Best Paper for Fountain Pens

[PamHB]

Or....is it possible that paper quality changes just by being passed through a laser printer? Because that's what I'm writing on - we get outlines of lecture notes that we print out, then annotate during a lecture. Could the surface have changed in a calendering-like process?

 

It could be -- the laser toner is fused onto the page by passing through heated rollers, so it could be that the heated rollers further smooth the paper surface. We have a laser printer at work. I could try writing on before and after paper and see what happens.....

[PamHB]

For those who are interested, I found the website at http://www.nota-bene.ca/

 

i use rhodia and clairefontaine paper. recently i have become fascinated with white lines pads and notebooks. you are lucky because the only north american seller of white lines is papiere note bene in montreal canada. shipping cost would be less for you since you reside in canada. there is a web site and they have a 800 number. russell is the person to talk to. he is very nice and translated the meters to inches and really made the sale a social event.

 

white lines is a gray paper with white lines. the lines appear to disappear when you read what you have written. the gray is pleasant color and easy on the eyes. the paper is made in sweden.

 

[dcwaites]

Or....is it possible that paper quality changes just by being passed through a laser printer? Because that's what I'm writing on - we get outlines of lecture notes that we print out, then annotate during a lecture. Could the surface have changed in a calendering-like process?

 

Now I have to sneak a page out of the paper tray.... :embarrassed_smile:

The paper is heated and rolled as it goes through the printer, which is a basic form of calendering. In fact, some years ago, you couldn't put paper through a laser printer twice, i.e. to print double-sided. With the rise of double-sided printing, I think there has been improvement in both printers and papers, which probably explains why so much laser printer paper now works well with FPs.

 

As well, as others, including me, have noticed the HP Everyday paper works well with pretty well any ink and pen.

 

 

[limesally]

Or....is it possible that paper quality changes just by being passed through a laser printer? Because that's what I'm writing on - we get outlines of lecture notes that we print out, then annotate during a lecture. Could the surface have changed in a calendering-like process?

 

It could be -- the laser toner is fused onto the page by passing through heated rollers, so it could be that the heated rollers further smooth the paper surface. We have a laser printer at work. I could try writing on before and after paper and see what happens.....

 

I am sure your office will be happy to support this very important scientific experiment, and I eagerly await the results

[kadymae]

Pam,

 

I happen to like Office Depot's brand of loose paper:

 

Office Depot Platinum Series Inkjet Paper

 

Office Depot Platinum Series Color Laser Paper

 

 

[Rapt]

Unfortunately, I live in a place where the outlets for bottled ink and paper are Staples, Office Depot, and Grand & Toy . So I have, as a selection of inks, Parker or Sheaffer (blue, blue-black and black), and as a selection of writing pads, the generic pads carried by the three outlets plus Meads Cambridge. The Cambridge paper is OK, but I don't find it to be great paper. I've read a great deal about 32 lb laser paper, and will likely give it a try, but would still like a pre-glued writing pad for the office (and they would take a dim view of my photocopying the lines onto the paper!).

 

Now that I know what I'm looking for, I may try some of the engineering pads and see if I like the finish better. Because I write very quickly at the office, I like paper that has a lot of glide to it, and doesn't show through to the back. I use Parker Quink ink and a Parker 51 to write with at the the office. I also have a Targa, but find it too wet.

 

Interesting information about the calendaring. My father was a printing pressman (now deceased), so he probably knew more about paper than I ever will.

 

Some of the Chinese papers in my journal are particularly nice!

 

At least you have Grand and Toy... I've resigned myself to going to art stores or doing it online.... How does one choose a paper by feel online???

 

FWIW Calendared papers are what you want but not "sized" or filled.... For example paper like in magazines has heavy sizing and clay content to give it that really glossy finish when calendared.

 

Asian papers can be REALLY nice since they've had several thousands years more time to perfect the paper making process. They were using paper when the western world was painting on skins and rocks...

 

The only other thing I like in my paper is acid-free/archival quality. Not because I have some need to preserve shopping lists for posterity, but these papers don't tend to discolour or age as badly as "Cheap" papers. IMportant when you work on designs as a hobby... I have sewing patterns from 15 or more years ago that I made and I like them to be useable. Same with canoe designs.

 

 

Just did a check on Office Depot Paper... Currently neither the US nor Canadian websites mention Platinum colour laser paper... But both have Premium 28 lb.

Edited January 25, 2008 by Rapt

[Neill78]

Unfortunately, I live in a place where the outlets for bottled ink and paper are Staples, Office Depot, and Grand & Toy

 

There are a couple places "in the great plains region" (in this case, Edmonton) you may wish to check out/contact. Check out <www.notables.ca> and <www.stylusfinepens.com>. There may be more, but I haven't found them yet.

 

Stylus in particular carries a lot of paper products specifically for use with fountain pens. Notables has a ton of paper, but I don't think they are FP geeks.

 

Neill

 

[limesally]

There are a couple places "in the great plains region" (in this case, Edmonton) you may wish to check out/contact. Check out <www.notables.ca> and <www.stylusfinepens.com>. There may be more, but I haven't found them yet.

 

Stylus in particular carries a lot of paper products specifically for use with fountain pens. Notables has a ton of paper, but I don't think they are FP geeks.

 

Neill

 

I forgot about Stylus Fine Pens - I've gotten great mail order service from them! I'm just thinking about Pam's "can be ordered by the office with no questions asked" clause

 

There's also Reid's in Calgary - also good mail order service, but you do have to call them - they don't have a website.

 

Is there nothing at all in Saskatoon or Regina? Not even the University bookstores? I'll understand if the answer is no, living in a similar pen desert.

[PamHB]

The U of S bookstore carries pretty mundane paper lines -- they have to be affordable by students after all

 

If I want a journal, then there's always McNalley Robinson, which carries a huge selection of journals, including Moleskin. And I'm not adverse to ordering paper online, now that I've received so many great suggestions. I also travel a couple of times a year, so can pick up paper when I travel. And having participated in this discussion, I now understand that I am currently attracted to paper with a certain finish and weight. So now I can make a better assessment before I buy as to what will work for me.

 

I think what has also interested me is the perception of what we must write on -- that paper designed for accountants should not be used for general office purposes. Yet I love the texture and feel of the paper. And the lines -- well lines can serve many purposes.

 

Most of my writing is done at work -- I do very little handwriting at home, and all of that is done in a variety of journals. So as pointed out, the question then becomes, what can I use at work that can be ordered from our three major suppliers, and that I enjoy writing upon? Having liberated myself from the notion that my notes must appear on conventional lined paper, it then opens up a whole new choice of paper products. I like the lines on the accounting pads and that they go in both directions. I can put questions in one column and answers in another. I like the pale green colour. And best of all, I like the smoother texture combined with finer weight of the paper.

 

One paper will not fit all tasks -- but I'm certainly willing to experiment with accounting and graph paper at work for a while, and report back!

 

My one remaining concern is about ink. I'm hesitant to order ink online, yet that seems like my only option if I want anything other than blue, blue-black, or black. Does it ship well?

 

There are a couple places "in the great plains region" (in this case, Edmonton) you may wish to check out/contact. Check out <www.notables.ca> and <www.stylusfinepens.com>. There may be more, but I haven't found them yet.

 

Stylus in particular carries a lot of paper products specifically for use with fountain pens. Notables has a ton of paper, but I don't think they are FP geeks.

 

Neill

 

I forgot about Stylus Fine Pens - I've gotten great mail order service from them! I'm just thinking about Pam's "can be ordered by the office with no questions asked" clause

 

There's also Reid's in Calgary - also good mail order service, but you do have to call them - they don't have a website.

 

Is there nothing at all in Saskatoon or Regina? Not even the University bookstores? I'll understand if the answer is no, living in a similar pen desert.

 

[PamHB]

I am sure your office will be happy to support this very important scientific experiment, and I eagerly await the results

 

So here's how the experiment turned out. Our office uses Grand & Toy, 20 lb premium photocopy paper, in its laser printer. I tried the back of a piece of paper that had been through the printer, and one that had not. I used a Pilot VP (medium nib but writes like a fine nib), a Parker 51 medium nib, and a Targa (medium nib but writes wet). No noticeable difference. So it must be the quality of the paper used by your office!

[limesally]

OK, that's it. I'm going to have to filch a sheet from the printer tray tomorrow

 

As for ordering ink, I've been happy with all my on-line purchases, but have not ordered anything in the depth of winter (never mind the -40C with windchill that we're getting in southern Alberta right now). I honestly don't know if I would order something that would be dropped into my mailbox at this time of the year. There are some threads on this topic if you search, but I can't remember what the consensus was.

 

However, come March or some other warmer time, I've had good service from Stylus pens in Edmonton, as well as Pendemonium and Swisher Pens in the States. It is possible you will have to pay border fees - again, there's a thread on this topic - whether you'll have to pay is quite hit and miss, and subject to the whim of Canada customs. I also got a very nice ink sampler from James at Pear Tree Pens and will probably order actual bottles when it's warm enough!

 

I'm very happy to have the on-line shipping options as otherwise it's Staples for Waterman cartridges or Parker Quink. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's nice to have more variety.

[PamHB]

As for ordering ink, I've been happy with all my on-line purchases, but have not ordered anything in the depth of winter (never mind the -40C with windchill that we're getting in southern Alberta right now). I honestly don't know if I would order something that would be dropped into my mailbox at this time of the year. There are some threads on this topic if you search, but I can't remember what the consensus was.

 

I checked the Stylus web site (weird site, since it doesn't appear to have any links to its products), and they say they won't ship ink in the dead of winter, as you suggested. I wouldn't have thought of that myself. So I shall wait and order it when the weather gets warmer. Or visit my sister in Calgary, whichever comes first!

 

It's beastly cold in Saskatoon tonight. -48 with the wind chill.

 

[matthewk]

Reading through this thread I saw some things that should be noted.

 

With the exception of blotting paper --- all papers have sizing of some sort.

 

Most traditional asian papers will be too rough four fountain pens and animal skin is still a fine surface to write on.

(I've not tested any ot the above but have gathered the info from papermaking books and calligraphers)

 

The big difference between traditional eastern and western papers is the material that makes them, An old school western rag paper is great for writing with a fine fp.

 

To make things more interesting the type of ink chosen will make a huge difference in the writing expierence. I'm a student and wrote on my chem textbook pages with noodlers bp black and platinum black. Noodlers will never dry on that paper but the platinum soaked in (no fethering) fast and seems waterproof. The paper is smooth glossy textbook paper.

 

matthew

[Neill78]

The U of S bookstore carries pretty mundane paper lines -- they have to be affordable by students after all

 

*SNIP*

 

My one remaining concern is about ink. I'm hesitant to order ink online, yet that seems like my only option if I want anything other than blue, blue-black, or black. Does it ship well?

 

The U of A bookstore carries terrible paper, and it's not even cheap compared to Staples or Office Depot. I miss Japanese university.. they sell great paper for 1/3 the price.. or less!

 

I wouldn't recommend shipping ink in sub-zero temperatures. Stylus had an announcement on their website that they can't/won't get any Diamine inks over the winter due to risk of freezing. Maybe some inks will stand up to freezing better (Noodler's Polar Black?) but I can just imagine it either freezing and separating, or exploding in your friendly neighborhood mailman's bag (I don't think he'd be very friendly after that). I'm sure other people have more knowledge about this, but it's -30 outside right now and I don't think anything should be outside today.

 

Neill

[Artbeast]

Although I have tested many fine art papers for use with a fp, there are 3 which are my favorites. All are very different from each other:

 

1. Arches Text Wove is 100% cotton rag from the Rives mills in France, 120gsm, moderately sized with a lightly toothed surface and about 90% opaque. It works well on all the pens I have tried except for the Namiki pens. It has the most drag of all three here.

 

2. Frankfurt White and Creme are 100% cotton rag from Germany, 120gsm, moderately sized with a beautiful wavy laid pattern. It is a fairly smooth paper (more on one side than the other) and about 90% opaque. It works well with all pens I have tried. The creme is a yellowie creme and looks wonderful with some colored inks.

 

3. Zerkall Book Smooth is 100% cotton rag from Germany, 140gsm, moderately sized and the smoothest of the three and almost completely opaque. It is my favorite paper to write on using any pen. This paper has barely perceptible drag but is not at all like copy paper.

 

None of the papers feather or bleed thru. In fact, I have, with all of these papers, dropped several drops of ink out of my converter and squeezed it between two sheets with absolutely no bleed thru in any sheet.

 

In case anyone is interested, I will be making 2 books with these four papers later this week as traveling journals for fpn-ers. I will create a post once they are made and photographed.

[PamHB]

Although I have tested many fine art papers for use with a fp, there are 3 which are my favorites. All are very different from each other:

 

In case anyone is interested, I will be making 2 books with these four papers later this week as traveling journals for fpn-ers. I will create a post once they are made and photographed.

 

Gotta love anything made from beautiful paper!

[Rapt]

Love to see the books when they're done...

 

Also like the info on the paper... The trick is sourcing them...

[Garageboy]

I love Rhodia's hot press finish, I just wish there was a cheaper version and slightly more absorbant

[kopio]

I just got my first Black and Red notebook today, and I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and easy it wrote on. Is this paper the same quality as some of the others mentioned? It was a bit spendy (10.99 per notebook), but I like the fact that it is bound in a pretty solid hardcover...it means I can start transitioning my notes out of ugly binders and into sleek hard backs (to match the rest of my fairly extensive library).

 

[lovemy51]

I just got my first Black and Red notebook today, and I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and easy it wrote on. Is this paper the same quality as some of the others mentioned? It was a bit spendy (10.99 per notebook), but I like the fact that it is bound in a pretty solid hardcover...it means I can start transitioning my notes out of ugly binders and into sleek hard backs (to match the rest of my fairly extensive library).

 

"black and red" is my first choice for notebooks. one can write on both sides with the wettest of pens.

Edited January 31, 2008 by lovemy51