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Good Quality Fountain Pen Friendly Paper - India


rkpai

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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)

 

post-105472-0-64678600-1428813163_thumb.jpg

 

post-105472-0-08352800-1428813170_thumb.jpg

 

Bilt says the paper has good archival qualities

 

post-105472-0-01755000-1428813166_thumb.jpg

 

Other uses.

 

post-105472-0-04722000-1428813168_thumb.jpg

 

Finally, writing sample. Ink is Bril Royal Blue.

 

post-105472-0-40573600-1428813555_thumb.jpg

 

Best Regards

Rakshit

Edited by Rakshit
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Bilt is a good paper. The Matrix note books are very FP friendly. However most of the school note books that you get in India also have excellent paper. I use a book made of Mysore Paper Mills 70 & 80 gsm paper.

A lifelong FP user...

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Bilt is a good paper. The Matrix note books are very FP friendly. However most of the school note books that you get in India also have excellent paper. I use a book made of Mysore Paper Mills 70 & 80 gsm paper.

 

Can you please post a pic of the packaging?

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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.

BILT is good.

 

There is this thread here with some information already.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/282705-what-notepad-or-notebook/

 

The paper size in your review is actually Foolscap.

 

HTH,

 

Hari

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BILT is good.

 

There is this thread here with some information already.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/282705-what-notepad-or-notebook/

 

The paper size in your review is actually Foolscap.

 

HTH,

 

Hari

 

Thanks Hari ji. Corrected my post.

 

The foolscap measurements don't match those of this paper.. so put in the actual measurements.

 

Regards

Rakshit

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Thanks Hari ji. Corrected my post.

 

The foolscap measurements don't match those of this paper.. so put in the actual measurements.

 

Regards

Rakshit

Pls call me just Hari. :)

 

yes, the BILT size does seem odd. This page has the standard sizes listed:

 

http://www.papersizes.org/a4-foolscap-letter.htm

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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I personally found TNPL platinum 80 GSM much better than BILT 90 and even 100 gsm bond paper.

Camlin kokuyo notebooks are also very pleasing to write with FP.

"It's simple to be happy but difficult to be simple"

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  • 9 months later...

A short review on 85 gsm sheets from Bilt executive bond (MRP: INR 110 for 100 sheets, product code: RR0851AI).

 

- Sheets are slightly off white in color

- Ink colors shine well

- Occasional bleeding with western M nibs and above. Perfect with F nib or below.

- Absorbs ink well and suppresses shading properties of ink to some extent (not unusual because the paper is designed for printers)

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  • 2 months later...

Unfortunately Rhodia and Clairfontaine are available cheap in India. But I found there Italian brand really nice ones for FP writing.

 

http://www.flipkart.com/fabriano-ecoqua-a4-notebook-spiral-bound/p/itmdhfzz7nsqrvn8?pid=DIADHFZZ7NSQRVN8&al=le%2BU4uAYRayWoJbQht%2BLeMldugMWZuE7FrnKNFONe20vaU627tIEwPRtOxkxlBwKYeBiATAJCYM%3D&ref=L%3A-8289408071427470193&srno=p_2&findingMethod=Search&otracker=start

 

They are absolute worth for money. They off-white colour. Try one for yourself and decide.

They are my daily driver for my cursive writing exercises.

I personally love them. Please check whether they are ruled / grid before buying, if it bothers you.

 

Regards,

Vikas

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  • 2 months later...

I think I'm coming way late into this topic. :)

 

From my experience, BILT Executive Bond paper is FP friendly in that it doesn't bleed through or feathers...however it's also rather absorbent so you won't get a lot of shading...same thing for the laid papers like Original Crown Mill or G Lalo.

 

My personal preference is paper that's a little ink resistant (Tomoe River is a perfect example, my guess would be that Clairefontaine Triomphe is the same)...ITC Classmate note-books are really nice in that regard.

 

Can anyone here clarify if Bilt Ledger is ink absorbent or resistant?

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I think I'm coming way late into this topic. :)

 

From my experience, BILT Executive Bond paper is FP friendly in that it doesn't bleed through or feathers...however it's also rather absorbent so you won't get a lot of shading...same thing for the laid papers like Original Crown Mill or G Lalo.

 

My personal preference is paper that's a little ink resistant (Tomoe River is a perfect example, my guess would be that Clairefontaine Triomphe is the same)...ITC Classmate note-books are really nice in that regard.

 

Can anyone here clarify if Bilt Ledger is ink absorbent or resistant?

Bilt Ledger is ink absorbent

vaibhav mehandiratta

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I'm quite late to this party. I'm a big fan of Indian paper and posted a favorable review of the Indian-made Canefields sugar cane based legal pads last year:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/289981-really-jazzed-about-cane-fields-sugar-cane-legal-pads/

 

This paper is very good but I was miffed that they raised the price right after I bought my first pack of 12 and posted this review.

 

I also have a few excellent Indian-made composition books which I have bought at my local dollar store (owned by an Indian family). The paper in these books is very good especially given that they cost a dollar each. The texture is smooth and the paper accepts ink quite well. I use these composition books for handwriting practice as well as calligraphy practice as they accept wet or saturated inks very well. These composition books are far superior to the poor quality ones which also cost $1.00 made in Mexico and elsewhere which are always in stock at Staples and Office Depot stores here in the states

 

I would like to see more Indian-made paper more readily available in the U.S. What I have experienced is high quality. I know the main thrust of this topic is "what good Indian-made papers are available in India" but I think with just a little savvy marketing and packaging, and better distribution, some good Indian papers could easily compete with the French papers in the international marketplace. I also wish Canefields would do more marketing and make the cost of their excellent legal pads competitive again.

 

(I apologize for the poor quality of the images for some reason had trouble uploading actual size photos).

Edited by Maurizio

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  • 4 weeks later...

A bit of a digression from the original topic to share some thoughts and experiences on Indian paper.

 

From what I've seen, even school notebooks from India have fountain pen friendly paper. BILT, ITC Classmate, Navneet Scholar etc. are excellent for fountain pens. Personally I find notebooks from India to be more fountain pen friendly compared to the highly acclaimed Rhodia paper. Rhodia has a coating over it that I don't prefer.

 

Outside of India, there isn't much of a choice, so Rhodia, Clairfontaine, Tomoe River and some other Japanese and French paper are so popular as those are only ones retailers can get. From my experience with a few, they're just expensive and really not any better than a Rs. 50 Indian notebook. Rhodia and others are just hyped up, marketed and talked about so much on an international forum that people start to believe that they're better. Most people on FPN haven't used Indian paper and they don't know about it.

 

I get my paper from India either when I visit or through some relative from India visiting me in the US. I bet if an Indian paper brand (the fairly good quality ones that I listed above) is introduced in the US market, at even twice the price, it will take the fountain pen community by storm.

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From what I've seen, even school notebooks from India have fountain pen friendly paper. BILT, ITC Classmate, Navneet Scholar etc. are excellent for fountain pens. Personally I find notebooks from India to be more fountain pen friendly compared to the highly acclaimed Rhodia paper. Rhodia has a coating over it that I don't prefer.

 

While it is a matter of debate whether Rhodia is hyped, I would say it is a stretch to compare BILT, ITC Classmate, Navneet Scholar or other similar Indian notebooks with Rhodia.

 

I have used Classmate and Scholar notebooks extensively, and I have used different fountain pen and ink combinations on these papers. In fact, we had no other options while in school and college and had to use these notebooks.

 

The quality is strictly acceptable for fountain pen use, nothing spectacular. So if you are talking about the same notebooks, I'm afraid my experience is very different and not altogether positive.

 

The 90 GSM and 100 GSM papers from BILT, JK Cedar, Paper One, etc. are pretty nice and fountain pen friendly, but they are not in the Rs. 50 range. I use this paper for regular use along with other nicer paper like Rhodia, Fabriano, Tomoe River, and Maruman.

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Steve - that's exactly what I'm talking about. I won't say the composition books' paper compares to Rhodia (or Clairefontaine), but it's darn good paper at an amazing price.

 

However, the Canefields sugar cane paper legal pads are quite excellent and I wish they were marketed more aggressively here in the U.S. and other international markets to give the other papers some much needed competition.

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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While it is a matter of debate whether Rhodia is hyped, I would say it is a stretch to compare BILT, ITC Classmate, Navneet Scholar or other similar Indian notebooks with Rhodia.

 

I have used Classmate and Scholar notebooks extensively, and I have used different fountain pen and ink combinations on these papers. In fact, we had no other options while in school and college and had to use these notebooks.

 

The quality is strictly acceptable for fountain pen use, nothing spectacular. So if you are talking about the same notebooks, I'm afraid my experience is very different and not altogether positive.

 

The 90 GSM and 100 GSM papers from BILT, JK Cedar, Paper One, etc. are pretty nice and fountain pen friendly, but they are not in the Rs. 50 range. I use this paper for regular use along with other nicer paper like Rhodia, Fabriano, Tomoe River, and Maruman.

 

 

Sudhir, I didn't mean to say that Rhodia isn't good quality, I am saying that I think it is quite expensive and the quality isn't proportional to the price. I am also not disputing your experience with Classmate and Scholar notebooks. My experience was pretty good with a Parker 45/vector and Quink/Camlin Blue on Classmate and Scholar books (in fact even those were quite expensive for me back in the day, I used even cheaper notebooks with fountain pens). They didn't feather or bleed through and the ink dried fairly quickly. Ghosting was very minor. Maybe I got a really good batch of classmate last year?

 

The reason I compared the brands was because I think Rhodia is way overpriced for what it offers compared to the Indian brands. And the notion that Rhodia is somewhat a gold standard is probably because people (including me) haven't used many of the nicer paper out there.

 

For me, reasonably good is good enough for daily writing and these cheaper Indian paper do the job well. I've been using BILT Matrix for my handwritten reviews and it's fantastic! I'll take it over Rhodia any day for reasons other than just price. Rhodia paper has a coating on it that makes for a 'slick' writing experience that I don't like. It tends be too smooth and I like a bit more control when I write, I guess there is a sweet spot between too smooth and rough texture, which the Indian brands seem to hit just right for me. Inks also tend to take longer to dry on Rhodia because of the coating causing it to smudge every now and then while taking quick notes. Some of my smooth pens that write perfectly well on most paper including TR tend to skip on Rhodia. That really puts Rhodia far behind in my book and that is why I stand by my opinion that the Indian brands I've used are more fountain pen friendly than Rhodia. Now, I have a different set of issues with TR that I won't discuss at the moment. I am not taking into consideration factors like sheen, shading and other artistic properties, just plain simple writing on a day-to-day basis.

 

I think I should sample more scholar and classmate notebooks to see if anything has changed. If multiple people are noting that classmate isn't great for FPs then I'm surely missing something.

 

I probably took it too far by saying that the Indian brands will take the market by storm. I should have said that chances are quite high that people will like it. It all depends on their preferences.

Edited by s_t_e_v_e
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