Rhodia, Clairefontaine, 90g, Letter Paper and other Qs from a paper newbie

[Crim]

Ok, I'm a total paper newb. I need you guys to help me, especially since I can't use the search function very easily with my PS3. Takes for freaking ever to load, when it does load. (God I can't wait until my computer is fixed!)

 

Ok first off I'm looking at buying Rhodia's Webnotebook. I saw somewhere someone mention the 90g Clairefontaine paper is really nice. But the sellers I've contacted in China only have 80g. This guy also mentioned you won't go back to 80g once you've tried 90g. My is it worth having my friend send me some 90g? Can you find this stuff at Staples and such or does he have to go to some specialty store to find it?

 

What about Clairefontaine? I thought I was buying "Rhodia" paper but when I checked their site they said their webnotebook uses clairefontaine paper... am I missing something?

 

Oh, is the weekly planner nice? I might wanna get one too and see if I can put it to use...

 

What's a really nice paper for letter writing? Like, if I'm writing a letter to someone I love very dearly I just have this image of textured, beautiful paper. What kind of paper am I thinking of? Would it handle fountain pen ink well? I want something *really* nice and special, specifically for special letters.

 

What does 90g mean, 80g, 24 lb etc mean?

 

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for helping me!

[AlejoPlay]

I don't know if I've tried 90g paper or not, but all Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper I've used has been exemplary.

 

I also think the g measure doesn't always indicate quality because I'm currently using a Picadilly Primo notebook which has 100g paper and sometimes I get a little bleed and some inks feather like mad on it.

[Flourish]

Pretty much any notebook that uses Clairefontaine paper is good. The 80g Rhodia Webnotebooks are still good but once you get your hands on a 90g you'll never want to go back to the 80g. Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Exacompta and my favorite Quo Vadis Habana are all exemplary notebooks and papers for fountain pen use.

[Crim]

Alright well I found a place online and my friend ordered some for me (Rhodia).

 

How about a nice paper for writing letters? Preferably something blank...

[dizzypen]

Ok, I'm a total paper newb. I need you guys to help me, especially since I can't use the search function very easily with my PS3. Takes for freaking ever to load, when it does load. (God I can't wait until my computer is fixed!)

 

Ok first off I'm looking at buying Rhodia's Webnotebook. I saw somewhere someone mention the 90g Clairefontaine paper is really nice. But the sellers I've contacted in China only have 80g. This guy also mentioned you won't go back to 80g once you've tried 90g. My is it worth having my friend send me some 90g? Can you find this stuff at Staples and such or does he have to go to some specialty store to find it?

 

What about Clairefontaine? I thought I was buying "Rhodia" paper but when I checked their site they said their webnotebook uses clairefontaine paper... am I missing something?

 

Oh, is the weekly planner nice? I might wanna get one too and see if I can put it to use...

 

What's a really nice paper for letter writing? Like, if I'm writing a letter to someone I love very dearly I just have this image of textured, beautiful paper. What kind of paper am I thinking of? Would it handle fountain pen ink well? I want something *really* nice and special, specifically for special letters.

 

What does 90g mean, 80g, 24 lb etc mean?

 

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for helping me!

 

The Wednotebook with 90g paper is only available in the US. Everyone else has the 80g paper version which is still pretty good. Your friend would have to find a specialty store or order it online before sending it to you.

 

Rhodia and Clairefontaine are a part of the same family of companies. Their papers are very similar and equally good so far as I am concerned. The Webnotebook is filled with Clairefontaine paper.

 

The planner is nice and is made of excellent paper just like all their products.

 

You want textured paper for letters? Well then, in the same family as Rhodia and Clairefontaine is G.Lalo. Their writing tablets have fairly thick laid paper in them. Laid paper has a sort of lined texture to it. I happen to quite like it, but some people who use XF nibs find that their nibs "get caught" on the texture. ETA: they are blank sheets and come in several colors.

 

The Grams and Pounds of paper refer to its weight and in many instances it's density. For our purposes, the higher the grams or pounds the thicker it will be and therefore the better behaved it will be with pens and ink. This is not always true. There are lots of other variables that contribute to whether or not a given paper will take ink well.

 

Hope this was helpful.

Edited November 19, 2009 by dizzypen

[GouletPens]

Aside from being a pen maker, I'm a retailer for Exaclair, which is the US distributor for Rhodia, Clairefontaine, Quo Vadis, Exacompta, J. Herbin, G. Lalo, Decopatch, and Brause. All of the Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Quo Vadis notebooks and journals use Clairefontaine paper. The staplebound Rhodia notepads have 80g paper, but everything else has 90g (at least here in the US). It's all great GREAT paper and if you haven't written on it then you owe it to yourself and your fountain pen to try it. In fact, if you've never tried it, send me a message and I can send you a small notepad to try it out. The thickness of the paper doesn't necessarily constitute its quality, just like the size of a car's engine doesn't necessarily mean it's faster. Clairefontaine paper (included in all these brands) is pretty much known as among the best paper available. I'm not just saying that because I sell it either! I was a Clairefontaine user first, and when I saw how much better it made my pens write, i knew that I just had to start carrying it. Seriously, if you've never tried it, you must. Ask just about anyone here.

Edited November 19, 2009 by GouletPens

[jimhughes]

The 90 gm Webbook by Rhodia is available at The Daily Planner in NYC. They have an online shop, google thedailyplanner. They ship, I don't know if they go to China or not on shipments. Doesn't hurt to ask. IIRC 90 gm is the weight of a square meter of the paper. Yes a 100 gm is thicker than a 50 gm paper. Not necessairly 2 x as thick. The thickness as several people have mentioned does not reflect FP friendlyness. I agreee the 100 gm Picadilly featers more than the 90 gm Webbook. Like Flourish says 90 gm paper Webbook is better FPwise use than 80 gm. I've tried both. Jim

[Crim]

Well I already ordered the Webnotebook from a place online (sorry Goulet I ordered last night before your post). My friend will ship it to me with some other stuff when he gets it. I didn't order the planner... as much as I would have loved too, I don't know if I'd ever use it. Although I'm kinda regretting not buying it now. It would have made the shipping costs a little more worth it haha.

 

I'll check out the G.Lalo too. Thanks for that recommendation.

[biffybeans]

Just a few quick clarifications -

 

Clairefontaine is the parent company of Rhodia.

 

In most all Clairefontaine products, the paper is a bright white 90g

In most all Rhodia products, the paper is a bright white 80g.

Both of these are great with fountain pens.

 

The 80g French made Webnotebook(Webbie) paper is NOT the same paper as the 80g above. People have noted that it is not suitable for FP inks. I have never tested it.

 

In response to that, Exaclair - the US importer of Clairefontaine/Rhodia products urged their parent company to create a 90g Webnotebook - which is also NOT the same paper listed above. It's an off-white paper and is excellent with FP ink. Right now, it is only being distributed in the US. It is unknown at this point whether or not it will be distributed out of the US at any time in the future, but I know that many FP users are asking for it....

 

Nice textured writing paper? G Lalo..... absolutely. Not expensive either. Also an Exaclair product.

 

PS - I work for Exaclair - I write the Rhodia Drive blog.

 

 

 

 

Ok, I'm a total paper newb. I need you guys to help me, especially since I can't use the search function very easily with my PS3. Takes for freaking ever to load, when it does load. (God I can't wait until my computer is fixed!)

 

Ok first off I'm looking at buying Rhodia's Webnotebook. I saw somewhere someone mention the 90g Clairefontaine paper is really nice. But the sellers I've contacted in China only have 80g. This guy also mentioned you won't go back to 80g once you've tried 90g. My is it worth having my friend send me some 90g? Can you find this stuff at Staples and such or does he have to go to some specialty store to find it?

 

What about Clairefontaine? I thought I was buying "Rhodia" paper but when I checked their site they said their webnotebook uses clairefontaine paper... am I missing something?

 

Oh, is the weekly planner nice? I might wanna get one too and see if I can put it to use...

 

What's a really nice paper for letter writing? Like, if I'm writing a letter to someone I love very dearly I just have this image of textured, beautiful paper. What kind of paper am I thinking of? Would it handle fountain pen ink well? I want something *really* nice and special, specifically for special letters.

 

What does 90g mean, 80g, 24 lb etc mean?

 

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for helping me!

[Ghost Plane]

I DON'T work for Clairefontaine, but the US Rhodia products I've been able to test so far are really great with my FPs. Biffy will tell you straight if a product isn't FP friendly, no matter who she works for. We all listen to her 'cause she gives great reviews.

[GouletPens]

Shame on me! I should have posted sooner The US Webbies are great, same awesome FP friendly 90g CF paper as the Classics and Quo Vadis Habanas, but in Ivory instead. The Webbies cover has a wonderful 'soft' leathery feel too it, I love stroking mine so much my wife sometimes gives me the stink eye. The Habanas are great too. They're very comparable to the Webbies, slightly different in size, the cover is different...it escapes me how to describe it. The paper is great too...it makes my Éclat de Saphir just jump off the page.

 

Biffy would be the resident expert on all this stuff. Her blog is quite thorough and comprehensive. The most respected of FP users hold her blog in high esteem. It's a great resource for inks as well. If you do ever want to try any of it, let me know. I appreciate the contributions of FPN members, so I have a 10% discount code "FPN" for you all. Also, though I don't carry G. Lalo regularly, I can always place a special order for you as Exaclair packages are coming to me quite regularly these days.

 

Well I already ordered the Webnotebook from a place online (sorry Goulet I ordered last night before your post). My friend will ship it to me with some other stuff when he gets it. I didn't order the planner... as much as I would have loved too, I don't know if I'd ever use it. Although I'm kinda regretting not buying it now. It would have made the shipping costs a little more worth it haha.

 

I'll check out the G.Lalo too. Thanks for that recommendation.

[Crim]

Unfortunately I can't view any blogging sites. Chinese firewall. I would love to make a purchase from you next time I need to =). How would you compare the Havana to the Webnotebook? Both are the same price and use the same paper right?

[GouletPens]

Unfortunately I can't view any blogging sites. Chinese firewall. I would love to make a purchase from you next time I need to =). How would you compare the Havana to the Webnotebook? Both are the same price and use the same paper right?

They're very similar products. Both use the same smooth, 90g Clairefontaine paper. The biggest difference is that the Quo Vadis Habana has bright white paper, and the Webnotebooks, or "Webbies" as they're known to the hipsters, have ivory paper. The dimensions are slightly different, both sizes of the Webbies being SLIGHTLY smaller than the Habanas, but it's hardly noticeable. Both have really nice leatherette covers, the Webbie has a 'soft' leathery feel, the Habana is more of a 'smooth' feel. It's a matter of preference, really. I personally use a large Habana when I'm journaling or taking extended notes, and I carry around a small Webbie in the back of my jeans pocket when I'm 'on the go'. I whip it out for quick notes and ideas that I have when I'm out and about. You really can't go wrong with either. Get both, haha!

[biffybeans]

If you go to the paper review section of this forum, I've posted the text from most of my reviews there.

 

 

Unfortunately I can't view any blogging sites. Chinese firewall. I would love to make a purchase from you next time I need to =). How would you compare the Havana to the Webnotebook? Both are the same price and use the same paper right?

[KyleTehDevil]

Paper weight/thickness is not everything. You have to keep in mind the way the paper is made, it's surface smoothness, any coatings, etc. For example, Rhodia's Premium 90g Ivory paper is extremely smooth, more smooth than the Classic Rhodia 80g. The 80g is also more prone to bleeding as it is indeed thinner than the 90g paper. But the 80g Classic Rhodia paper does sport a superfine Vellum paper that is no less than any other premium paper. Also keep in mind the purpose for which the paper was made. There are 100g papers such as some produced by Stillman & Birn, but their selection of products aren't entirely intended for writing on with a fountain pen. Many of their products are meant for art with different types of media, such as paints. In conclusion, just conduct some research. Figure out what product you're looking at and what it's for and such, and look at other products at well. Then, compare them. When you're sure, buy one. If you're not sure, try buying a smaller product with the same paper. Ciao.