Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a Rhodia A4 notepad after hearing many good things about the paper. While I really appreciate the fact that the paper doesn't feather and doesn't bleed through, I was rather disappointed to see that it turned my medium nib pen into one that writes like a fine nib. This really isn't a big deal but I was wondering if the Clairefontaine triomphe paper would produce similar results. I know that both companies are essentially the same but is there any noticeable difference between the two.

Regards

Disclaimer: I sell both Clairefontaine and Rhodia products (but I also use both brands).

The reason your pen now appears to write more finely is because the paper is less absorbent than the type you were previously using. Clairefontaine paper (there is only one type) is 90gsm compared with Rhodia's 80gsm. As well as being slightly thicker, it is smoother and less absorbent than Rhodia paper. This means that your pen may appear to produce an even more narrow line!

Heavily saturated inks may take a little longer to fully dry on Clairefontaine paper. However, fast-flowing traditional inks, like Herbin, Diamine, Sheaffer etc, can be shown-off in all their glory with no risk of feathering.

HTH,

Martin

I have never tried Rhodia, but I do use Clairefontaine Triomphe. When I write on Clairefontaine, my pens do produce a significantly thinner line (even my fine pens) as compared to other papers (such as Cambridge Writing Pads).

Do you think you are perhaps seeing the actual width of your pen's line rather than the extra-wide line caused by the ink spreading in less impressive paper?

I definitely had the same issue that you are having, but with my italic pen it is obvious that the pen stroke is the same width as the pen rather than narrower - i.e. in a Norcomm notebook or similar the ink is spreading out.

Regardless, the main consideration is if you are happy with your writing experience. I have a Clairefontaine Basics journal and Rhodia pads. The performance is very similar. The CF is a tiny bit smoother.

I understand that Rhodia is a brand made by Clairefontaine.

My experience has been identical to what Martin describes - part of the reason I prefer Rhodia paper to Clairefontaine is that line width and ink behaviour is almost ideal on it for me. But I still do like the Clairefontaine notebooks.

Rhodia and Clairefontaine are part of the same company but the specification of each company's respective paper is different. Please refer to my post above, which answers all the questions of the original post.

Martin

I think that this is precisely what's happening. Prior to purchasing the Rhoda notepad I was using a Cambridge Limited notepad and the line was considerably thick so I assumed that this was normal for medium nibs. After making the switch to Rhodia the difference was significant but as you suggest, perhaps my pen is now truly producing lines that a medim nib should.