Laid Paper: Which Side Do You Use?

[MFP]

From what I've read, laid paper originally got its characteristic grid watermark and rough texture from the wire sieve on which the paper dried, and modern laid-finish paper is pressed by a roll to give it a similar watermark and texture.

 

But which side is the front? I would speculate that the smoother side of early paper, which was on top while the paper dried, would be used for writing and printing. But the laid-finish paper I have bought recently has the grid texture on top, as if I'm expected to write on that side.

 

Do the manufacturers assume, not unreasonably, that anyone who buys laid-finish paper wants to write on the laid texture? Which side do fountain pen users use?

 

Richard

 

[inkstainedruth]

Does it have a watermark? I think that the side up is supposed to be where the watermark text is right-side up and "normal" for reading (well, at least in a Western alphabet, that is. But don't quote me, because I don't know where I got that information from....

The problem is, a lot of laid paper is either for a typewriter/printer or for artwork (like printmaking).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[MFP]

Does it have a watermark? I think that the side up is supposed to be where the watermark text is right-side up and "normal" for reading

Yes, I've heard that, but the laid paper I have ( C.R. Gibson, G. Lalo, Original Crown Mill) does not have a watermark except for the laid lines.

[Chrissy]

If paper is thick enough for no show-through, I use both sides.

[MFP]

If paper is thick enough for no show-through, I use both sides.

 

I do too, but which side do you use first?

[kazoolaw]

The textured.

[Bookman]

The textured.

 

Same here. I use laid paper as my personal-letter stationery, and that's the side I want facing the recipient of my letter.

[HDoug]

The laid side, the side with the texture, is the side you are supposed to write on. The watermark will read correctly. My current letter paper of choice is Lalo laid...BUT... my current pen of choice is a Conid Bulkfiller with a sharpish .5mm cursive italic that writes better on the smooth side. So sometimes I use the smooth side.

 

Doug

[MFP]

The laid side, the side with the texture, is the side you are supposed to write on. The watermark will read correctly. My current letter paper of choice is Lalo laid..

I thought I could get guidance from watermarks, but none of my laid paper has a watermark, including my G. Lalo Verge de France. Do you have a laid paper with a watermark (other than the laid pattern)?

[Tryek25]

Put the paper flat on the table and use the light on your cellphone to shine it across the sheet at a low angle. This will highlight the texture of the paper and show which side is "up", referring to the side that saw the Dandy on the papermachine, felt side. Depending on the weight of the paper, they can have slightly different properties when absorbing ink.

[HDoug]

I thought I could get guidance from watermarks, but none of my laid paper has a watermark, including my G. Lalo Verge de France. Do you have a laid paper with a watermark (other than the laid pattern)?

 

My Lalo Verge de France (A4) has the watermark. It's an old batch though. Have they stopped watermarking? (Sorry for the rather ad hoc photo. I just held the paper against a white wall and took a cellphone shot...)

 

[MFP]

 

My Lalo Verge de France (A4) has the watermark. It's an old batch though. Have they stopped watermarking? (Sorry for the rather ad hoc photo. I just held the paper against a white wall and took a cellphone shot...)

 

Thanks for the photo! That makes clear on which side the manufacturer expects you to write. I have only the A5 size, and it has no watermark other than the laid lines.

 

Richard

[OMASsimo]

All the handmade laid paper I have has watermarks and they all read from the more textured side. That makes sense since the watermark was woven into the sieve (in a mirrored way) and shows more clearly on the side in direct contact to the sieve. It might be different for the modern mock handmade papers.

 

Stationary was a precious, costly affair till recently when mankind decided that writing real letters for private purposes was a thing of the past or for freaks like me. So, usually both sides were used for writing anyway. When I look at old documents and letters, no space was wasted. Before the 20th century, it even was customary to use the first sheet of the letter as the envelope in which case the other side was kept blank. After folding it up and sealing it with sealing wax the empty side was used to write down the address.

[JakobS]

In the gummed paper pads I have from both G Lalo and Original Crown Mill, the laid side is facing upward, but I use both sides to write, though I find the Original Crown Mill has a higher potential of show/bleed through.

[Noihvo]

 

[Chrissy]

 

I do too, but which side do you use first?

 

I don't really mind. Whichever side is up is the side I start writing on.

[Minty]

First I use one side, then the other.

[Bookman]

My Southworth antique laid paper has the Watermark on the smooth side. I'm not gonna write on that side just because Southworth's designers said I'm supposed to. They're not the boss of me!

[MFP]

My Southworth antique laid paper has the Watermark on the smooth side. I'm not gonna write on that side just because Southworth's designers said I'm supposed to. They're not the boss of me!

That's interesting because it's the first brand of laid paper I've heard about that has a watermark on the smooth side. From the Southworth website, it appears that the antique laid paper comes only in 8.5" x 11.5" sheets, so the manufacturer may expect a lot of the paper to be used in printers, which print better on a smooth surface, rather than for handwriting.

Edited October 25, 2017 by MFP

[OMASsimo]

My Southworth antique laid paper has the Watermark on the smooth side. I'm not gonna write on that side just because Southworth's designers said I'm supposed to. They're not the boss of me!

 

This seems rather odd to me or I may not understand correctly what you call the "smooth side". I also may misunderstand what you mean by "antique". Laid paper is made by pouring the pulp on a sieve, letting it set and finally dry. The watermark is woven into the sieve and thus always shows stronger on the more structured side if that traditional method is used. For this reason, all the vintage laid papers I've ever seen had the watermark readable from the more structured side.

 

Of course, the modern industrial way of making paper that may be marketed as "laid" paper is totally different and the watermark as well as the surface structure is embossed by a machine. But I wouldn't consider this a real laid paper. And I'd wonder if papers which I'd consider vintage/antique were already made this way.