In Praise Of Cheap Paper

[markh]

I will be at the SF Pen Show in a few weeks, and I can check out the notebooks from Musubi:

Handbound journal, diary (A5), special edition, vintage silk kimono with gold and silver
Tomoe River paper, $175.
http://www.musu.bi/shop/handbound-journals/diaries-a5-special-edition/vintage-silk-kimono-with-gold-and-silver

They look beautiful. They are handbound in Singapore by “a team of artisans with physical and intellectual disabilities. Your purchase funds employment opportunities for these talented individuals.”

I suppose I might mount one on a wall to admire, or consider it a charitable contribution of sorts. But I wouldn’t buy one to use. Nothing I can think of writing would justify the price. Not to mention that the first drop of ink drives the value to near zero.

My journal goals are at the other end of the spectrum – finding cheap paper that is fountain pen friendly.

So where do I find cheap notebooks/journals? Three places.

1. Daiso. A Japanese dollar store (actually $1.50). There are usually a couple of aisles of stationery items among the rest of the household goods. Most of the notebooks I find here work will with fpens. If I find something I like I might buy one, try it in my car in the parking lot, and go back in and buy a bunch more. If I wait and come back in a month you might not find the same items – their stock changes frequently.

I’m not sure how many stores they have in the US, but most of the larger West Coast cities seem to have one.

2. Muji. Also a Japanese home goods store. A good selection of notebooks and spirals, and some other interesting stationery items. These are intended for the Japanese market, and I think anything I have purchased there is Fpen friendly. Slightly more expensive – about $2 to $4.

There a small number of Muji stores spread in larger cities. Here is a list of their locations.

http://info.muji.us/store-info/

They can sell on-line, but I have never ordered this way.

3. Start of school year supplies, at places like Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples. Paper purchased from these are more of a gamble as to working well with fountain pens.

I have found some general rules, but you need to test the item to be sure.

Paper made in the U.S. has the most problems. My theory is that making paper fp friendly involves only the surface treatment and little additional cost. American made paper is intended for the American market, and the makers assume (correctly I think) that their customers won’t really care one way or the other, so they don’t bother with the needed surface treatment.

Paper made in other locations has the potential of selling in other markets, where customers might care about fp uses. I have found papers made in Egypt, Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other places. They usually work acceptably or better with fountain pen.

In a different posting I have a brief review of a few super cheap school year items from Office Depot, all fp friendly.

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Edited August 6, 2019 by markh

[majorworks]

My limited experience with MUJI paper has been pretty good. And at the office superstores, as you mention, you can find decent paper made in those offshore locations. A few years ago we had quite a stir on here about Egyptian-made loose-leaf bagasse paper from Staples. It was darned good stuff and very inexpensive; not sure if it's still out there.

[JonSzanto]

Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing things. You could also buy exceedingly cheap fountain pens at Daiso (or from China on eBay) and never have to spend tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars on a fountain pen. You could also save sugar packets at restaurants and fast food places and never have to spend a lot of money on sugar.

Whatever works for you. If cheap is your religion, pursue it.

BTW, writing in a journal doesn't devalue it. One could easily say that it is that moment when the value starts to accrue.

[Cast]

IMHO paper choice is intensely personal. More so than pen or ink. It is tactile to the hand and the nib of the pen. Do you like really smooth paper or something with a little tooth? Do you like white or cream or colourful paper? Lined, dot grid, blank? What size paper do you like? Do you like side bound, wire bound, stapled, sewn, etc. ? Do you like the feel/look of a leather cover or want one with a colourful cover or a cute design? Is price a consideration? How much feathering and bleed through can you tolerate? A fountain pen will write on almost any paper. It is your choice.

 

I have tried quite a few of the recommended papers and quiet a few grocery store and office supply store papers. I have not found the perfect, for me paper. Though they all work. I found that about halfway through a ninety page notebook I was ready to switch. If I was using smooth paper, I wanted tooth. If I had tooth, I wanted smooth. I am compromising right now by switching to smaller notebooks. I may end up with loose paper. I don’t know. It’s an adventure. Luckily we have plenty of choice in all price ranges.

[markh]

Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing things. You could also buy exceedingly cheap fountain pens at Daiso (or from China on eBay) and never have to spend tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars on a fountain pen. You could also save sugar packets at restaurants and fast food places and never have to spend a lot of money on sugar.

 

Whatever works for you. If cheap is your religion, pursue it.

 

BTW, writing in a journal doesn't devalue it. One could easily say that it is that moment when the value starts to accrue.

 

Of course - it's totally personal.

And just to show how individual these things are, I use some really expensive pens to write in my really cheap books.

 

I have some of the more expensive notebooks, though not at the Musubi level. They just don't get picked when I want to start a new book. My hand reaches for a cheap Daiso or Muji book.

 

I would actually be very interested in the cover if it was refillable. None of the pens I use - cheap or expensive - are ever "used up." I think that's one thing what limits my interest in buying a Musubi journal. which is certainly beautiful.

 

 

Oh... and get rid of the sugar - it's really unhealthy.....

 

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Edited August 6, 2019 by markh

[markh]

IMHO paper choice is intensely personal.

 

Yes, but... Some papers work so poorly with a fountain pen that they seem unusable, at least to me. Either they absorb like a sponge, or the surface is coated shiny and liquid ink beads up and never dries.

 

I try to avoid these, appreciate advance reviews for help.

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[JonSzanto]

Oh... and get rid of the sugar - it's really unhealthy.....

 

I'm with you there. And thanks for taking what could have been viewed as a rant for what it was: just commentary on the original thoughts. These are all quite personal choices.

[Bookman]

Until recently I never thought I would say this, but Mead composition notebooks (now .79 USD) can be surprisingly FP-friendly. I've bought several, one or two or three at a time. I look for "Made in Vietnam." No "Made in Vietnam," no purchase. After that first hurdle I feel the paper. If it's smooth (not smooth-ish, but smooth), I buy it. If it's smooth-ish, I don't. I've been completely satisfied with the notebooks I've bought. I use EF, F, and some M nibs and I consistently experience smooth writing, no feathering, and no bleed-through. Show-through has been inconsistent but is usually moderate and rarely severe.

[markh]

Until recently I never thought I would say this, but Mead composition notebooks (now .79 USD) can be surprisingly FP-friendly. I've bought several, one or two or three at a time. I look for "Made in Vietnam." No "Made in Vietnam," no purchase. After that first hurdle I feel the paper. If it's smooth (not smooth-ish, but smooth), I buy it. If it's smooth-ish, I don't. I've been completely satisfied with the notebooks I've bought. I use EF, F, and some M nibs and I consistently experience smooth writing, no feathering, and no bleed-through. Show-through has been inconsistent but is usually moderate and rarely severe.

 

 

I don't think there is much if any cost to make the paper fp friendly. I think it's only the intention of the manufacturer.

US makers they just don't bother, on the assumption that the paper will be sold in the US, one will care, so it makes no difference.

Sad to say they're probably right.

 

Paper made in Vietnam (or other places) might get sold outside the US, so the manufacturer does what I guess is a minimal step to finish the surface of the paper.

 

Would love to find a "paper engineer" or equivalent who really knows the answer to ask a few questions.

 

 

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[Bookman]

Assuming for the sake of argument that any relationship between price and FP-friendliness of cheap paper in the U.S. is negligible, which I doubt, most paper in cheap notebooks sold in America is FP-unfriendly. In praise of cheap paper, I offered a report. I have found a relationship between “Made in ________” and FP-friendliness in cheap notebooks sold in the U.S. Many FPNers do. As to any relationship between “Made in _________” and smoothness, I have no information or opinion. I simply choose smooth paper when I buy a "Made in Vietnam" Mead composition notebook.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Bookman

[Cursive Child]

My limited experience with MUJI paper has been pretty good. And at the office superstores, as you mention, you can find decent paper made in those offshore locations. A few years ago we had quite a stir on here about Egyptian-made loose-leaf bagasse paper from Staples. It was darned good stuff and very inexpensive; not sure if it's still out there.

I second the recommendation on the Staples Bagasse paper. That has been my standard for several years, since it came out, and fortunately, I have a great corporate discount that makes them really cheap. However my local staples in Virginia seem to have stopped carrying them in store, and I had to get them online the last time, combining with other things to make up to free shipping. I'm going to stock up a couple of years supply next time.

 

https://www.staples.com/Sustainable-Earth-by-Staples-1-Subject-Notebook--8-5--x-11---College-Ruled--100-Sheets--Brown--52121-/product_749563

 

My experience has been generally good. Mostly write with very wet Diamine inks and wet nibs. However there is at least an odd batch of the above where the showthrough is so bad that the reverse side of the pages are unusable. Perhaps I need to pay attention to the place of manufacture

Edited November 20, 2019 by rdugar

[JohnDinLA]

I look for "Made in Vietnam." No "Made in Vietnam," no purchase.

 

 

Agree! Those "Made in Vietnam" composition books are fantastic.

[thudthwacker]

Speaking of country of origin, I recently (in the September 2019 back-to-school sale, and more recently in the January 2020 back-to-school sale) had some really good luck with Staples store-brand composition notebooks from India. It was quite a surprise; previous years, the Indian paper felt pretty awful (compared to, say, paper from Vietnam or Brazil). But I took a chance on the smooth-feeling paper, and was very happy -- I use mostly medium/broad/stub nibs, and these notebooks have thus far handled them very will without feathering or bleeding. So, the next time a Staples sale comes around, and least check the notebooks from India -- you may luck out as I did.

[markh]

Back at the start of this thread I commented on Musubi journals. Beautiful, expensive, non-refillable. About $150 if I remember.

While they have lots of positive qualities they are too expensive for me to consider.

 

If you are on their email list, you know that they are already selling separate A5 inserts in two choices of paper. To be followed in the future ("late 2020") with refillable covers.

 

https://www.musu.bi/

 

So maybe I will get a Musubi journal, after all, when the covers are out.

 

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[firewrath9]

I use HP Premium32 paper (cut in half to 8.5x5.5), and it's great. It's designed for laser printers, but it's great for fountain pens. its 120gsm, and has almost no bleedthrough or ghosting. It dries really fast, and doesn't feather (maybe a little if you look really close). It's also very smooth, and is cheap AF. 500 pages for 12.5$, or less than 2 cents per letter-sized page. Only problem is that it only comes in 8.5x11, so it's a little big. I cut it in half with an exacto knife to get a roughly A5-sized sheet.

Great cheap paper, I use it as scratch paper, as you can comfortably write on both sides due to it's immense weight.

[TheDutchGuy]

On my side of the pond there is the occasional surprise, but as a rule of thumb I tend to stick to Oxford. Magnificent 90 gram paper priced at appr. 2 euros for an A5 or A4 size notebook.