I've Used Printer Paper For A Year.

[Metalinker]

I've used printer paper for a year and used a fountain pen almost exclusively.

Everywhere i go I hear that printer paper is bad and you shouldn't write with a fountain pen on it, but I've had pretty much no problem with it.

I've only used Pelikan 4001 Royal Blue and Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and I've heard they are dry inks, so maybe thats why I had no feathering, or any bleedthrough that's too bad.

Also I've mostly used a Japanese medium nib.

It was some 80gsm ink jet paper from Fabriano (it was Copy 3 I think)

I got it because it was cheap, and it looks like it performs vastly better than cheap notebook paper.

Why is printer paper frowned upon? Sounds like a good option for people on a budget.

[Beechwood]

Printer paper is made to sell at the lowest possible price for customers who will change brands in order to save a few pennies on 500 sheets of paper, quality is not a priority.

 

If you want to spend the minimum on paper then carry on with printer paper.

 

Ink and pen performance is much improved by a quality paper, you will see many features in ink on a good paper that are just not there on copier paper, Pens are nicer to use and you may even find that your handwriting improves on a good quality line paper.

 

I dont know where in the world you are but for not much more than the price of a coffee you can find something much better than what you have been used to, if you want to just try out a few then try Googling paper samples and see what comes back.

[Olya]

It depends on the printer paper.

 

There are printer papers which are recommended for fpen use.

 

Then there are terrible printer papers, often bought in bulk by offices.

 

I guess it also depends on the country, in countries where fpens are used a lot, the paper tends to be better on average (even the cheap stuff at the supermarket).

[torstar]

20 pounds (whatever that translates to) is everywhere and not much fun, 24 works great with me if printer or lined.

 

the higher you go the slicker it is

[JulieParadise]

Fabrianos cheapest printer paper might be better than some self proclaimed fountain pen-suitable paper.

[Metalinker]

Fabrianos cheapest printer paper might be better than some self proclaimed fountain pen-suitable paper.

Oh? What is that "Self proclaimed fountain pen-suitable paper?" So i know to dodge it if I ever get to buying better paper.

[macaddicted]

the higher you go the slicker it is

 

 

Thicker. Paper weight is based on the weight of master (parent) sheets, from which the smaller pages are cut.

[BaronWulfraed]

Many inkjet papers have a clay coating.

 

Laser printer paper does not have such a coating.

 

Strangely, one would think inkjet paper would be better for fountain pens, as it is formulated for deposition of wet inks, whereas typewriter ribbons are relatively dry in comparison, and photocopiers now melt plasticized pigments to the surface of the paper, so don't need a coating.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_paper#Comparison_to_standard_office_paper

[macaddicted]

Why is printer paper frowned upon? Sounds like a good option for people on a budget.

 

Generally printer paper is made for the lowest common denominator. That's laser printing/copying and inkjet printing. The idea that it might be used for fountain pens doesn't rise to an afterthought. There are some papers that work well with a given set of nib and ink, and completely disappoint with another. Such is the nature of this fountain pen thing we all do. Some papers have proven to be very useful across a wide range of ink and nib combos, and so are mentioned prominently when the "best paper" question is asked.

 

If you've found a combo that meets your needs than you needn't worry. As the saying goes "why argue with success?"

 

Otherwise the two most popular papers for FP use are probably Tomoe River and HP 32# Premium Choice Laser. Some use different papers because, like you, they've found a paper that works well for them that isn't either of the two I mentioned. Usually they don't catch on because of availability or some other characteristic that others don't appreciate. There's no rule, formal or informal, that you're not a "real" fountain pen user if you don't use one of those papers I mentioned. They run about three times the cost per ream of the paper you have; not everyone wants to spend that for paper. Frankly I think it's better to write on newsprint paper than hoard a more expensive paper. That we can write inane things and throw them away without thought to the price paid remains a wonder to me.

 

So write with your chosen paper. Just change the color to something silly once in a while.

[cattar]

You're writing with a relatively fine nib/dry ink, so you'll have a good experience on many papers -- copy paper, composition book paper, art papers, heat transfer paper. You could probably use a Moleskine (I do with a finer nib/wetter ink).
Rarely will you see smearing, show through, bleed through.

With very smooth or coated papers (like Tomoe), you may find that your nib/ink combo doesn't lay enough ink fast enough. And you'll see what looks like blank spots or skipping.
But If you were writing with broader, wetter nibs/inks you'd probably prefer these papers.

Also some fountain pen people prefer very smooth or coated papers because they're a better fit for their lifestyle.

Paper, ink, pens. Use what you like. Try new/different things.

Edited August 22, 2019 by cattar

[Cast]

Ordinary, inexpensive paper can work with fountain pens. It depends on your pen and ink and how you write. Jet Pens has an article with recommendations for inks on ordinary paper:

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-fountain-pen-inks-for-ordinary-paper/pt/971

 

I have experimented with most of the more expensive papers and notebooks. I do not regret it. I learned a lot. For instance, I prefer blank paper. I do not like slick coated papers. I prefer some tooth. Inexpensive sketch books work just fine for me.

 

Your experience and preferences may differ.

 

As to copy paper. You can experiment with different brands, by simply asking for a sheet in any office you happen to be visiting. I have never been refused. Be aware also that once it goes through the copy machine it will be different, same for laser paper.

[Metalinker]

 

Generally printer paper is made for the lowest common denominator. That's laser printing/copying and inkjet printing. The idea that it might be used for fountain pens doesn't rise to an afterthought. There are some papers that work well with a given set of nib and ink, and completely disappoint with another. Such is the nature of this fountain pen thing we all do. Some papers have proven to be very useful across a wide range of ink and nib combos, and so are mentioned prominently when the "best paper" question is asked.

 

If you've found a combo that meets your needs than you needn't worry. As the saying goes "why argue with success?"

 

Otherwise the two most popular papers for FP use are probably Tomoe River and HP 32# Premium Choice Laser. Some use different papers because, like you, they've found a paper that works well for them that isn't either of the two I mentioned. Usually they don't catch on because of availability or some other characteristic that others don't appreciate. There's no rule, formal or informal, that you're not a "real" fountain pen user if you don't use one of those papers I mentioned. They run about three times the cost per ream of the paper you have; not everyone wants to spend that for paper. Frankly I think it's better to write on newsprint paper than hoard a more expensive paper. That we can write inane things and throw them away without thought to the price paid remains a wonder to me.

 

So write with your chosen paper. Just change the color to something silly once in a while.

Yeah, I guess you're right. It's pretty much preferential. I've also been using a journal that is "Fountain pen approved" but i can't seem to find fountain pen notebooks here where I live. Only some Oxford notebooks, and I don't know if they're fountain pen friendly.

[milkb0at]

Only some Oxford notebooks, and I don't know if they're fountain pen friendly.

 

Oxford Optik paper is good and fountain pen friendly.

[Metalinker]

 

Oxford Optik paper is good and fountain pen friendly.

Can't find Optik only active something, Office, and SOS something :'D. I'll have to go and search some brick and mortar stores.

[DrDebG]

I don't know where you live, but there are lots of options at many different price points. Please check out threads comparing fountain pen friendly notebooks. Printer paper is fine for many things, but it also depends on the paper. HP Laserjet paper (24lb) works well. But I have found that Xerox Vitality Premium Paper (24lb) is not as fountain pen friendly as the HP paper. Forget the printer paper at the big office supply stores.

 

My favorite "journaling" notebook is Naniamo Papers A5 Standard Notebook with Tomoe River paper. The paper is very thin but very smooth and shows your inks to advantage (even in my EF and F nibs). The notebook that I use for my consulting work is the Letterbox A5 Personal Notebook. The notebook has a nice, fountain pen friendly paper, a nice hardback, but is slightly larger than A5. For me there are very inexpensive - I buy them at Costco (3 notebooks for $11.99).

[Dmact]

I use cheapo printer paper and cheap notebooks all the time. What they DONT afford me that my rhodia does is the super smooth feel under my nib (writing on rhodia is like writing on butter), that ultra smooth surface also gives ink a little longer dry time which allows inks with shading and/or sheening to really show off. On printer paper, Organic Studios Nitrogen is just another pretty blue ink but on Rhodia its blue with red sheen almost like an oilslick.

[Metalinker]

 

Oxford Optik paper is good and fountain pen friendly.

I've found a notebook A5 90 pages with Optik paper at about $6 not bad. Maybe I'll try it out and see how it fares against the Fabriano print paper

[Metalinker]

I'll also test Fabriano EcoQua 180 page A5 notebook against them because they are $1.7 here.

[Runnin_Ute]

Can't find Optik only active something, Office, and SOS something :'D. I'll have to go and search some brick and mortar stores.

The Red n Black brand which uses the optic paper is dp friendly.