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heath
January 14th, 2014, 09:04 AM
Ok, I'm sure this has been brought up before but after Ed Jelley's post on FP friendly and pocket notebooks trying to figure out what fountain pen friendly really means I decided to do a post on what I usually mean by it (http://penpaperinkletter.com/defining-fountain-pen-friendly/). I'm posting my thoughts here and I'd love to hear your comments on my point of view on the subject and your idea of what FP friendly means in general.

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After reading Ed Jelley’s “rant” on what does fountain pen friendly really mean I decided to give my two cents on the matter as well. I often times use the term in reviews so it will also be helpful for my readers to know what I mean by the term. If you don’t care about my thinking then you can skip to the end for the simple definition.

First we must define Fountain Pen. Well, not really. It’s just a fountain pen. But that being said there are differences in fountain pens that need to be accounted for in this discussion as well as the paper. Things like wetness and nib width factor in. Ok, next to define friendly. I am actually serious about this one because to on person the term might mean it is “good enough” and to others it might mean they were “made for each other.”

So, how good does it have to be? I actually use the term with some caveats most of the time. For instance I might say a notebook is fountain pen friendly as long as you only use one side, or let it dry for a period of time. The main point is that it is capable of handling the ink flow from an average fountain pen. It can’t have feathering issues or have bleedthrough. For me though, if I give the caveat, it can have some show through. Most would agree the Tomoe River paper is FP friendly but it’s just not possible to use both sides with most pens.

And back to my earlier point about differences in fountain pens. Again, I use caveats a good bit here as in a book might be FP friendly with M or F nibs that are on the dry side. If it goes beyond the ability to handle a medium nib without major show through I’ll often go out of my way to mention that so people will know it can be used with broader, wetter pens.

So to try and have a concise definition, fountain pen friendly for me means it can be used with at least a fine nib, average wetness pen without feathering or bleedthrough. If it can handle more or can only be used on one side or needs extra dry time I think that is an aside to the FP friendly moniker. Some paper is more FP friendly than others but the line needs to be drawn so we can know what to give a chance or what to avoid altogether.

An example might be that Field Notes notebooks, although great for some, are not quite fountain pen friendly. You can use a fountain pen in them, and I have, but you will likely get some feathering and probably some bleedthrough. Moleskine is in the same boat. On the other hand Word. Notebooks, Scout Notebooks and Kokuyo Campus notebooks are all FP friendly to at least the degree that you can use fountain pens in them and with some pen and ink combos you can have a feather-free, bleedthrough-free writing experience.

In all this I am sure that some will define it in different ways. Some will say if you can’t use a flex nib with a super wet ink it isn’t truly fountain pen friendly. If that’s where we draw the line though I can think of very few that can even get close.

I know I haven’t laid out a perfect, systematic way of determining if a paper is FP friendly or not but hopefully you will at least know what I, am most people I think, mean when we say fountain pen friendly paper.

I’d love to hear what you think it means too!

-Heath
@WeThePPIL

KrazyIvan
January 14th, 2014, 09:45 AM
For me a fountain pen friendly paper must meet at least three of the four items below. Feathering and bleeding being two required:


Not feather

Not bleed
Leave the back side of the paper usable
The ink must dry in a reasonable amount of time

I can see two of the criteria being subjective so by reasonable amount of time I would say anything under 30 seconds. Leaving the back side usable is also subjective. Tomoe River, for me, leaves the back side usable but onion skin does not. Since onion skin does meet the bleed and feathering plus dries in a reasonable amount of time, it is fountain pen friendly.

I do not think limiting type of ink or nib should factor into what a fountain pen friendly paper should be. I can use Field Notes with an EF nib and dry ink. It still feathers and still bleeds so does not meet my definition of fountain pen friendly paper. The Apica CD11 notebook I just reviewed (http://inktronics.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/hand-written-apica-cd11-notebook-review/) does not feather, does not bleed, leaves the back side of the paper usable and dries in a reasonable amount of time even with broad nibs and wet ink. It meets my definition of FP friendly paper.

AndyT
January 14th, 2014, 10:55 AM
I'd go along with Ivan's criteria, and say that of the four bleedthrough is anathema to me. And since a wet writing flex pen is my usual weapon of choice, that narrows the field considerably (but using iron gall ink can help in borderline cases).

Some papers which pass with distinction: Clairefontaine; Rhodia 80gsm; Elco Prestige, Opaline and James; Basildon Bond; Conqueror and Galgo laid papers. I don't especially want to get into the brands which fall short, but since Field Notes has already been mentioned, that's one of them.

ac12
January 14th, 2014, 03:06 PM
For me

- Smooth writing with an old Parker XF nib, or Cross or Papermate F nib. This requires a hard smooth surface so the paper does not snag and grab the nib.
- Smooth writing as in no feeling of drag or scratchiness. This requires a hard smooth surface.
- Does not feather with a wet pen; F and M nibs.
- Does not bleed through with a wet M nib pen or a 1.5 italic nib, such that I need a blotter paper under to prevent inking the next page.
- Minimal shadowing, as I would like to use the back of the page. However, certain special papers excepted.
- Ink dries/soaks in within 10 sec, 5 sec would be better, so I can turn the page without waiting too long.
- Paper quality is consistent from for all areas of the sheet, and from sheet to sheet.
- Blank papers thin enough so that I can see the guide sheet under it.
- Lined papers with lines in a light gray, not a colored line.
- Lined papers available in various line formats; college, wide, 6mm, grid, dot, etc.

- Affordable pricing.

Kaputnik
January 14th, 2014, 06:37 PM
Some unexpected papers have worked well enough with my fountain pens: a steno book provided by my employer (which I use strictly for work related notes), a pad of graph paper that was handed out for one training class, a particular legal pad (but not a similar one made by someone else). Generally, I'm happy if:


The paper doesn't feel rough, and doesn't shed fibers.
The feathering from my pen is minimal if not nonexistent.
The amount of show through, even using a broad, wet nib, doesn't prevent me from using the other side of the paper.
The drying time without using a blotter is not ridiculous, although I don't mind using a blotter at home, and sometimes carry a small sheet of blotter paper with me.


That's enough to make it "friendly". Of course, that's the minimal standard, and some papers that meet it still wouldn't be my first pick.

ethernautrix
January 15th, 2014, 03:44 AM
Nothing disappoints me more or makes paper useless to me than feathering.

I can live with show-through and even bleed-through, but feathering brings the whole thing to a halt.

Mags
January 15th, 2014, 05:11 AM
I will agree with your concern over feathering above.

I being left handed like smooth paper not glass like. I like ink to absorb a little and dry. Seeing a sheen is a plus not a must.

I prefer no bleed through.

I don't mind some ghosting.

I prefer thinner paper for informal use, notes, journals and heavier paper for letters. I am paying between $0.75 and a $1.00 to send a letter it should not have to be on onion paper. Well I expect you all know what I am wanting which is all fairly normal and average.

reprieve
January 15th, 2014, 06:55 AM
I don't mind some shadowing or show-through, but I despise feathering and bleed-through.

Also, while I really like some laid or cotton papers (such as G. Lalo, Original Crown Mill, or Crane's, for example), I am careful to choose fibrous papers that don't molt. Nothing is worse than trying to floss paper debris from between the tines of a clogged nib.

heath
January 15th, 2014, 07:53 AM
Nothing is worse than trying to floss paper debris from between the tines of a clogged nib.

I completely agree!

VertOlive
January 15th, 2014, 07:40 PM
I got a pad of G. Lalo to expand my paper horizons and try something new. I had a terrible time using some of my more fine nibbed pens on it, it was so textured. My hand gets tired trying to finish a letter. It doesn't feather, bleed, shadow, or show so it's technically F.P.-friendly

It's just not friendly to me.

rdcalhoon
January 15th, 2014, 11:40 PM
It's just not friendly to me.

In some ways defining fountain pen friendly paper is like specifying the perfect pen or the perfect ink. The proper answer is either "it depends" if you are not feeling helpful or "what are you using it for?" if you are willing to start a long discussion.

I like to point out that those wonderful fountain pen ready papers people like to rave over are actually very unfriendly when used in a pocket notebook. At least for me, since I am not willing to stand around waiting 15 seconds for that quick note to dry so I can close the book and go on with my day.

tandaina
January 16th, 2014, 08:30 AM
I use mostly OBB, OB, or italic nibs, plus antique flex nibs. So fountain pen friendly for ME is a real torture test.

1. Must not feather like mad. (This is really hard to find with the flex nibs)
2. Must be able to write on both sides of the paper (unless it is a fab very thin paper, but for a regular notebook this is a must)
3. No bleed through. A little show through is OK, but no bleed.
4. Smooth and pleasant feel.

Senecabud
January 16th, 2014, 08:51 AM
Some unexpected papers have worked well enough with my fountain pens: a steno book provided by my employer (which I use strictly for work related notes), a pad of graph paper that was handed out for one training class, a particular legal pad (but not a similar one made by someone else). Generally, I'm happy if:


The paper doesn't feel rough, and doesn't shed fibers.
The feathering from my pen is minimal if not nonexistent.
The amount of show through, even using a broad, wet nib, doesn't prevent me from using the other side of the paper.
The drying time without using a blotter is not ridiculous, although I don't mind using a blotter at home, and sometimes carry a small sheet of blotter paper with me.


That's enough to make it "friendly". Of course, that's the minimal standard, and some papers that meet it still wouldn't be my first pick.

Those four points will satisfy me, too. I usually use 1.5mm (0ccasionally 1.1mm) with many different inks, and regularly use Field Notes, Moleskine, Leuch1917.

ethernautrix
January 16th, 2014, 08:52 AM
Nothing is worse than trying to floss paper debris from between the tines of a clogged nib.

I completely agree!

Me, too. Do not like paper fibers in my nibs.

ethernautrix
January 16th, 2014, 08:54 AM
I like to point out that those wonderful fountain pen ready papers people like to rave over are actually very unfriendly when used in a pocket notebook. At least for me, since I am not willing to stand around waiting 15 seconds for that quick note to dry so I can close the book and go on with my day.

I keep a sheet of paper between pages to act as a blotter (if not an actual blotter).

rdcalhoon
January 16th, 2014, 11:49 AM
[QUOTE=rdcalhoon;61260]
I keep a sheet of paper between pages to act as a blotter (if not an actual blotter).

Interesting thought. I have been cutting off a corner of my notebook to keep track of how far I have writter. I may try keeping an index card in my book as a combination blotter / place marker / scribble card.

WirsPlm
January 17th, 2014, 09:16 AM
For me, quick dry times are the most important part for fountain pen friendly, followed by not bleeding or showing through, feathering doesn't impact my use of a notebook (it's not pleasant, but tolerable if it means a short dry time), but if I have to deal with seeing two different sets of writing on a page that has writing on it and showthrough from the back that's a dealbreaker for me.