Rhodia Overrated?

[Tseg]

I, too, strugge to like Rhodia. If a nib or ink has a flaw, it will be exposed by this paper. And then Rhodia DOTS seem to be shinier than their lined counterpart, so lack of consistency. Of course I love Tomoe River, but wished I could find in an A4 notebook regularly. Ultimately I do the vast amount of my writing in a Black n' Red A4 notebook. It is really good about blocking ghosting and bleed-through. It won't shade like a Tomoe River, but even though it dries pretty quickly, lines remain crisp. And it is value priced in a size I like... and I get next-day delivery.

[bogiesan]

Yeah, well, I enjoy Rhodia webbies.

[neverforget]

In my experience with Rhodia paper, it exhibited a high amount of feathering, what I would expect from regular paper. These days I use only Tomoe River and Mnemosyne paper.

 

I recently bought a pad of midori md cotton and find it to be excellent quality and performance (better than mnemosyne but worse than Tomoe River).

 

As I write this, my paper preferences are clarified...feathering and excessive bleeding is what I want to avoid.

[DonM]

Paper is personal preference. I like Rhodia and Clairefontaine. I don't find any inconsistency between the front and back of the pages. I also like Red n Black Optic paper. It's less expensive, too. I'm currently using an Apica premium A5 journal, which is OK. In an A5 journal I prefer 7mm or 8mm lined white paper, no bleed or show-through, hard cover and lay-flat stitched binding. If the Rhodia Goalbook had white paper and actually would lay flat it would be perfect. But that doesn't exist.

[TSherbs]

I like all these papers for different purposes. If I were a university student, I wouldn't be able to justify the price of any of them (I like food more). But I have been working for 40 years, so I can afford something nicer.

[dogpoet]

For me, the biggest issue with Rhodia pads and notebooks, far more than the price, is the ridiculously wide ruling.

Maybe the fact that the line spacing is generous enough to accommodate a calligraphy set broad has as much to do with their popularity with FP users as the paper quality, but that's a real sticking point for me.

[TSherbs]

For me, the biggest issue with Rhodia pads and notebooks, far more than the price, is the ridiculously wide ruling.

Maybe the fact that the line spacing is generous enough to accommodate a calligraphy set broad has as much to do with their popularity with FP users as the paper quality, but that's a real sticking point for me.

 

Yeah, I get it. But I don't like ruling

[Shaggy]

For me, the biggest issue with Rhodia pads and notebooks, far more than the price, is the ridiculously wide ruling.

Maybe the fact that the line spacing is generous enough to accommodate a calligraphy set broad has as much to do with their popularity with FP users as the paper quality, but that's a real sticking point for me.

 

Same!! I feel like I could write with a crayon between those 8mm lines.

[A Smug Dill]

@Shaggy Which Rhodia pads and notebooks are 8mm-ruled as opposed to 7mm-ruled?

[Shaggy]

@Shaggy Which Rhodia pads and notebooks are 8mm-ruled as opposed to 7mm-ruled?

They may be 7mm but they seem huge to me. I might be confusing them with the Red & Black line spacing.

[Estycollector]

Different pens for different paper. My favorite paper for dip pen use is regular 20# copy paper. I have stationary for letter writing. My generic journal paper is great, but unbranded and I can't remember where I got it.

[N1003U]

They may be 7mm but they seem huge to me. I might be confusing them with the Red & Black line spacing.

 

Red & Black ruled is 8mm.

Rhodia is 7mm.

I use both.

 

Rhodia dot grid dots are 5mm apart. I find them handy for single-spaced and double-spaced writing (sometimes even triple-spaced for some lettering applications).

[N1003U]

Different pens for different paper. My favorite paper for dip pen use is regular 20# copy paper. I have stationary for letter writing. My generic journal paper is great, but unbranded and I can't remember where I got it.

Yea, I try not to get too attached to any one paper style...there are so many to explore!

Edited March 26, 2020 by N1003U

[dan in montreal]

There are plenty of good papers out there and I use a variety of them. The main thing I like with Rhodia is consistency. I'm surprised so many people here have found important variations in quality and characteristics within the brand. I've used it in a variety of formats for years and years (pads in different sizes, lined, dot-grid, blank, cahiers and stapled books) and I've found it to be very consistent, with hardly any variation. It's my best all-around paper for fountain pens as it agrees with most of my nibs and inks.

The fact that it's widely available in my area is also an advantage and the price is reasonable.

 

I also like Clairefontaine products, but their coating disagrees with many of my favorite inks as they take forever to dry... However, if dry time is not an issue, they can be super nice.

 

It depends what inks and nibs one uses, doesn't it? Some very cheap / crappy paper can work well with fast drying inks in a EF nib - even Moleskine papers, for instance. But other nib / ink combos will not work at all.

Many have said paper is a personal thing. This is true, but it also has a lot to do with the pens and inks one uses.

[Rosendust]

I find that Rhodia has a durability and it's not as slick as Clairefontaine can be. Alas, Rhodia remains in my top three luxury paper choices!

[ScarletWoodland]

You're definitely not alone. I still use Rhodia because the spiral top, No16 dotpads are the most practical ink testing format for me and they can take a really wet flex pen. That said, I don't enjoy them for everyday writing anymore, because the surface is just too prone to skipping. Clairefontaine is even worse but the big A4+ Europas are so practical I put up with it. A perfectly ground, not too glassy nib and a hand rest will mostly avoid the skipping problem but that isn't a realistic expectation for me, everyday. I much prefer the cream, premium Rhodia paper but a few inks can feather quite badly on it.

 

I'd love a thick, 52gsm Tomoe River pad in an ideal world but have settled on a 68gsm GLP The Author pad for (western) fine, medium or broader nibs...

 

And Paperblanks journals for xf and (Eastern) fine nibs.

 

I didn't like the Leuchtturm paper at all (although in fairness I've only tried the whitelines one which may be different). Must try Midori and Apica at some point.

Edited April 16, 2020 by ScarletWoodland

[MHBru]

i enjoy my Rhodia webnotebooks and I am glad someone earlier mentioned Black n Red... very nice paper that i use for my ink journal... it takes everything well

[LuckyKate]

I used the Rhodia A4 for years and never really liked the paper with its glossy hard surface. What I did love was the hard backing and the durability. I've tried many other A4, notably Life Noble, which again has a lovely durable backing, but the same odious waxy paper surface.

 

And as much as I love Tomoe River in my notebooks, the A4 pads are too flimsy and fall apart in my hands unless I'm writing on a hard surface.

 

But I've recently bought the Midori A4 paper pad, and I adore it. The paper is gorgeous, a bit toothy (the same as the paper in Midori notebooks). And the paper is securely fastened (on two sides) to a hard cardboard backing that I can write on. It is really wonderful, and I highly recommend it. I got my pad from Vanness:

 

https://vanness1938.com/collections/midori-paper/products/midori-md-cotton-a4-paper-pad-blank

Edited April 19, 2020 by LuckyKate

[TitoThePencilPimp]

I like Rhodia. But currently, I am enjoying Kokuyo Campus and Maruman Mnemosyne paper/notebooks. The color of the grid lines on the Rhodia, are starting to bug me.

 

 

[TSherbs]

. The color of the grid lines on the Rhodia, are starting to bug me.

Yeah, I can only do Rhodia blank. But I like it.