Printing On Tomoe River Paper?

[inkstainedruth]

Another vote here for using a guide sheet. You can print the lines/dots/grid onto paper that can be cut down to just smaller than the journal pages (leaving yourself some margin space).

I made up a template to print off as needed, after measuring the space between lines on a college-ruled notebook, spacing lines at the correct intervals; or, if you're willing to buy a cheap one (say, at "Back to School" time when they're super cheap) just cut out a page with a razor blade or something like an x-acto knife (tearing the page out will likely cause wrinkles, which won't help). I'm betting that Tomoe River is so thin, even the blue-ruled lines would be visible.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Intensity]

I use thick, almost cardstock paper for a guide sheet, exactly the size of the blank pages. This way I insert the guide sheet into a notebook, align the bottom and bottom right corner, and the thick guide sheet is well-held in the binding behind my blank page. No sliding around. This works well for notebooks (technically should work for sporal-bound notebooks too).

[Rose Nibs]

Printing lines or dots on Tomoe River paper? I don't think the folk at Tomoegawa would approve of that. Using a guide sheet is the obvious solution. Or learn to love your handwriting, however awkward.

[Bookman]

Like many people, I am a huge fan of TR paper. I bought a ream of it from Nanamipaper, and assembled some of it into notebooks. The problem is, my handwriting is abysmally bad when there are no lines or dots to guide me. I was thinking on printing the dots on the paper, somehow. My options are using a laser printer, or to screen print the dots on the paper. The problem with the former is that the paper is very thin and smooth so it will probably jam the printer. Screen printing could be an option, but it would take a long time to print on both sides of hundreds of sheets. Not to mention the possibility of crumpling the paper in the process. Has anybody tried anything like this?

 

I ran 100 sheets through my printer, one side only. This was about three years ago. The printer was a Canon PIXMA MX870. I ran a limited number of sheets at a time—at least 5 but not more than 10. Of the 100, 4 got stuck in the printer. I was able to remove 3 of the 4 successfully and ran them back through, although they were a bit crinkled. The 4th one didn't make it out of its stuckness in one piece.

[sodiumnitrate]

 

I ran 100 sheets through my printer, one side only. This was about three years ago. The printer was a Canon PIXMA MX870. I ran a limited number of sheets at a time—at least 5 but not more than 10. Of the 100, 4 got stuck in the printer. I was able to remove 3 of the 4 successfully and ran them back through, although they were a bit crinkled. The 4th one didn't make it out of its stuckness in one piece.

 

 

Thanks for the input! I kind of gave up on this after the printer I used couldn't even handle rhodia paper, sadly. Using guide papers so far, but I'll see if I can use other printers on campus.

[Bookman]

 

 

Thanks for the input! I kind of gave up on this after the printer I used couldn't even handle rhodia paper, sadly. Using guide papers so far, but I'll see if I can use other printers on campus.

 

I was a nervous wreck the whole time I was printing lines on my Tomoe River paper. I don't blame anyone for not doing it at all, and given the chance, I wouldn't do it again either. By the way, I found my old post on that copy job. I ran 5 sheets through at a time, and then actually turned them over to copy lines onto the other side before moving on to the next 5 sheets.

[SamLowry]

I've tried running the "regular" 52 gsm Tomoe River paper on an HP LaserJet 200 and an HP Officejet Pro 276dw. I had very limited success on either machine (but neither has a special setting for extra-thin paper). I haven't tried a guide sheet, but may do so. Another solution is to hunt down the slightly heavier 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. I've been able to run that through both of the printers mentioned above with no problem at all. Unfortunately, the 68 gsm is pretty hard to find. The only place I've seen it is at Anderson Pens. I would love to see Nanami start carrying this by the ream. This paper is just about as nice as the 52 gsm for fountain pen, but a bit thicker, which facilitates printing and reduces show-through.

 

Also, for what it's worth, the problem with printing the 52 gsm may not be the thickness, but the stiffness. This appears to be an actual classified property of paper, and there are formal methods for measuring it. See, for example, http://www.tappi.org/content/tag/sarg/t489.pdf . Thickness and stiffness are probably closely related, but it may not be a simple linear relationship. Tomoe River 52 gsm is like handling a wet noodle!

[kestrel]

Printing lines or dots on Tomoe River paper? I don't think the folk at Tomoegawa would approve of that. Using a guide sheet is the obvious solution. Or learn to love your handwriting, however awkward.

I don't print dots or lines but I use Tomoe River for notes to friends and like to print a letterhead at the top of the page. Currently in use is the artwork from stationery used by passengers in the Cunard liner Berengaria, the ship that brought my maternal grandfather to the U.S. in 1921. I think it adds a nice touch.

[GatzBcn]

I print directly on Tomoe River, even though I know for experience not every printer works. I use a hp envy.

One caution I take is I do not just put the sheets on the tray directly, but I separe them, one by one, and then put them into the tray, as to break the statics that may be caught.

oh, also, don't print on a high humidity day. Tomoe doesn't like that.

 

PS: I see people saying they only print one side and only 5 at a time and so... I print hundreds of them both sides at a time, so it can be done.

 

Also, I am starting to think I got very lucky with my printer.

Edited June 12, 2018 by GatzBcn

[sodiumnitrate]

I print directly on Tomoe River, even though I know for experience not every printer works. I use a hp envy.

One caution I take is I do not just put the sheets on the tray directly, but I separe them, one by one, and then put them into the tray, as to break the statics that may be caught.

oh, also, don't print on a high humidity day. Tomoe doesn't like that.

 

PS: I see people saying they only print one side and only 5 at a time and so... I print hundreds of them both sides at a time, so it can be done.

 

Also, I am starting to think I got very lucky with my printer.

 

 

You probably got lucky. The printer I had couldn't handle 80 gsm rhodia paper. I think it's the softness that causes the problem -- not the thickness.

 

In any case, I actually ended up screenprinting dot grids on it. I'll post some pictures sometime.

[SpecTP]

I use writing board under my plain TR notebook and I find it works very well.

 

see example https://www.jetpens.com/Sun-Star-Grid-Shitajiki-Writing-Board-A4/pd/13000

[Intensity]

I use writing board under my plain TR notebook and I find it works very well.

 

see example https://www.jetpens.com/Sun-Star-Grid-Shitajiki-Writing-Board-A4/pd/13000

Thank you for pointing these out, I’ll get one at some point. Normally I print my own custom-sized line template on thick art paper, and it’s a fairly cushiony pad to write over more Tomoe River sheets in a journal. I’m curious to try using a harder surface instead.

[Karmachanic]

Taroko also has shitajiki writing boards in various sizes. One came with the A5 Enigma.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Karmachanic

[abstract49]

I am one more who has successfully printed, both sides in one operation, on an ink jet printer. In my case, it's currently an Epson Workforce 7620. I have lost only a very few single sheets out of a hundred or more. For me, the trick is to stack a half inch or so in the tray and don't try to print on them all; leave at least 10 or 20 sheets in the tray.

 

I say in one operation, because with most printers, you have to take the sheets from the output after printing one side, turn them and put them back in the supply tray, then run the operation again. This printer prints 2 sided, which is handy, but it means that the paper has to take a turn inside the printer, which makes one more opportunity for the thin paper to get wonky and jam up.

[Shannon]

I just ran across this thread and thought, "Challenge accepted!"

 

I was able to print several pieces of TR on the giant copy/print center machine at work. Light blue dot grid; light grey personalization at the bottom; double sided.

 

I'm counting myself lucky!

[Intensity]

Double-sided on Tomoe River 52gcm is brave Unless you use very pale ink that is.

[abstract49]

Double-sided on Tomoe River 52gcm is brave Unless you use very pale ink that is.

 

I use a light grey color for my lines.

[Intensity]

Oh I meant for writing on both sides. Unless you mean you write with pale gray ink.

[sodiumnitrate]

Ok here's my first attempt at screen printing. I made the dots a bit too large, fearing that the mesh on the screen might not be fine enough, but that was a mistake. It's fine enough I also should have used a much paler color. Also, they were out of emulsion, so I had to use a screen that was incorrectly coated (thanks Duke undergrads ). That's why there are some empty spaces here and there. That's the area where the emulsion was so thick that I couldn't wash away. Anyways, I'm planning to do a second test this weekend, now that we have emulsion and I received my new batch of strathmore paper from mohawk. The process is a bit painful, as you have to print both sides of each sheet of paper one by one. This particular notebook has 80 sheets -- that means 160 prints! It took me 3 hours or so.

 

 

[Newjelan]

The process is a bit painful, as you have to print both sides of each sheet of paper one by one. This particular notebook has 80 sheets -- that means 160 prints! It took me 3 hours or so.

Good job and I’m in awe of your patience and persistence.