What Effect Does Gsm Have On Absorbency/saturation? And A Few General Paper Questions

[BJT]

What effect does the gsm of paper have on saturation/absorbency of ink, and what other factors affect it besides just gsm?

I was writing today with a fairly wet italic pen using diamine onyx black ink, and had cause to compare its writing on several different papers:

* clairefontaine 90 gsm notebook

* copier paper which I now know to be xerox 80gsm

* a bog standard envelope, probably 'tesco value', no idea what gsm?

 

The clairefontaine 90gsm is definitely the smoothest. However the line has a much better saturation and depth of colour, i.e. it's a much more 'jet' black - quite 'painty', and much more satisfying - on the 80 gsm copier paper. On the cheap envelope it has got the same satisfying painty quality albeit with a very slight amount of feathering, when you write slowly - although only if you look very closely and in my opinion not unattractively so.

 

I think with the 'higher' quality paper it is almost too shiny and it 'shimmers' and resists the ink resulting in less being laid down and reduced depth of colour. Anyone else notice this?

Does even higher gsm paper do this even more?

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds - a paper whcih slurps up ink out of the pen to give excellent saturation, but also very smooth and no feathering?

 

Also, the Clairefontaine notebook describes itself as "90gsm Clairefontaine brushed vellum paper" - is it actual vellum - i.e. does this mean I'm actually writing on a dead cow, as opposed to mushed up trees?

Edited May 2, 2016 by BJT

[Bobby Check]

I have always believed it was the coating on the paper and the finish on the paper that was most important in absorbency.

 

Also http://www.paperonweb.com/grade.htm may be of use.

 

Bobby

[BJT]

interesting, thanks, yes it does make sense that coating affects it. I'll look into that.

[scrivelry]

What effect does the gsm of paper have on saturation/absorbency of ink, and what other factors affect it besides just gsm?

I was writing today with a fairly wet italic pen using diamine onyx black ink, and had cause to compare its writing on several different papers:

* clairefontaine 90 gsm notebook

* copier paper which I now know to be xerox 80gsm

* a bog standard envelope, probably 'tesco value', no idea what gsm?

 

The clairefontaine 90gsm is definitely the smoothest. However the line has a much better saturation and depth of colour, i.e. it's a much more 'jet' black - quite 'painty', and much more satisfying - on the 80 gsm copier paper. On the cheap envelope it has got the same satisfying painty quality albeit with a very slight amount of feathering, when you write slowly - although only if you look very closely and in my opinion not unattractively so.

 

I think with the 'higher' quality paper it is almost too shiny and it 'shimmers' and resists the ink resulting in less being laid down and reduced depth of colour. Anyone else notice this?

Does even higher gsm paper do this even more?

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds - a paper whcih slurps up ink out of the pen to give excellent saturation, but also very smooth and no feathering?

 

Also, the Clairefontaine notebook describes itself as "90gsm Clairefontaine brushed vellum paper" - is it actual vellum - i.e. does this mean I'm actually writing on a dead cow, as opposed to mushed up trees?

 

If you were writing on dead cow (or dead any other animal) you would be paying a very high price per sheet, compared to paper. I don't have any Clairfontaine lying around, but from what I have seen and the word "paper" in their description I am personally sure what you've got there is mushed up fibers, though whether from trees, or cotton, or some other plant, or a combination, I couldn't tell you without looking at the notebook and possibly contacting Clairfontaine if it does not say.

 

I have never seen real vellum or parchment for sale anywhere I have ever been. Just searching the net I found once source that seems to cater to Wiccan users that had a 9 by 12 sheet for 39.95. That's for one sheet. Another place had two inch by two inch pieces for something like 9.95. I wouldn't worry about animal parchment being sold as paper - you'd have noticed the price difference and gasped before you bought.

Edited May 2, 2016 by scrivelry

[BJT]

ok. I thought as much - just confirming the description actually referred to it having the characteristics of vellum, rather than actually being vellum. Since I'm not writing out newly-enacted laws, I'm happy.

[zwack]

The higher GSM papers weigh more for a set surface area, that means they are either thicker or more compressed.

 

If just thicker then they should absorb more, as there is more volume for the ink to vanish into. They might feather more but are less likely to show bleedthrough. A more compressed paper is less likely to absorb ink, so it will take longer to dry, might spread across the surface but could show some bleedthrough.

 

The paper might be coated which would affect absorbency too.

 

So, the same paper from the same manufacturer with a higher weight is more likely to be absorbent. But different manufacturers or even just different papers and all bets are off.