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

[pepsiplease69]

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

 

 

I hadn't heard of the Ology Sugarcane paper at Walgreens, is it very good?

 

Do some of your wettest writers fare considerably well on this paper?

 

I'm thinking of getting it, and from Walgreens' website it appears that they do have it in stock at my local branch, but it doesn't mention the price.

 

The reviews seem mixed, folks mentioning that the paper curls pretty heavily when subjected to heat from a laserjet printer (which would happen in my case as well, since I have a HP laserjet 1012), but those could be fluke commenters / complainers as well.

 

My primary thought of getting this paper would be for bookbinding and creating my own hand-made journals out of it.

 

I do have an unfinished ream of both the 120 g/m² HP Premium Choice as well as the 90 g/m² HP Laser Paper. And though they are ideal for printing, I would look elsewhere for a lighter weight (but still FP friendly) paper to fold and sew into signatures.

 

Should I get this Ology paper? Would you buy again once it runs out?

[neotobeo]

While I use Rhodia in my Circa (Arc) notebooks - I was pleasantly surprise by the Markings (CR Gibson) notebooks found at Staples and elsewhere for very low cost.

I have had great success with products from european paper company out of Boulder, CO

[ink-syringe]

Tomoe River (which, sadly I can not get here), MD (midori) is similar, lots of pooling, sheen and shading like Tomoe River (and slow dry time) and no feathering but has more bleed through than TR. Life is also excellent, nice surface and great all round performance and comparatively affordable. Overlooked and under hyped in my opinion but perhaps not as easy to find outside of Asia. Love this paper. Can get a good 50 page B5 notebook here in Korea for $4. Apica I think is very similar.

 

I also like the Leuchtturm even though there is some significant show through and ghosting because I enjoy the toothy surface of the paper which seems to pull the ink out of the pen. CF/Rhodia too in terms of feather, bleed, ghosting, etc probably the best all-round performer, but I like paper with a bit of texture and CF is glassy and the crazy amount of sizing makes the paper sometimes feel chalky. Expensive in Asia.

 

If price were no object Tomoe River. But you could buy an awful lot of Life for that money and Life is excellent paper. So I have been using Life B5 books though currently working my way through an MB notebook that is really nice but a bit too expensive to use full time. I can buy 3 Life B5s for that same price but I had a coupon to use and the MD books lay perfectly flat and the paper is somewhat like TR. Amazing sheen. Sailor Sky High looks 3d on it. Inks that don't usually sheen pop on this. As you might guess, slow dry times. Lefties beware.

[john74]

For everyday use (taking notes, etc...), I use a Rhodia pad. For journals, I like Midori MD, Life (I love the cream color), and Tomoe River papers. For private correspondence, I prefer Arches and Fabriano cotton papers.

[SujiCorp12345]

I've seen nothing that beats the awesome paper that is Tomoe River paper. It's really thin ( I think it is also 52 gsm) and you can see show-through, but it won't bleed through. The downside is it is pricier than Rhodia.

[Inked]

The best that I have used....... hand made by Amatruda Amalfi, since 1285 AD

 

http://www.amatruda.eu/

 

They have a nice package that is reasonably priced in an A4 size..... http://www.amatruda.eu/publishing-printing-writing/set-printers

Bleed or show through are not part of the equation.

Also makes a great A5 sheet or journal when folded.

 

The paper has the texture and comfort of worn in cotton, but the strength and durability to bring documents forward from hundreds of years past.

 

Inked

[LeonW]

Thanks for the link to the website, I am sure to purchase some soon.

[PJohnP]

Like everyone else, I extol the magnificent Tomoe River paper, but it's not "everyday" paper for quick business notes. For one thing, there's too much "show-through", thus resulting in working only on one side. For another, the TR paper is a touch pricey for quick'n'dirty notetaking. That said, when one discusses the "best" paper brand for FP writing, it's hard to turn away from Tomoe River paper.

 

OTOH, the "best daily paper" for fountain pens is a bit of a different situation...

 

For my everyday use, I'm (mostly) working with Double-A copy paper. I've made over a format for my notebook which I've printed double-sided - apropos obviously for a paper of that name - and I find it works very well role with an extremely nice price-to-performance ratio for my needs. In my case, I work with a Circa/Arc format for my notes, so the lack of binding is not an issue. The Walgreens Ology and the Staples Sustainable Earth Copy Paper are also in the mix, but my clear preference is the Double-A.

 

 

John P.

Edited July 11, 2015 by PJohnP

[cellmatrix]

I don't like tomoe river paper because of the mediocre line variation and wider line spreading compared to less absorbant papers like clairefontaine or rhoda. The difference is especially noticeable using italic or flex nibs.

Edited July 11, 2015 by cellmatrix

[cellmatrix]

The best that I have used....... hand made by Amatruda Amalfi, since 1285 AD

 

http://www.amatruda.eu/

 

They have a nice package that is reasonably priced in an A4 size..... http://www.amatruda.eu/publishing-printing-writing/set-printers

Bleed or show through are not part of the equation.

Also makes a great A5 sheet or journal when folded.

 

The paper has the texture and comfort of worn in cotton, but the strength and durability to bring documents forward from hundreds of years past.

 

Inked

great link thanks! I've used Rossi 1931 mediovalis which seems similar, but I'd like to try the Amalfi paper

[LuckyKate]

Tomoe River is wonderful. I have a cheap "padfolio" from Target that I keep the paper pad in to protect it. I00 sheets costs about 11 dollars and lasts a long time.

 

Midori MD and MD cotton are equally fantastic. I ordered three A4 notebooks from Rakuten and paid $40 for all three of them including shipping from this link

 

http://global.rakuten.com/en/search/?k=Midori+MD&sid=voice&tl=215783

 

 

It felt like a bit of a risk as I don't understand Japanese. But the price was worth it and I love the paper. I got a note from the shop telling me my order was being processed. About a week later the shipping notice came. A few days later I received the notebooks in perfect shape. I will definitely order from Rakuten again. Where else can you get a $40 notebook for $13?

 

Edited to add better link.

Edited July 11, 2015 by LuckyKate

[Runnin_Ute]

That Amalfi better be amazing at over $0.41 per sheet on the 100 sheet package. The Rhodia pad I have works out to about $0.125 per sheet 80 sheet pad. That doesn't include charges such as taxes or shipping.

[AoKiu]

For letter writing I like ELCO Classic Satine, Made in Switzerland.

[haruka337]

Maruman Report Pads (same peeps who make Mnemosyne).

 

Various sizes available, $2 to $3 a pad and inks that have feathered (a few Sailor Jentle Ink Kingdom Note inks) on some of my 90gm Clairfontain/Rhodia pads and spirals did not feather on the report pads.

[Inked]

That Amalfi better be amazing at over $0.41 per sheet on the 100 sheet package. The Rhodia pad I have works out to about $0.125 per sheet 80 sheet pad. That doesn't include charges such as taxes or shipping.

 

Yes, I agree, the Amalfi paper is quite a bargain.

 

Inked

[brunico]

Yes, I agree, the Amalfi paper is quite a bargain.

 

 

Indeed.

 

I don't find Rhodia any better than decent printer paper for less than 2 cents a sheet. But paper like Amalfi is worth every penny.

[neotobeo]

I just picked up a ream of HP 11310-0 HP Premium Choice Laserjet Paper, White, 32-lb., 8-1/2" x 11", 500 Sheets/ream - very pleasantly surprised with many inks using fine through stub nib widths. About $11.00/ream.