Search the Community

New paper (actually first time buying fancy paper). The writing is by my gf despite my monogram 😜. Do you have any recommendations for paper good for fountain pen writing? She wrote with Pilot’s parallel pen.

I saw a thread on not participating in InCoWriMo, but I am participating. I thought it fair to hear from our side. I need reasons to use my pens, and letters are my primary way. I have pen pals. I am using the Travelers Notebook calendar insert Weekly and Memo. I have succeeded at InCoWriMo in 2013 and 2019. I hope to succeed like I did last year. I wrote to pen pals, and people on an InCoWriMo list. I also wrote to some companies. When I wrote to Reeses, telling them about my love of their peanut butter cups, and a few of their other candy bars, I got a reply letter. It included coupons! I wrote to a museum in 2013 praising the experience but sorry the pressed penny machine did not work. They sent a reply that included pressed pennies. I am not promising you get these replies, because others did not send any reply. But that is part of the adventure of letter writing. I will try to succeed at InCoWriMo this year, and be a full participant for 2 years in a row. So, are you participating in InCoWriMo? Tell us why.

I am trying to find planning pads that are the notebook equivalent of an Excel spreadsheet(though I don't expect them to do calculations for me). I want horizontal orientation, in chart form, that I can use for a number of projects. It doesn't need to be wall mounted or self-propping. Something like a household chore chart one would give to children, but with no pre-filled boxes or days of the week. Yes, I know I can print out my own pages, but I'd rather buy a notebook with nice paper and use the sheets as I need them - which means they should probably be perforated so they can be detached. I have found horizontally-oriented notebooks that I could draw out, but I don't want to do that every time. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

I just got some rhodia blank a5 pads and clairefontaine dot age bag. I wasn't thrilled with their result. So I did a comparison between the paper that I am currently using and the Rhodia. Left is rhodia blank a5 80g orange pad cost (Rs 300 for 80 sheets) and right one is Classmate Project Paper 70g (A4 loose leaves, double punched, cost - rs. 45 for 50 sheets).Rhodia is made in France. Classmate is manufactured in India. The big swaps were made with a spoon that I found in kitchen using Iroshizuku Shin-ryoku. My conclusion - Smoothness - Rhodia is a bit more smoother to write with but not too much. Shading - I cant conclude, shin ryoku seems to have a shade tad bit more in classmate and less in rhodia, will need to test more ink to conclude. Sheen - I am a noob in this department but the swap with spoon took 4-5 times more to dry in Classmate. There is a layer formed in classmate too where the ink dried slow (top left), this is less pronounced in rhodia. Ghosting - very slightly but more on rhodia, very minor can write on back easily on both. Bleed - In normal writing none, but in ink swap the Rhodia showed considerable high amount of bleed, It even showed on the back of the paper it was on. I was very much impressed by the classmate overall. Rhodia vs Classmate (front) Rhodia vs Classmate Rhodia vs Classmate (back) Edit - added comparison with clairefontaine. Here is comparison of Classmate Project Paper 70g and Clairefontaine 90g Age Bag. Kindly ignore the upper swap done on clairefontaine, I kind of messed up there. Conclusion - the iroshizuku still shades more in classmate, but lamy blue is shading in clairefontaine which is not pronounced in classmate. On bleeding and ghosting the classmate is clear winner but only by slight margin. Smoothness in clairefontaine is more pronounced. Overall, I am quite happy with the clairefontaine compared to rhodia. But for the price the classmate is clear winner, the pages are not as smooth as but they are not bad by any means. Kindly note that the pages in project paper of classmate is different from the pages found on their notebook. I don't like their notebook when writing with fountain pen. Classmate vs Clairefontaine (front) Classmate vs Clairefontaine (back) Sorry for messed up editing, this is my first post.

An interesting article from Scientific American New Scientist (edited - thanks to those who pointed out the error), 1959, outlining the history of the development of quick-drying fountain pen ink, and how the ink and paper interact to influence perceived feathering or line spread. It also is clear how ink recipes can affect pen components or reliability thereof. http://bit.ly/Science_of_Quick_Drying_Fountain_Pen_Inks

Like everyone else, I’m looking for the perfect paper to start off the new year - not too big, not too small, not too thin, not too thick, and so on. I’m in a small town, so I’m searching online and getting thoroughly overwhelmed by too many search results and a lot of incomplete product descriptions. Figured I should ask people who know about such things. Seeking: 90-100gsm paper (white, cream, or tan) Hard cover with lay-flat or wire binding (or loose leaf) US Letter (8.5x11”) or Moleskine XL (7.5x10”) size or similar. A4 is too big, A5/B5 is too small. Graph/squared grid (not dots) 5mm or 5 squares per inch (4 squares per inch would be tolerable, but not 7mm) I write most often with Pilot Precise V5, followed by Lamy FP with EF nib. Clairefontaine paper is nice, but I tend to smear the ink before it dries. I have used Moleskines as daily work notebooks for years, but the 70gsm paper is just too flimsy. Ribbon page markers or elastic closures are nice, but not necessary. Any suggestions? Thanks for reading!

Hello all! I'm rather new to FPN and FP's in general. I primarily use them for note-taking (grad student) but even more importantly, music writing. Yes, as in music notation on staff paper. I'm currently using a Franklin-Christoph music nib in a Jinhao 750, Noodler's black ink, but am testing a bunch of archival-quality inks so that will change. Enough introduction... I've emailed 7 different FP sellers to find some specific music paper. I'm looking for music staff paper that's around US tabloid size or similar, something where I can write music for a large ensemble. For example, orchestra, concert band, etc. Currently, Carta and similar manufacturers have large size paper that has room for 18+ different parts on each page, and I enjoy the size as well as handwriting my music, but the paper is NOT FP friendly. Does anyone know of any FP friendly large music paper sources?

Hi guys and gals. I've had a bit of a rummage around the forums but cannot find much information on Chinese Rice Paper (xuanzhi). Just bought a package of 38 sheets on the internet to trial it. Have heard that it is good paper for brush calligraphy and so I am hoping it may be suitable for fountain pens too. If not then I'll have to bust out the brushes! Does anyone have any direct experience of this genre of paper?

I use grid paper composition books as my annual planners. I made a notebook cover from a file folder. Just lay the notebook in the file folder and fold the file folder like we did with book covers back in the 60's. Trim and tape the inner corners, and trim the sharp edges to be rounded. I've found comp book paper to be the cheapest, most readily available fountain-pen-friendly paper. I learned that here, BTW, and thank you! I've always disliked the marble covers of comp books but love the paper. Now I don't look like I'm carrying the cheap, grade-school notebook I'm actually carrying.

Dear fellow members I was using matrix spiral notebook earlier and currently iam using soft bound classmate notebooks... I was certainly liked classmate notebooks better than the matrix spiral notebooks... However i would like to know from all 1. What notepad you are using? 2. How much it costs? 3. Purchased from? 4. Will you recommend it?

https://images.vfl.ru/ii/1578313765/8a2faaad/29120766.jpg Montblanc Boheme (custom UEF\Needlepoint), Montblanc Royal Blue, Fritz-Shimpf Feinpost, Fritz-Schimpf Leinen, Crown Mill Vellium, Crown Mill Classic Line|Verge https://images.vfl.ru/ii/1578315892/b0adffb7/29121062.jpg https://images.vfl.ru/ii/1578313768/a2e8c426/29120785.jpg More photo about paper test. (Sorry, post in Cyrillic but with many informative photos. If you need translate to English I can do it in a few days).

I currently use 52gsm white TR paper. For me it is too thin and flimsy.... and shows through more than i would prefer. I love Clairefontaine Triomphe paper but it is too heavy for multi-page international letters. So what's in between? I prefer white that's able to show sheen and shading. Blank, dot grid or lined works. I look forward to your suggestions. PS... I am in the USA so stuff I can get here, please..

ELCO James Velin A4 100 gsm Writing Pad Blank with Deckle Edge Watermark DOM Wrapped 1 - (40 Sheets) Saw this on Amazon, in various formats, and would like any comments or views about it.... Alex

Hey there, Happy Friday! I am looking for some recommendation for letter writing paper, I am looking specifically for some beautiful paper not necessarily 81/2 by 11. This is what I have previously used, I found it at a stationary store, could be similar but definitely good quality. This paper folds in half and creates a 6x4 size Appreciate your recommendations! Cheers, Alex

There isn't any good information on the internet on Indian brands which sell paper / notebooks which are fountain pen friendly, and so I wanted to start this thread. Please add your views / reviews. I am starting with Bilt Matrix Ledger (90 GSM) paper that I bought yesterday at an arts supply store. A ream of 500 pages cost me Rs. 275. (which the seller told me is the wholesale price) The paper is light greenish. Bilt Matrix 90 GSM Ledger Paper (21.5 CM X 34.5 CM) Bilt says the paper has good archival qualities Other uses. Finally, writing sample. Ink is Bril Royal Blue. Best Regards Rakshit

I have used Muji notebooks and stationery and the minimalistic design appeals to me, and the paper is cheap and affordable, while still being great fountain pen paper. It's very easy to personalize the covers with stamps, stickers, etc. and in my experience, the cheapest recycled notebooks tend to have the best paper for fountain pens. The following is a link to the website, provided as a reference for the second poll question. I have no affiliation with Muji, beyond being pretty happy with their products and I am wondering about other people's experiences with them. http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks.html Edited the poll to allow for mixed feelings on Muji paper.

Hello again to all my FPN friends, After acquiring too many inks and far too many pens, I thought it was time to turn this obsession toward papers in order to round out the experience. I just received a blank notebook in the mail from a Chinese stationary company called Kinbor (www.kinbor.net/). They seem like a Chinese version of Midori and offer very similar products (at much lower prices, of course). Here's an article about the company that has nice photos of their products. I'm thoroughly impressed with the paper in this A5 notebook. Although this paper is 80gsm and quite sturdy, it's also very supple and floppy like Tomoe River paper. The sewn binding is better than most I've seen; the journal will lie open completely flat regardless of what page you open to. The paper texture is much smoother than Midori paper but not slick like Rhodia and Clairfontaine, again reminiscent of Tomoe River. I've only tested a couple inks with really wet pens so far but there has not been any bleed through or even show through, although a little feathering in same cases. It is advertised to be fountain pen friendly (see picture below). These journals are currently offered in A6 and A5 with the options of blank, dot grid, graph, a blank/dot grid/graph combination, 7mm lined, lined with red side rule, thick sketchbook paper, and a calendar/planner combination. They come with either white or brown covers. I'm in no way affiliated with the company, but I thought I'd ask about these journals because this is the first Chinese paper I've ever tried that has actually blown me away. That's saying a lot because I live in China and have tried lots of papers over the past few years, most of them being quite unfriendly to fountain pens and often unbearable toothy as well. I'll try to post a review once I spend more time with this journal and run in through some tests.

Elsewhere at FPN https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/309411-ten-notebook-bleed-through-battle/ jaysongo posted a comparative review of several high end papers. Inspired by that, and in keeping with the thread I started earlier on cheap ink cartridges, https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314342-cheap-ink-cartridges/ I decided to test some more modest papers. In this thread I will look at paper that is roughly half the size of standard printer paper. Here in the US of A, that means 5X8 and 6X9 inch papers. I tried to test mainly currently available papers near the bottom of the price range -- roughly one US dollar for a pad of 100 sheets. The sample is limited to papers readily available in the US of A in general, and the state of New Hampshire in particular. Where possible I tried to obtain papers from national chains of stores. I use such papers mainly for letter writing and for jotting down notes that would not fill a full-sized page. The smaller pads are also handy to carry around. Later I hope to do the same tests on loose leaf notebook filler paper. All the papers in this test come as pads with gummed adhesive or a binding at the top that is supposed to let you easily and cleanly tear sheets off one at a time. All are ruled to guide handwriting and the line spacing is what is called "wide" in the US rather than the narrower "college". I will not try to assign the numerical grades jaysongo used but instead will scan both sides of the page so you can see for yourself exactly what happened. To offset the doubling of the number of pages scanned, I will not post a series of tests with ever more inks but will instead use a small number of inks so that there are but two scans of each paper, one for each side. The Inks Inks were chosen for a variety of reasons. Something I already had loaded in a pen had an advantage here. I also tried to include a variety of inks with respect to how likely bleed though might be. At one end was Noodler's Anti-feather and the fairly tame Sheaffer Blue. At the other were inks known to bleed such as those from Levengers. Some inks were chosen because they were already loaded in a pen I wanted to use. Noodler's Anti-Feather for obvious reasons. Herbin Perle Noire because Herbin inks are so safe you can drink them (and because it was already loaded in my M200). Pilot Black to match my black 78G which I wanted to include for its broad nib. Levengers Smokey because Levenger inks have a tendency to bleed and feather. Slovenian Sheaffer Blue because of its reputation as a "safe" ink. Thornton purple to match my magenta Hero 395. Pelikan Lilac to match my Hero 5028 which I wanted to include for its calligraphy nib. Slovenian Sheaffer Red because of its reputation as a "safe" red ink. Thornton Red as I was testing this ink at the time and wanted to compare it to the Sheaffer. Levengers Always Greener because Levenger inks have a tendency to bleed and feather. In the test pages you will see this labeled as Herbin Vert Pre. As it showed more bleed through than any other ink tested, I wondered if there was a mix-up. I did a separate side comparison of these two inks and Diamine Kelly Green and found that it was Always Greener that bled badly. Later I found notes from tests on the pen used here that stated that the pen was loaded with Always Greener. I decided to trust my notes and observations over my memory. The Pens Pens were chosen from a similarly wide range. At one end was a Sheaffer that is about XXF. At the other were calligraphy pens broader than a normal "broad." One of those was exceptionally wet as well. Sheaffer Imperial Lifetime cartridge pen with broad nib for the headings. Sorry, I do not know what is in this for ink. (Anyone remember the USA Sheaffer ink cartridges that had the color printed on the side? A bright idea not copied often enough, and lost on the boat to Slovenia.) Sheaffer of unknown model but it is styled like the Lifetime Imperial but with a gold plated inlaid steel nib and a brushed chrome finish. This is the finest nib with which I can comfortably write an entire letter so I hoped that would make it resistant to bleeding and feathering. Pelikan M200 because I figured it would be a well known quantity at FPN. Fine nib. Pilot 78G with a nib labeled "broad" but which looks and acts like a calligraphy nib. Chosen as a very wide nib. Parker Beta pens (3) with fine nibs as inexpensive pens you can easily buy if you want to extend or reproduce my tests. Hero 395 for its fairly flexible nib, chosen to increase variety. Hero 5028. In contrast with the Pilot, this is sold as a calligraphy pen but writes like a double broad. It is a very wet writer, too, so I thought it would give the papers a real workout. Hero 50 with about an XF nib, included as something that might be resistant to feathering and bleed through. Jinhao 599 that had just arrived and I wanted to test it right away. Fine nib.

Well, I bit the apple and made my first review video. In this overview of Yamamoto Paper's Cosmo Air Light, I ramble, talk about inks and pens, and caress the lovely paper. https://youtu.be/T4EkXfXDts4

First off, I wanted to give a big shout out for everybody that was able to attend the Dromgoole's Dallas Pen Show 2 weeks ago! We were extremely happy to put on an event like that, and you all helped make it a successful event. It was so great to get to see everybody! With that said we are doing a similar show in San Antonio November 6th-7th!. The show will be located at the Doubletree by Hilton San Antonio Northwest right off of Loop 1604 and I-10. 6809 N Loop 1604 W, San Antonio, TX 78249 There will be a special room rate of $82/night if signed up before the end of October, if you have any issues please reach out to us and we will be happy to assist. Copy & Paste this link in your browser to book your room! https://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/S/SATJRDT-DRM-20201105/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG The show hours will be as follows: Friday November 6th 10AM-7PM Saturday November 7th 9AM-4PM The show will not be quite like the normal show due to Covid. We are taking many precautions in relation to this. Due to Covid the number of tables are greatly reduced, and meet all CDC guidelines and social distancing procedures. Hand sanitizer will be placed all around the show in addition to face coverings being required. We will have face shields available at no charge at the door. There will also be restrictions in place as far as number of people allowed in the show, so a line could form. We want to make this show as fun as possible, but we are doing everything we can to make it a safe show for all vendors and attendees. Attached is a flyer we have created that has a list of current vendors that have committed to attend, we expect to have some more as time goes on. Kirk Speer (Penrealm) will be on site offering nib grinding/tuning services!

{Hoping this is an acceptable area to post this} For those in range of a PBS station, I hope you caught the second part of Nova's "A to Z" two part series yesterday. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/series/a-to-z/ (If you missed it -- it might stream from that link). There were some interesting points... Like papyrus/reed-pen combination allowed for fairly rapid writing, so Rome had a high degree of scrolls available via libraries. But after the empire fell apart, lost ready access to papyrus. Parchment making was slow and costly (equivalent of four large pages per hide), AND required such a slow hand to write that scribes would be lucky to get two pages copied out per day! And the cost of having a scribe spend a year on a book was equivalent to buying a small home.

I'm offering blank books with Tomoe River paper at PaperForFountainPens.com This paper has inspired me to write more than I ever did before, and I've had to create the product line that I wanted for my own use. Now I'm sharing the results with you. Happy writing! —Jay

I'm looking for a fountain-pen friendly yellow or yellow toned blank paper. This came about when I tried Fuyu-gaki on my regular paper (bit like a thicker, paler Tomoe River) and found it too red and pale for my taste. I want a paper that makes Fuyu-gaki look more like a persimmon. I really love the 'depth/richness' swatches have when I edit the hues to the yellow side. So if you have any yellow papers you think really bring out certain colors, (I myself am looking to enhance browns, deep greens, and reds) please share!

First a disclaimer…I am fairly new to the forums…joining only in March. And perhaps this topic has already been written to death. But I’ve been writing cursive italic for 40 years. Everyone seems to rave about Tomoe paper for writing with fountain pens. But it’s not my favorite writing paper. I know this can vary from person to person, depending on many different things, the pen, the nib, the ink, whether you prefer some “tooth” or not. Today, I was writing a letter on Tomoe 68 gm paper. I often use an italic fountain pen for my writing….and I write in cursive italic. But I seem to find it difficult to write on Tomoe paper with my italic pens. I was wondering if others had as difficult a time writing on Tomoe as I do. The paper is super thin, which doesn’t particularly bother me. But I think it is the extreme smoothness (almost slipperiness) that gives me trouble. It is so slick that it is difficult to form proper italic letter shapes (I’m talking quickly written cursive…NOT formal italic) and I am not able to get the nice thick and thins that I get with a “toothier” paper. So I got out 6 different types of writing paper that I have on hand: 1. Strathmore Series 400 Calligraphy writing paper 75 gm 2. Rhodia High Grade Vellum Paper 90 gm 3. Tomoe 68 gm paper 4. Triomphe Clairefontaine Vellum paper 90 gm 5. Md Midori Loose leaf paper 70 gm 6. Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% cotton 90 g I took out several different pens with different nibs…from extra fine to medium regular nibs to italic extra fine to double broad. I wrote the same sentence on all the papers with all the various pens and nibs. I would say both Tomoe and Rhodia paper produced the most “saturated” colors with a higher sheen. Both are very smooth papers. It is difficult for me to control the uniformity of my handwriting as well on these papers. I just don’t have the control of my pens that I would like to have…especially my italic pens. They simply just don’t “feel” as nice to write on as some of the other papers. The ink lines are slightly thicker on both of these papers. The next smoothest paper was the Triomphe Clairefontaine. I felt I had more control over my pens on this paper. It is slightly “toothier” than the Tomoe and Rhodia. My pens grabbed the paper better, so I had more controll over my pens. The italic pens seemed to work much better on this paper also, providing nice thicks and thins. Next for me was the MD Midori paper. Very similar to Triomphone Clairefontaine, but just slightly toothier. Writing on this paper was perhaps the best for both regular fountain pens and my italic pens with italic cursive. The ink flowed very well, it was nice and saturated. Next was the Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% cotton. Actually, I really liked writing on this paper also, especially with my regular nibs. The “toothiness” made control of my regular nibs very easy. My italic nibs did not write as well on this paper, since it is rougher than the other papers. Formal italic would work fine but cursive italic handwriting is a little more difficult. My regular fountain pen nibs worked well on this paper. Nice saturated ink and dried quickly. The last paper, Strathmore Series 400 Calligraphy Writing Paper 75 gm is a bonded paper. So there are very small ridges running through it. Regular fountain pens again worked very well on this paper. But italic cursive writing was the most difficult on this paper because of the ridges in the paper. This paper would be OK for formal italic. The paper itself is the prettiest paper of all 6 that I tried. Since ALL of the paper I tried is “writing paper,” I really did not have any major problems with bleeding or feathering. Comparing the ghosting from best (least show through) to worse (most show through): Best: MD Midori Rhodia Strathmore Calligraphy Paper Triomphe Clairefontaine Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% Cotton Worst: Tomoe 68 gm paper My conclusions regarding these papers for the way that I write, and the pens that I use: For both regular nib fountain pens and italic nibs, I prefer both the Midori and Clairefonatine. These 2 papers work the best (FOR ME) as all around writing paper. For formal italic, I would normally use specialty papers….but the strathmore calligraphy paper, as well as the Midori and Clairefontain could also be made to work okay for formal italic. If I’m only using regular fountain pen nibs (not italic), then all of them EXCEPT Tomoe and Rhodia. The Tomoe and Rhodia paper are simply to slick for me. I don’t like how my pens feel when I write on these papers, and I am not able to control my pens well. I suppose you could say they are “too buttery” for my taste. Sorry about the pun. I like to be able to have control and “feel” my pens working on the paper. And I do NOT have a heavy hand when I write. I know most people will probably disagree with me, but that’s just my opinion based on my experience with these papers. In time and with more writing experience, this could change. I’d be curious about how others feel; especially in regard to using italic nibs for cursive handwriting. What paper do you prefer? Which nibs on which paper. And why?

I would love a list of FP friendly products targeted towards the UK. All I can get locally (East Yorkshire) at present is Clairefontaine and Oxford Optik. The Clairefontaine paper is in Rhodia & Europa pads as well as under their own name. Some Supermarket chains do get Clairefontaine pads as part of a 'back-to-school' range in August and I am also hoping for a repeat in December/January '20 as I scored Clairefontaine A5 Koverbooks silly-cheap. Wilkinson (Wilko) used to have Silvene Memo books and exercise books cheap but do not do them now. It's all their 'own' brand light-weight paper, 60 or 70gsm that I know nothing about. Get a truly bad pad and you get bleed-through affecting two sheets & just marking the third sheet.