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Where My Perfect Paper At?!


sapias99

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I cant seem to find paper that fits my needs. I've been looking for a fountain pen friendly notebook that is white(not cream), blank or dot grid, in a A5-ish size AND (here comes the usual limiting factor) is perforated so you can rip a sheet out. Also would like it to not be spiral and smooth as I don't care much for toothy paper. I like the idea of the travelers notebook system, but I really don't like how the cream colored paper changes the look of inks. The Travelers leather cover is nice to carry in hand and not look like I'm on my way to a class (hence don't like the spiral notebooks that come close to fitting needs).

 

Is anyone else as picky as I am??? -sigh-

 

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HP 32# or Clairefontaine DCP are white, smooth and blank. A disc bound system, e.g. Levenger, Staples or RollaBind, definitely don’t look like you’re taking them to class. The pages are not only removable but repositionable. Of course you would need a punch. And discs.

 

Alternatively, you could go to a small print shop or copy center and see what they have for making a notebook. Since you would accept blank sheets you should have some reasonable choices. The downside is that most of them won’t give you a book that lays flat.

 

Another way to go is with a notebook stapler. Take an A5 sheet and fold it in half. The stapler staples into the fold from the outside. A disc cutter (or good Xacto knife) and a quality metal straightedge trims the paper creep. Frankly any good stapler that opens and can push through a fairly long staple will work. I make notebooks up to about 24 pages (6 sheets of paper) with a card stock cover rather easily.

 

Anyway, a perspective from a do-it-yourselfer. Always a fallback — if you can’t your perfect notebook make it yourself.

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Just a thought. You might be able to do what you want if you invest in a nice leather folio that can accept pads such as Rhodia, Tomo River, and Claire Fontaine. They come in white, lined, blank, dot, graph, and are perforated. This system hits all your must haves and you get a reusable cover that you can swap pads in and out of as you please.

Check out the paper section of jetpens.com

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HP 32# or Clairefontaine DCP are white, smooth and blank. A disc bound system, e.g. Levenger, Staples or RollaBind, definitely don’t look like you’re taking them to class. The pages are not only removable but repositionable. Of course you would need a punch. And discs.

 

Alternatively, you could go to a small print shop or copy center and see what they have for making a notebook. Since you would accept blank sheets you should have some reasonable choices. The downside is that most of them won’t give you a book that lays flat.

 

Another way to go is with a notebook stapler. Take an A5 sheet and fold it in half. The stapler staples into the fold from the outside. A disc cutter (or good Xacto knife) and a quality metal straightedge trims the paper creep. Frankly any good stapler that opens and can push through a fairly long staple will work. I make notebooks up to about 24 pages (6 sheets of paper) with a card stock cover rather easily.

 

Anyway, a perspective from a do-it-yourselfer. Always a fallback — if you can’t your perfect notebook make it yourself.

 

This is very helpful! I might look into disc notebooks systems. TY!

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Just a thought. You might be able to do what you want if you invest in a nice leather folio that can accept pads such as Rhodia, Tomo River, and Claire Fontaine. They come in white, lined, blank, dot, graph, and are perforated. This system hits all your must haves and you get a reusable cover that you can swap pads in and out of as you please.

Check out the paper section of jetpens.com

 

You might be right.. I had actually thought of getting some scrap leather and try making a "Travelers"/Midori style cover and use some Rhodia for the inserts. I hadnt thought of an actual folio, will look into. TY

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Many believe that Tomoe River paper is the best for fountain pens. It is very smooth and shows ink off to its best. Taroko Design makes very nice notebooks of white Tomoe River 68SM in either plain, dot or lined. I do not believe the pages are perforated. Also, if you like the lighter Tomoe River paper (52gsm - my preference), check out the notebooks a Nanami Paper ( They have them in mostly white paper in dot, plain and lined. For the amount of paper that you get in the notebook, these are a bargain. Both Taroko Design and Nanami Paper also sell nice leather journal covers.

 

Clairfontaine makes a number of notebooks as well as notepads with white paper in a variety of sizes. Same with Rhodia. Turthfully, I just received a Clairfontaine Essentials notebook and I am very disappointed. Clairfontaine paper is coated with something, but in my notebook this coating is very irregular and interferes with the fluidity of my writing. Also, when I use my wider nibs, the ink just sinks right into the paper and bleeds through. I have never had Clairfontaine paper bleed through like this. I will like continue using it, but I won't buy this again.

 

Midori MD (the developer of the Traveler's Notebook) also makes an A5 notebook that is quite fountain pen friendly. The problem is that the paper is a light ivory color. You can get grid, dot, lined or plain. The Midori paper has just a tiny bit more "tooth" then Tomoe River or Clairfontaine. I have used the Midori notebooks for several years and have found them very satisfactory. But, as many of us do, we get tired of what we have and decide to venture into something new. The Clairfontaine notebook was a mistake.

 

Another paper that works fairly well for me is the Ampad Engineer's Pad that is 3 hole punched. Unfortunately they come in a pale green color, but for note taking they work very well.

 

And if I am desparate, there is HP copy paper that isn't too bad.

Edited by DrPenfection

"Today will be gone in less than 24 hours. When it is gone, it is gone. Be wise, but enjoy! - anonymous today

 

 

 

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I've been looking for a fountain pen friendly notebook that is white(not cream), blank or dot grid, in a A5-ish size AND (here comes the usual limiting factor) is perforated so you can rip a sheet out.

Easy as. Rhodia Dotpad No.16. The pads are staple-bound through the top margin, and there's nothing to stop you from using it as a reporter style softcover notebook.

 

I buy them in lots of five or ten whenever I place an order.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I cant seem to find paper that fits my needs. I've been looking for a fountain pen friendly notebook that is white(not cream), blank or dot grid, in a A5-ish size AND (here comes the usual limiting factor) is perforated so you can rip a sheet out. Also would like it to not be spiral and smooth as I don't care much for toothy paper. I like the idea of the travelers notebook system, but I really don't like how the cream colored paper changes the look of inks. The Travelers leather cover is nice to carry in hand and not look like I'm on my way to a class (hence don't like the spiral notebooks that come close to fitting needs).

 

Is anyone else as picky as I am??? -sigh-

 

We are all as picky as you! And why shouldnt we be? Finding the right tool to make writing a joy seems to be a pretty common and eminently reasonable goal.

 

I had to Google Travelers notebooks, but they make a white paper refill for both the regular and passport sizes.

 

https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/travelers-notebook-refills/products/travelers-notebook-regular-refill-012-sketch-notebook?variant=11884777832491

 

Is this actually cream in real life? If it is, my apologies. If you do end up making your own, Ill second the HP#32 laser printer paper. Ive been using it for years and I also quite like it. Ditto Rhodia and Clairefontaine pads, but I bought mine a decade ago. Perhaps the quality has changed? I also like Southworth 1839 pad, but its toothy which youve already said is a no go. Ampad Gold Fibre pads also have worked well for me. I favor smoother, wetter nibs though, which seem to be a bit more forgiving. The problem with all of these pads is theyre bound at the top, instead of the sides; plus all of mine are roughly letter sized, which is about twice the size youre looking for.

 

I wonder why so many journals use cream colored paper? For white paper, Im down to an Oberon and a Clairefontaine once the journal I use to test and track my pens and inks is filled. The Oberon refills are toothy and tend to feather, but Im using them to test inks and pens for their worst properties, so thats actually a plus.

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