I'm one of those Moleskine people. I like the Moleskines mainly because of their construction, not because of their paper. I like the way they lay flat, and the way I can easily prop then on my knee if I'm sitting out on the porch or in a lazy boy chair. The way they are made, it's easy for me to write anywhere.

But the paper.... Ugh. Very few if any inks don't feather or bleed in this paper, and I like to use different kinds of inks.

So I started to try different kinds of papers.

I have a spiral bound, hardcover Apica book that's pretty nice, paper is smooth, but not as thick as the Clairfontaine. Some inks bleed through, but none feather. I don't love the book, because I have to fold it back if I write on the go, and the spiral gets in the way. I still prefer the Moleskine for that.

I have a small Rhodia notebook, and the paper is very smooth, but inks seem to take longer to dry on it. I'd like to try one of their Web Notebooks, but they are kind of pricey, and I'm not sure if the lay flat. I also hear that the paper is not as thick as the regular Rhodia/Clairfontaine.

And that leads me to the Clairfontaine. One of my fellow FPN'ers was nice enough to send me 10 loose sheets to give it a shot.

What can I say that hasn't been said before. It's thick, super smooth, nothing feathers on it, and nothing I threw at it bled except for a Sharpie Marker and a Staedtler Lumocolor. No biggie - I just wanted to try everything I had available on it.

Sadly, Clairfontaine doesn't make a hardback book that lies flat. ( So I'm back to where I started. I will probably consider some of the staple bound Clairfontaine or Rhodia books in lieu of the Cahiers I sometimes use for individual projects.

If anyone knows of any other fountain pen friendly hardback journals that lie flat, please let me know so I can try them.

Peace to all -
Biffybeans

Take a look at the Claire Fontaine et al. site here, Stephanie

http://www.exaclair.com/brands_clairefontaine.shtml

Claire Fontaine has a soft-cover notebook that I believe I had when I lived overseas with the same paper you were testing. It isn't as comfy as the Moleskine but might do the trick.

Also, I did quite a few fp tests on the Miquel Rius and that is one great paper. I only have a 4 notebook, spiral bound I picked up in the Art Store (aka Blick).

You might also like to try an Apica (softcover) 6A10. Like the Claire fontaine soft cover, this does not have any bells or whistles, but it is super smooth, wonderful fountain pen pleasing paper.

Strangely, although Exaclair puts out: Exacompta, clairefontaine and others, they are not using the same weight or finish on all their notebooks/journals/diaries. I bought a Gulliver Exacompta, beautiful to look at, but the difference between the paper in it and the Claire Fontaine is as far apart as Pluto to Earth.

Pentalic also puts out a few good notebooks but I haven't tried them with fps, although I do have a small one I got at Finearts in Rochester. It, however, seems more for sketching than writing and was originally recommended as an alternative to the Moleskine watercolour books.

None of these recommendations are expensive.

Good luck in finding your favourite, most comfortable and fn friendly.

I bought Clairefontaine notebooks and paper when I went to France in June 2007, I still have some left but will not be back in France until summer 2009 so I will probably as a friend who is in France now (he will be back in January) to bring me back notebooks and paper. I also got an A4 ringbinder when I was in France so I have limited myself to European paper.

I've not had problems with feathering or bleeding in my Moleskine but it could be because of the type of pen and ink I use. I use F or XF nibs (my handwriting demands it) and the inks I use are Quink Black, Skrip Black, Noodler's Bulletproof Black (known to work well with Moleskine). I just received a Visconti Sepia today so I don't know how well that works, but I hear from others that it works just fine.

I agree with you that Moleskine paper is not the best but it's not bad for those of us who use fine nibs. In a way, I'm glad I can only use fine nibs and finer due to my handwriting

BTW, I use the following Moleskine
• Pocket ruled & graph
• Sketchbook pocket size and large size
• Cahier rule and graph (large size)
• Reporter's Plain Large
• Extra large softcover plain
• Watercolour pocket and large
• Japanese album (although I don't use fountain pen with it)

For just a fraction of the price of Moleskine, you can go to Utrecht art supplies and grab a plain black sketchbook, 5 x8, with their logo on the front cover. The paper is AMAZING for fountain pens or anything else (probably not watercolors except very light washes). I think the guy who works there said these are made by Canson for Utrecht. 220 crisp, bright white pages for the low low price of $6.39. They open completely flat. The paper is acid free (I believe). And the binding is really sturdy and secure. I'm using one now and I really just LOVE this thing. They have a shop in downtown San Francisco on New Montgomery or 2nd Street, can't recall exactly and also in Berkeley, on University Avenue just above MLK.

Here is a link to their website, in case you want to see it or need to order online: http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_product.cfm?item=48823

:0)

I don't understand why the hardback Clairefontaines don't lie flat. But you're right, they don't. I bought one in great hopes, but not only do they not lie flat, but...the sharp corners really bugged me. How finicky is that?

I continue to try buying Paperblanks, because of their beautiful covers, the hard backs, the pocket and the fact that they DO lie flat - but they are at least as inconsistent in paper quality as moleskine - even *within* the same book (there's a recent thread on this). Which is too bad because I love their construction and the feel of the paper.

I recently bought an Exacompta journal from PTP - it has great Clairefontaine paper, a pocket and an elastic, and looks like it will lie flat after some breaking in - but the cover isn't hard.

So, I'm on the same hunt as you - but with one hand they giveth and with the other taketh away

I tried Clairefontaine Triomphe. No bleeding or feathering, but didn't like its slippery smooth, glossy surface. I find cotton paper to have more sensuous qualities - softer, warmer, more pliable, and I prefer the slight feedback I get with my nibs on cotton paper. Personal pref. YMMV.

What cotton papers do you use?

I dont really like the Triomphe either. I am a big fan of Lalo pads or ORiginal Crown Mill computer ruled paper.