is Clairefontaine Triomphe.

That is "smooth" I was talking about.



I ordered a note pad to try.

--John

I got some samples recently too, and I prefer the laid finishes to the smooth. This is the 24# Classic Laid imaging paper from Neenah Papers. Counter intuitively, it's actually smoother than the Classic Crest Smooth, which I find has a bit more tooth. The laid finish is more apparent visually then texturally, and is only on one side of the sheet, the other side being smooth. The smooth side produces a slightly wider line, but the line is clean, not ragged.

Dan

Try Rhodia or Clairefontaine.

Which version do you like? Searching their site, there is regular, imaging, and laid surfaces for "Classic Laid".

Whitestone is item # 903111, Ivorystone is #908131. They call it "Classic Laid Imaging"

Dan