Paper Stocks And Coatings

[DiveDr]

So, this is my first post on this forum! I have been a fountain pen user since 1972 and began collecting in the late 90s. That having been said I have always loved writing (although I wish my penmanship were better!) and fountain pens just make it so much more enjoyable! Regardless of the pen, the paper (and ink) are really the key to a good experience. Trouble is, fountain pens, and the stationary that complements them, are no longer mainstream (as if the people on this forum don't know that!) and good stock, Rhodia, Tomoe River, Clairfontaine, etc. is very expensive and not readily available (with exception of HP 32lb Laser paper) at the local Staples or OfficeMax.

 

So, the conundrum, we want something that tines will glide upon with no ghosting and good shading and sheen, where to find paper that fits the bill and does not break the bank? I was lying in bed one night musing over this when my inner scientist took over, why not experiment?

 

Thinking of the purpose standard papers are designed for gives us some insight. Papers designed for inkjet printers want to absorb ink as fast as they can so as the paper moves through the printer it does not smear and dries quickly with uniform absorption so as to produce crisp text and images. Laser paper is designed to take melted granular ink off a heated drum in a process called fusing. It has to be absorbent and there are also electrostatic properties that come into play for good print quality.

 

That could not be further from what we want. We need a paper that allows the ink to sit on the surface, not bleed directly into the paper, disperse into the fibers, feather, flatten and look like you wrote with a magic marker. We want a paper that showcases the unique characteristics of the ink, nib and our individual writing styles. We also want a paper that allows the tines to glide and not to get hung up on the fibers of the paper. Okay so, enter science...

 

Looked at 23 copier/laser papers under a microscope (yeah, that's right a real Olympus CH2 research microscope with dark field, the author is a geek, not a nerd, a geek) at 400x (don't have a photo adapter so no micrographs) and here are the impressions for the three top contenders and two worst:

1. PrintRight Office paper 20lb, fibers are very small and appear rounded, dense packed and almost aligned in a very smooth configuration, does not appear buffed
2. HP 32lb Laser (reference paper), fibers are flat and dense and very compressed, looks buffed, almost solid
3. Kodak 24lb Bright White Inkjet, fibers are dense packed, looks like it has been buffed, more porous than the HP32lb Laser
4. Staples Premium Bright White Laser/Inkjet 28lb, stacked appearance of the fibers, dense and regular, does not appear buffed
5. Hammermill Great White 20lb, really random fiber array, does not appear smooth and fibers are large and jagged

So, what do all these papers have in common? That's right, none of them are designed for fountain pen ink! I looked at Rhodia, Clairfontaine, and Tomoe River under the microscope too, guess what? They look different, like there is a coating on top of the fibers or they have been polished/buffed or both. I wish I had a micrograph camera to show you but, I don't.

 

So, maybe coating the paper is the way to go? Thinking of making something designed to be absorbent not so absorbent the first thing that comes to mind is Scotchguard. Well that did not work out so well, essentially makes the paper ink proof, not good. Okay so next thought in the brainstorm, Grumbacher Pastel Fixative, might as well be Scotchguard, tried the workable and permanent, gloss and matte, result, inkproof paper. Tried a whole bunch of things we might use from silicone to teflon lubricants, waxes, emolients, you name it, but, then tried the most unlikely of things and, well, the results are interesting. I have tried this on all 23 papers using inks that are not known for shading with good results on all however, only posting photos of the best result which is a lesser known (and not mentioned on any forum I have seen) fountain pen friendly modern paper.

 

 

Shading is definitely improved and line width is decreased across the board as the ink lays on top of the paper instead of soaking right in. Dry time is about 10% increased. Bleed through is effectively eliminated. Additionally the smoothness of the paper is really improved, the nibs on all the pens used in the demonstration literally skate over the paper. The overall appearance of the paper is also transformed looking more like a vellum after the coating. I do not know what this will do to the archival properties of the stock but I do not plan on using this for historic documents. The HP 32lb Laser paper, and all other stock tested, benefit similarly from this treatment but none shine like the PrintRight and the HP is so thick that I would not want to use it for letter writing, honestly, it's almost card stock. So, apologies for the long first post, thanks for reading and best regards to all!

 

 

 

 

[OCArt]

Hi DiveDr. Really interesting test. Maybe I don't read well on screen but what was the "the most unlikely of things" that you have tested above?

[DiveDr]

I literally tried about a hundred different treatments. So, believe it or not, it's hairspray. The paper is saturated with hairspray and allowed to dry completely. It improves the fountain pen friendliness of all the paper stocks but turns this particular paper into killer fountain pen stationary that is, IMHO, better than the really expensive high end stuff at a fraction of the price.

 

I tune my nibs so they are really smooth and I like them on the wet side. They literally skate on this paper, total hydroplane. It does not appear to leave any residue on the nibs and it's even California approved! For this test I purposefully used inks that are not known for extreme shading. I have some Colorverse Supernova blue on order which is a wicked shader and will post results as soon as it arrives!

Edited January 22, 2019 by DiveDr

[XYZZY]

 

What hair spray? The stuff my wife uses leaves black powder all over the place which frustrates me to no end. Probably not what you used. But to be clear, I'm asking because I'm curious; saturating paper with hairspray (or anything for that matter) isn't something that I'm likely to do.

[DiveDr]

Actually have tried about 10 different products in this class but the one that works best (and the one in the pictures) is Tresemme 4. It imparts a water (ink) resistance to the paper and increases lubricity tremendously. It yielded improvements with all paper stocks but gave the most dramatic results with the PrintRight stock essentially turning it into a partial vellum with no bleed through and significantly improved shading. The HP 32lb Laser paper also got a real boost but it is too thick for my purposes, almost a card stock, not good for letter writing. I am not trying to twist anyone's arm to try this, just sharing my experience with the group.

 

Best regards to all!

Edited January 24, 2019 by DiveDr

[Billiam75]

Hello!

 

Is this the correct hairspray?

 

https://goo.gl/images/tGUGA7

 

I can't seem to find any in my town.

[DiveDr]

No, that's not the same stuff I used. But that may work, I have tried many!

[johnboz]

Really interesting results. Thank you for putting so much time and work into this! From a practical point of view, I'll just buy fountain pen friendly paper and pay the premium to save myself the work of spraying individual pieces of paper, but from a paper geek point of view you'd better believe I'm going to get some hairspray and cheap paper and see what happens.

[Karmachanic]

Thanks, but I'll stick to this: https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/iq-selection-smooth-paper-a4-100gsm-white-500-sheets-p-iqselb In addition to Tomoe River and CLairefontaine.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Karmachanic