Tomoe River bad batch?

January 17, 2021

I recently got my first set of Tomoe River paper, loos leaf 68 gsm a5 letter sheets. To be honest, while it handles ink without feathering or bleeding, it’s super absorbent and makes my Ben’s write much broader lines than they do on other paper. As such, the lines come out more blobby and with less character. I’m really not a fan. It seems weird after all the hype. Did I just get a bad batch? Have they changed the formula? Or is the 68gsm paper not as good as the 52gsm version? Thanks!

January 17, 2021

Yes 52/68 have different character. Yes the newer paper has a different spec.

A suggestion.

In Paper and Paraphanalia, in the search bar at the top right, type in "Tomoe River" and click on "This Forum". A wealth of TR paper information will appear before you. Swim around in it and learn.

January 17, 2021

This complaint reminds me of a similar one some time ago, from someone who'd just gotten a nanami writer journal, IIRC. Turns out the person was writing on the complimentary blotting paper sheet...

I've used TR both weights, for years, and never had the problem with its feathering or bleeding. And the ghosting does not bother me. I've bought both looseleaf and notebooks, both 68 and 52gsm, and it always performs perfectly.

Also, I do not really understand the description of the problem; there's no feathering, but the lines out of the pen are wider than normal and blobby? It really sounds to me as if you're not writing on the Tomoe River... unless the paper is wet.

January 17, 2021

What paper is the OP used to writing on? Some Japanese paper, including TR and Kokuyo THIN but not Midori MD, is designed to "grab" the ink a little more. This means that they lines are clean, but somewhat wider, compared to papers that let the ink "bead" a little more on the page, for lack of a better description.

For instance, the ink resistance of TR is *higher* than that of MD, but the line drawn by the same pen is likely to be, IME, slightly wider with TR than with MD paper.

Others have noted this as well with TR paper, and I think it does depend on the ink and pen combination, as well as the type of paper that you are used to writing with.