Fp Friendly Paper In Australia

[MaikeruS]

Hey guys, I'm basically looking for some cheap paper that works at least reasonably well with fountain pens here in Australia (not anything like Clairfontaine or Rhodia) that I'll use for university.

 

I'm wondering if any Australian members have had any luck in finding suitable paper for cheap, preferably from B&M stores as shipping can cost more than the item. I've been using budget notebooks from supermarkets but these can feather or have severe show-through, which doesn't really help with rapid notetaking. Perforated sheets would be preferable but not essential.

 

As an aside, is there a cheap and easy way to make notebooks kind of in the style of the Circa or Arc systems?

[FlatCactus]

You can buy 'reflex ultra white 80gsm' notepads from office works. They come in packs of two or three (can't remember which) and have 70 sheets per pad. Off memory a pack of them is about $2-3 They work well with anything but the broadest and wettest of nibs. they also come already hole punched, though if you are putting them in bag you would probably either keep them in a binder or in a folder because the glue that holds the sheets together can break quite easily. The paper is also quite smooth.

If you want plain paper or can be bothered printing your own lines then 'Double A' 80gsm paper is great, a little smoother than the reflex too. It can bleed through with some combinations but if you use anything that's usually moderately well behaved then it'll be fine. You can buy a reem of 500 sheets for a couple of dollars, also from office works.

-John

[aawhite]

Paper and ink are the two variables you can control assuming you do not intend to buy a new pen. Sometimes it can be just a matter of using a less saturated ink. I use the common (white paper) notebooks; and inks, like Waterman and Sheaffer, do well with these papers.

[Ethereal Winter Wind]

Any reflex ultra white paper or notebooks are great. Officeworks are stocking $2 composition books( (sewn spine) which are alright for fountain pens, and extremely durable, compared to our normal staple and spiral bound exercise books. http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/School-Supplies/Art-Supplies/Craft/NUCOMBK

 

I use them for university, the compact size is pretty good.

[MaikeruS]

Ok, so I'm looking into either Reflex pads or notebooks, and some notebooks I found on the Officeworks website. I know that Inkypete found these notebooks quite good, and was wondering if anyone had any opinions about Spirax books. They seem to be ubiquitous and some of the casebound books have "premium quality writing paper" as a feature.

 

Thanks, Michael

[hark40]

I currently have an A5 Spirax in front of me. (http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Office-Supplies/Stationery/Notepads/Spiral-Notebooks/ES56802) It works fine for jotting down bits and pieces with a FP - at least with me. Using it with a Lamy Safari with EF, F and also 1.1 nibs, with Lamy Blue, Lamy Red, Noodlers Fox, Noodlers Luxury Blue and Noodlers Green. (I have been playing a bit of late!!) Feathering is basically non-existent, while the only noticeable bleedthrough occurred with the 1.1 nib with Luxury Blue which ran a but wet when I first loaded the pen up. The Lamy Blue with an EF shows through a little, but not as bad as the Luxury Blue with the 1.1 nib. This is more due to it being a darker blue rather than the ink itself.

[imadeadend]

Rhodia really isnt that expensive here... How cheap is cheap?

[MaikeruS]

Cheap as in $5-10 MAX for a decent sized notebook. I'm not a fan of buying paper online and I go through paper pretty quickly at uni, so Rhodia, Clairfontaine, etc. seem a little expensive.

[imadeadend]

Ohhhh you missed out mate. Theres a bookstore in Westfield Southland selling Paperways notebooks for a dollar each. Thats like 20 dollar notebooks for a buck. I dont know if its still on or not.

 

I buy almost all my paper online (notemaker and such) and its always worth it. Retail stores sell rhodia for stupid prices.

 

You should also check out notemaker's popup sales that happen every so often (the next one is at TopShop in chapel st this month). I usually go and get a bucketload of notebooks for 50+% off!

[MaikeruS]

To be honest, I don't know any local stores that stock Rhodia. Could you recommend any and give a rough indication of their prices compared to Notemaker? I don't mind buying a couple of Rhodia pads but I could never write everyday notes on that kind of paper. I dunno, but buying notebooks online seems a bit risky in terms of shipping damage as well as the price if you ship from the US. Notemaker prices seem pretty good though so I might check them out.

[tanalasta]

In Melbourne, www.notemaker.com.au have a nice stock of fountain pen friendly paper.

 

However, if you're serious about paper - and getting it in bulk - then despite the horrendous postage ... import it from Goulet (don't forget the 10% FPN discount) with your next pen or ink order! However, for small orders where postage isn't so bad (after all, prepaid satchels are not that expensive) then notemaker.com.au are very reliable. They have a nice selection of Crane & Co amongst others.

[inkypete]

To be honest, I don't know any local stores that stock Rhodia. Could you recommend any and give a rough indication of their prices compared to Notemaker? I don't mind buying a couple of Rhodia pads but I could never write everyday notes on that kind of paper. I dunno, but buying notebooks online seems a bit risky in terms of shipping damage as well as the price if you ship from the US. Notemaker prices seem pretty good though so I might check them out.

 

There is a rather interesting bookshop in Brunswick called Brunswick Bound at 361 Sydney Road. They have a supply of Rhodia and Clairefontaine. Might not be too far from you.

[inkypete]

In Melbourne, www.notemaker.com.au have a nice stock of fountain pen friendly paper.

 

However, if you're serious about paper - and getting it in bulk - then despite the horrendous postage ... import it from Goulet (don't forget the 10% FPN discount) with your next pen or ink order! However, for small orders where postage isn't so bad (after all, prepaid satchels are not that expensive) then notemaker.com.au are very reliable. They have a nice selection of Crane & Co amongst others.

 

Keep in mind that you don't have to spend too much to get free delivery from notemaker - they are sensational to deal with.

[MaikeruS]

Oh wow, Brunswick Bound is literally five minutes away by foot. I'll check them out later today.

 

On a different note, I think I found just about the worst paper ever: Spirax Writing Pads. The paper is really thin, shows through with my XF Safari and Lamy Blue-Black and feathers badly with a Pilot Varsity. I don't think I'll be buying that again.

[imadeadend]

To be honest, I don't know any local stores that stock Rhodia. Could you recommend any and give a rough indication of their prices compared to Notemaker? I don't mind buying a couple of Rhodia pads but I could never write everyday notes on that kind of paper. I dunno, but buying notebooks online seems a bit risky in terms of shipping damage as well as the price if you ship from the US. Notemaker prices seem pretty good though so I might check them out.

 

If your order comes damaged or wrong, jump for joy! Email them and they will either replace the book free of charge without asking for the damaged one back, or give you a refund without asking for it back, OR give you an equal value book!

 

I have had only one damaged corner on a notebook, emailed them and the next day received a Rhodia R pad because they didn't have any of the damaged bookin stock. No questions asked. Another time the description was wrong on a little Paperways notebook, so they refunded all the Paperways stuff I ordered in that order with no questions! Over 30 dollars back because of a 5 dollar notebook. Not affiliated, just a very happy customer

 

Buy 65 dollars worth of stuff and theyll waive the tiny postage cost too! Rhodia is always on sale there too. Plus, with a4 cahiers costing next to nothing, I bet you could do all your notes this year on Rhodia.

Edited March 5, 2012 by imadeadend

[MaikeruS]

I'm going to try out the nearby store equipped the the RRPs of all of the books I'm looking at getting as well as the prices on Notemaker to compare. I'll only be buying a pad/book or two at a time so postage could be equal to or up to about 1/3 of the total order price. That's why I'd rather not buy online, nothing against Notemaker as their prices and range look really good. I'm just hoping the Rhodia #16 Pad isn't above $10 at Brunswick Bound.

[imadeadend]

Postage is flat rate $6.50

 

And don't bother getting the #16, try this for cheaper: http://notemaker.com.au/products/rhodia-bloc-pad-19-a4-19200-19600-192009-196009

 

It's A4, much bigger than the #16 and is on sale. also if you buy the 3 pack you get 15% off! Also try the coupon code SRXMAS for an additional 15% off, and if that doesn't work the coupon WELCOME will give you 10% off.

[MaikeruS]

Actually, it's slightly larger than A4; however, that's going to be a problem. The bag I'm bring everyday to uni has to carry my Macbook Air, a lab coat, two, albeit thin, textbooks as well as a pencil case and headphones. I can only really squeeze in an A5 notebook if I need to bring Physics logbooks or other laboratory manuals, and otherwise an A4 pad barely, so A5 is probably my best bet, and that's why I would get the #16. I'm also not into getting a lot of pads, because I know I'll probably end up buying more and more so I'm limiting myself to one or two at a time.

 

Anyway, we're getting off topic. This was for cheap paper for everyday note writing and specifically not Rhodia. I am leaning towards Rhodia pads though - they are fairly well priced and have gotten great reviews.

[imadeadend]

I mentioned Rhodia because it is actually cheap paper that you can get delivered to your door. Because the quality is so good you can use both sides of the page, unlike cheap copy paper style notebooks which will only take ink to one side of the page. So, you are essentially getting double!

 

Also the cover folds back very neatly and they sit very flat. The perforations are strong so the page wont tear off if you don't want it to, but if you do go to pull it off it tears out cleanly and with little effort! Simply put they're an absolute joy to write on and if you use fountain pens they're a no brainer! I use my pads of varying sizes every day at uni and at home to do to-do lists and such.

Edited March 6, 2012 by imadeadend

[MaikeruS]

Yeah, I'll probably end up getting a Rhodia Pad or two, but I do need an A5 notebook for scribbling fast notes on paper that can take the ink and doesn't need to be particularly nice. Pads are nice for to-do lists, letter writing, and revision materials, but I'd rather have a 200 page (100 sheet) notebook that holds all of the notes I've taken when I couldn't type them as well as rough diagrams.