In Your Opinion What Is The Best Paper Brand For Fountain Pens?

[naatelovesyou]

Anybrand and also tell me where I can find it. Country State Province Store Website ANYTHING Thanks

[macaddicted]

HP 32 lb. premium choice laserjet. 500 letter (8.5x11") sheets for around $15-20. My favorite all around paper. As an itinerate pad and notebook maker it is great for customizing given how inexpensive and readily available it is.

 

Clairefontaine triomphe or R by Rhodia, available at FP and specialty writing sites. Everybody has to feed a few sheets of Triomph to their pen at some point. Defines smooth, bright white paper. R by Rhodia is very similar but cream colored. Rhodia and Clairefontaine are both great brands for FPs, but these two are my favorite pads.

[TSherbs]

Clairefontaine Triomphe, available from online sellers

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

I prefer Rhodia paper notebooks especially their "Dot Pad". You Get them at Carmichael's book store in the highlands.

[brunico]

There isn't a best.

 

Triomphe does have a cult following. There are people who want writing to be smoother than anything in recorded history, and for them it's a good choice. Personally, I find it slick, glossy and utterly characterless. It presents difficulties in controlling a nib when writing rapidly, and, for people who are into paper as paper, it's hard to think of anything that's as uninteresting as Triomphe. Give me an off-white laid paper any day. Even humble and dependable copy paper has more soul to it.

 

Other than cheap notepads (you can identify these because they usually have ruled paper inside and a picture on the front aimed at eight-year-olds), most papers should work perfectly well with fountain pens. It would be a shame to pay a lot for paper that you didn't particularly like, just because others thought it was the best for fountain pens in one way or another.

Edited June 30, 2015 by brunico

[GatzBcn]

I will say Tomoe River.

[jsolares]

Tomoe River and Oxford Optic paper, for the first look at nanami paper in the US, and for oxford look for black n' red notebooks

[senzen]

Clairefontaine, Triomphe, Rhodia, Tome River, HP 32.

[tinta]

Naatelovesyou, what fountain pen friendly papers are available to you in Spain?

The French Rhodia or Clairefontaine papers are always good choices.

[Renfield]

Tomoe River and Oxford Optic paper, for the first look at nanami paper in the US, and for oxford look for black n' red notebooks

 

I will second this.

 

I use mostly Tomoe river for international letters (where weight matters), and Oxford Optik for pretty much everything else.

 

these 2 brands covers 95%+ of my letters. I do have other papers, and mix them up a bit from time to time, but thats just to try and use the huge amount of other papers I have.

 

Some people argue that Oxford Optik lined paper is not suitable for letters, as it is very "studenty", but frankly that doesn't bother me. Its the content that is important, not the paper.

[ac12]

Realize that "best" always has a clarifier.

And best is very subjective and again dependent on the clarifiers, best by what measure, my best could be someone else's worst.

 

Examples:

• One could say Clairfontaine paper is the "best." But for someone on fixed income that writes a LOT, the cost of Clairfontaine paper would knock it out of consideration. It is too expensive to be "best," for someone on a budget.

• A paper that is best for someone writing with a B nib may be horrible for someone writing with a XF nib.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

• [*]One could say Clairfontaine paper is the "best." But for someone on fixed income that writes a LOT, the cost of Clairfontaine paper would knock it out of consideration. It is too expensive to be "best," for someone on a budget.

 

While it is true these type of statements can be subjective because of personal taste etc, at the same time however the argument about fixed imcome should not even be a factor when discussing "The best" unless you use a qualifier in front of the original statement. Like "the best under $5.00", you can not say "the best on a budget" because even the wealth have a budget.

 

But if you say "the best paper for fountain pens" then just because the price is at a certain level that you may not be able to afford, it still is the best and therefor something to strive for. Something special possibly. Example, I am on a fixed income and cannot afford clairfontaine paper on a regular basis. But as a gift some one buys us cheap copier paper because they heard that this was the "best", would that gift mean as much as if they would have bought us clairfontaine paper knowing that it realy was the best and giving even more worth to the gift.

 

But because most of us would like to think what we have is the best and that we do not use the mediocre or so-so products we give our pens and paper the "best" status.

 

Just a thought and I am sure there are flaws in this thinking, also I am not saying this towards anyone so please do not take it personal.

[Barkingpig]

Everyone's priority for spending money is different. I have enjoyed THIS hobby because I can enjoy a "rare or expensive" ink even if the price is 10 times the cost of another ink. Paper is the same way for me as I can enjoy a small amount of probably the most expensive paper to be found. I will write mostly in Black & Red notebooks (purchased thanks to a post here for UNDER $3./each) BUT enjoy writing a letter on Italian/ Hungarian hand made paper. I enjoy the same nibs on Omas pens whether they are used pens @ perhaps 1/4 the cost of a new model or a new "limited" edition pen. This hobby has MANY price ranges & often even a "limited" budget can be accommodated without feeling excluded from a chance to appreciate the "best." Because I cannot afford the BEST car doesn't mean I can't read & enjoy the merits of those considered to be so. I appreciate the opportunity to read about EACH person's opinion of what they consider to be the "BEST."

My Mother left a job in a bank (before marrying my Father) to work @ a Thoroughbred horse farm & a friend asked if she wouldn't be bothered by associating with the world of the very rich BUT not having the same money. She replied she had not been bothered by the bank customers who had more than others & planned to enjoy the benefits of her job in spite of being an employee & not an owner of same. She indeed (as we all did) enjoy the experiences of those benefits & considered our lives enriched for the opportunity. Even if I cannot afford a Hakase pen I am grateful to enjoy a bottle of their ink!

[MKB]

I like ink, and feel that Tomoe River is best at expressing the shading and sheening characteristics that I enjoy. It's my best for ink expression and an unusual/special correspondence paper.

 

I love the feel of a nice cotton paper like Southworth Résumé 100% cotton, but it drinks ink, so the shading and sheening are mostly lost; however, I still enjoy using it for correspondence with some inks. It's my best for a formal classy feel.

 

Clairefontaine Triomphe is a great paper for glassy smooth writing, shading and sheen. I'm less excited about the feel of it than the two above, but it is my best somewhat regular paper with nice ink expression and glassy smooth writing experience.

 

HP 32lb Premium Choice is my best bulk affordable paper that is, for me, just a bit short of Triomphe in terms of performance, and it's thicker and whiter.

[pepsiplease69]

I will say Tomoe River.

+ {like} 20

[Notgatherox]

My preferred choice of paper when writing letters is Clairefontaine Triomphe (CT), but I usually save it for rare occasions cause ya know, that paper ain't cheap. I like the smoothness and whiteness of the paper. I am fine with off white but am reluctant to use it cause it doesn't show the ink colour properly.

 

Usually, I use PaperOne Premium Presentation 100gsm (less than 10 bucks for a 500 sheet ream, available at the local bookstore Popular) for my letters.

 

 

~Epic

[Runnin_Ute]

I have a few papers I enjoy. Red n' Black notebooks (Oxford Optic), Clairefontaine Triomphe (currently out of stock in my supply), Rhodia (have a pad of both A4 & A5) , Leuchtturm (A5 notebook I have), HP 24 Laser (haven't tried 32), but one of if not my very favorite for correspondence is Basildon Bond. (I have the one with the yellow cover with a leaf) I think they call the color Champagne. My pad is the Duke size which is slightly smaller than A5. The Basildon Bond is a little more difficult to get here in the USA. I have a pen pal in England who gets it for me as it is readily available there.

[inkstainedruth]

I have tried and liked Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and Tomoe River in pads. Right now, my favorite journals are by Miquelrius (their medium flexible journals, in the 300 page size).

I often try to find sugarcane paper notebooks and printer paper, but it's hard to get in B&M stores for some reason. Ology sugarcane paper from Walgreen's is not bad (but it's only 400 sheets per ream).

Mind you, I also use cheap paper....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[LeonW]

@ barkinpig, please share with us where to purchase the Italian, Hungarian handmade paper. Your posting reflects my feelings about ink and paper.

[Barkingpig]

@ barkinpig, please share with us where to purchase the Italian, Hungarian handmade paper. Your posting reflects my feelings about ink and paper.

The Hungarian paper was from MRS. JOHN STRONG (New York City) when I had some cards engraved & was I suppose part of their "custom" paper selection. I have no clue what they currently offer since the company has been purchased & has a "new" owner. I did however receive a letter from them offering the availability of further custom work so obviously they still offer the service. I have found it very similar to the Amalfi paper I purchased from EUROPEAN PAPER CO.