I Need a Fountain Pen Friendly Yellow Pad

[DZan]

I'm brand new here, so I've got some basic questions. I'm a trial lawyer. I love fountain pens. I'm left-handed. I rely on yellow pads for my notes. Where can I find a good supply of paper to suit my needs?

Dan

[fountainpenkid]

Clairfontaine makes some awesome stuff. I don't know about yellow though...

Remember this though--you can find some awesome paper from cheap brands sometimes, you might just get lucky :)

[KrazyIvan]

Rhodia makes some: http://www.amazon.com/Rhodia-Classic-Staple-Bound-Yellow/dp/B001DCDSTY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1283179218&sr=8-15

This thread on FPN has some other suggestions: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/166559-the-best-legal-pads-which-are-fountain-pen-friendly/

[Sailor Kenshin]

It's a gamble. Older paper might be better (judging by my own ancient yellow pads) but you can't exactly waltz into a store and get any.

Just try different brands. You might have some luck.

[Tracy Lee]

You can get yellow pads through Levenger, their own brand. I use them often at work, the paper is very comparable to Clarefontaine/Rhodia, so you don't get feathering, and not usually bleed through unless you use a heavy flow pen.

[Tracy Lee]

P.S., I am a lawyer too, I use them for similar stuff. I think they come in packs of 5 tablets or something. You'll pay more, but worth every penny.

[snedwos]

Just out of interest, is there any reason it *has* to be yellow?

[Robert]

snedwos asked: "Just out of interest, is there any reason it *has* to be yellow?"

Good question. When I practiced law (I'm now retired) I used green legal pads. I found (light) green to be less harsh on the eyes than either yellow or white. I can't recall the brand, but the green pads were available at Office Depot and similar suppliers. Those green pads were definitely fountain pen friendly.

[thagbert]

Have you tried Docket Gold? They are supposed to be the gold standard for yellow pads.

[wayne.robinson]

As a non-lawyer, I am also curious as to why law seems to use yellow pads. What's wrong with white or cream?

[Tracy Lee]

I have been practicing for 21 years, I use yellow pads, but not for any particular reason. I use white just as often. But, that said, part of the reason could be long hours, lots of notes and pouring over notes for hours and hours and nothing harder on the eyes than white or even creme paper. The yellow is known to cause less fatigue, and then I think it just became a stereotypical prop for us. Plus, if you look in a briefcase full of papers, you instantly know which are your notes and you don't have to dig around. All documents are usually printed on white paper. Just my two cents on the matter.

[Trixie.in.Dixie]

I have and use Ampad Embassy tablets with my fountain pens - I have even sent a few letters to folks here during InCoWriMo (if you got a letter on rainbow paper, that's the one). I looked to see what they have in a plain yellow, and they make a legal ruled pad in yellow (http://goo.gl/GtqXb) that according to a reviewer, does work nicely with fountain pens.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Heh. I have that same pad. Ampad puts out some good paper but it's getting harder to find.

[Trixie.in.Dixie]

Heh. I have that same pad. Ampad puts out some good paper but it's getting harder to find.

Amazon has quite a few of the Ampad brand, but not all of them have the same quailty. The Embassy and Evidence seem to be the better ones.

I found mine and others similar at Big Lots - they get a lot of discontinued styles and I think I paid $2 for plastic wrapped two-packs of the Ampad Embassy. They had the rainbow ones and another design of light blue with white clouds. I have never seen them since. :-(

[thagbert]

Forget Docket Gold. NOT FP friendly. Major feathering.

[cedargirl]

I use yellow writing pads successfully with fountain pads. They are labelled "VIKING Office products" and "Made in China Viking Ref No 266-YW" Quite inexpensive.

... and I'm not a lawyer!

[CapeClear]

I too have had bad results with Docket Gold unfortunately. My preference for work pads are Rhodia legal pads and Oxford legal pads when I can find them. I actually prefer the Oxford ones but they are harder to get in Ireland amazingly.

Another bonus of the yellow pages is that they stand out easily in a case file as your own hand made notes against original correspondence etc.

[cwent2]

For what it is worth I use short and legal size pads from Staples. Checked the supply cab here at work, but no number on the plastic wrapped pad.

[jbb]

Exhibit A: A writing test on a Staples yellow pad. The Sharpie marker bled through to the next page but the dip & fountin pens were perfectily fine.

http://www.staples.com/staples+canary+pad/directory_staples+canary+pad

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/8741282389_47489600a8_b.jpg

[jacksterp]

JBB - Thanks for the heads-up on Staples yellow pads. I'll definitely give them a try.

[spotted and speckled]

Also look where the paper is being made. I've had good yellow paper from USA and Europe, but that is getting harder to find as everyone seems to move towards a lighter weight/density of paper. Brazil is a good bet, as is most paper from Japan. Egypt or China is hit or miss. I haven't had any luck with paper made in Vietnam.

I'd like to second the vote for AmPad paper. At the Office depot down here, they also sell "GoldLine" pads, which can either be wonderful or really terrible. I like to touch the paper before I buy it if possible.

Paper will go on sale soon for back-to-school. Try one of this kind & one of that, and then stock up when the sales start.

[writingrav]

Levenger has a nice selection if you want to spend the money.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[klpeabody]

I have had good luck with Ampad Gold Fibre which can be found at Staples.com

[Gulfcoast]

Another vote for Ampad. I use the "Dual Evidence" pads.