Re: Which papers to try out
I forgot to mention, but there are also non cellulose based paper, if you want to be more adventurous (cotton/linen, or mix). These types of paper behave very differently than wood based paper. The texture is quite different than 'normal' paper. The paper is absorbant and behaves differently with ink.
Here is a thread which explains it all in detail.
Re: Which papers to try out
Personally, I stick to Tomoe, but I'd recommend looking into ayushpaper.com. Shipping is the expensive bit but they've got some good products there. From the reviews of their paper online, there's no bleed through and minimal ghosting, if any.
Re: Which papers to try out
Well I got Rössler papier today and I wouldn't recommend it at all. It reminds me of "Schöllershammer papier" (it's how we call it, no idea what's that in English); basically a very rough paper best used for color pencils and such. What a huge disappointment. I think the paper itself is high quality, but it's everything a paper for fountain pens isn't.
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mandy1252
Personally, I stick to Tomoe, but I'd recommend looking into
ayushpaper.com. Shipping is the expensive bit but they've got some good products there. From the reviews of their paper online, there's no bleed through and minimal ghosting, if any.
You can find Ayush here in the US now. I got mine from Federalistpens.com
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Inkflow
Tomoe River has to be tried out if you’re in the fountain pen hobby. That being said, it’s a niche product, useful IMO primarily for journaling. Why? It’s flimsy (at least the 52 gsm I’ve tried) and while it doesn’t bleed or feather greatly, it exhibits plenty of show through. The pressure from writing also etches the reverse side of the sheet you’re writing on. I would hesitate to write even informal correspondence on it. I read on another forum someone asked for stationery recommendations and sure enough Tomoe River and washi tape popped up. Those are fine choices if you like the DIY/crafting school of stationery, but for many people it’s far outside of the mainstream compared to Crane, Southworth, Smythson, and other heavyweight papers. Has anyone ever sold engraved or even thermographed stationery on TR? I rest my case. Will I continue using it? Sure, just in appropriate situations.
I like the 52gsm in notebook or journal format only, I find it too flimsy to enjoy using as stationary. I love the 68gsm, which I only have used in notebooks but am looking to buy in loose sheets. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t even think it was Tomoe River. It’s much thicker, more substantial, kind of like a marriage between the 52gsm and Leuchtturm 1917. It’s my current favorite paper.
Re: Which papers to try out
Onion skin paper isn't made any more, but I like it for fountain pen letter writing, although it shows through to the back, but doesn't bleed through. I believe it's 25% cotton. You can still find it around on eBay, etsy, etc. Our own jbb often carries it. The price varies, and not all onion skin is created equal. There's one company hat makes modern paper that it alls onion skin, but it doesn't have any cotton fiber and it's not the real stuff.
I like Midori (not the cotton stuff, but the other kind) for inks with sheen -- it really shows it off dramatically, make it look really spectacular.
Re: Which papers to try out
People who use loose sheets, what method do you use to gather them?
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
calamus
Onion skin paper isn't made any more, but I like it for fountain pen letter writing, although it shows through to the back, but doesn't bleed through. I believe it's 25% cotton. You can still find it around on eBay, etsy, etc. Our own jbb often carries it. The price varies, and not all onion skin is created equal. There's one company hat makes modern paper that it alls onion skin, but it doesn't have any cotton fiber and it's not the real stuff.
I like Midori (not the cotton stuff, but the other kind) for inks with sheen -- it really shows it off dramatically, make it look really spectacular.
Thanks for the plug Calamus. :) Yes, I currently have some vintage onionskin paper, as well as other weights of watermarked, vintage paper in my etsy store. I love using vintage paper for both fountain and dip pens. It's nearly always at least 25% cotton but I've had it at 100% cotton and even thinner than the already thin 9 lb. onionskin. Some of the paper is watermarked "rag" content as well.
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Inkflow
People who use loose sheets, what method do you use to gather them?
I make my own pads with white glue, some clamps and cardboard as backing.
Re: Which papers to try out
I feel like there's no way to avoid Tomoe River discussions in these parts, even if you specifically point out in OP you don't want Tomoe River xD I seriously dislike everything about that paper; it sheens a lot, it's thin, easy to wrinkle, it makes your line wider, ...
Anyway, I have since learned that cosmo air light is just like tomoe river, but even more in the sheening and line widening direction, with some people reporting their EF line turning into a medium. Useless, I'll pass.
I did make an order from the journal shop from UK, as Chrissy has kindly informed me that VAT isn't supposed to be paid at customs office, which was then also confirmed by the shops customer support. Let's see. That would be nice.
After the huge disappointment that was Rössler's paper, I'm going to try out Apica, Apica premium, Mnemosyne, and Life paper. Additionally, I'll be testing out the B5 format, which I have never used before, as well as dots ruling.
Re: Which papers to try out
[QUOTE=jbb;325887]
Quote:
Originally Posted by
calamus
Onion skin paper isn't made any more, but I like it for fountain pen letter writing, although it shows through to the back, but doesn't bleed through. I believe it's 25% cotton. You can still find it around on eBay, etsy, etc. Our own jbb often carries it. The price varies, and not all onion skin is created equal. There's one company hat makes modern paper that it alls onion skin, but it doesn't have any cotton fiber and it's not the real stuff.
Thankfully she doesn't ship to Canada. Otherwise I would be ruined :)
Quote:
Yes, I currently have some vintage onionskin paper, as well as other weights of watermarked, vintage paper in my etsy store. I love using vintage paper for both fountain and dip pens. It's nearly always at least 25% cotton but I've had it at 100% cotton and even thinner than the already thin 9 lb. onionskin. Some of the paper is watermarked "rag" content as well.
How does the onionskin paper fare compared to Midori cotton? ... Midori cotton is very absorbant and not fp friendly....
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Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
adhoc
I feel like there's no way to avoid Tomoe River discussions in these parts, even if you specifically point out in OP you don't want Tomoe River xD I seriously dislike everything about that paper; it sheens a lot, it's thin, easy to wrinkle, it makes your line wider, ...
Anyway, I have since learned that cosmo air light is just like tomoe river, but even more in the sheening and line widening direction, with some people reporting their EF line turning into a medium. Useless, I'll pass.
I did make an order from the journal shop from UK, as Chrissy has kindly informed me that VAT isn't supposed to be paid at customs office, which was then also confirmed by the shops customer support. Let's see. That would be nice.
After the huge disappointment that was Rössler's paper, I'm going to try out Apica, Apica premium, Mnemosyne, and Life paper. Additionally, I'll be testing out the B5 format, which I have never used before, as well as dots ruling.
I have the Cosmo paper in the Cosmo Note soft cover A5. Yes, it’s a little bit absorbent...but an EF to a medium sounds extreme, except maybe with very wet inks. It’s an unusual paper, has a soft, almost sueded feel to it...and gives beautiful shading. I took a few minutes to make you a writing sample with different nib sizes, inks used are either JHerbin or Iroshizuku, plus iron gall where indicated.
Re: Which papers to try out
Thank you, that's very helpful. However I really don't want wider line, as I mostly write with a flex nib.
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Inkflow
People who use loose sheets, what method do you use to gather them?
I bought 6000 sheets of cosmo air from Rakuten for a groupbuy I ran some time ago. When I run out of sheets I will probably do something similar.
You can also do this with tomoe river.
Shipping is the aggravating factor, with long times for ship and decently high prices.
Re: Which papers to try out
no mention of G Lalo? great for letter writing
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MHBRU
no mention of G Lalo? great for letter writing
It is but availability isn't what it was, at least over here, I've only recently seen it as laid paper and I prefer my letter writing papers to be smooth.
Elco James Velin is a similar beautifully smooth paper with a deckle edge but that's out of stock everywhere over here too.
Clairefontaine Triomphe seems to be one that doesn't suffer from availability issues and can still be found at a reasonable price.
Just in case anyone is considering buying paper from The Journal Shop they have a 15% offer on this weekend. Their Life Bank writing paper is nice but it's B5 size not A4 for those users who have DL envelopes.
Re: Which papers to try out
I finally took some time to do more than just a little sample writing on Franklin Christoph paper....I got the pad and the TN size 3 pack of notebooks. The paper doesn’t feel thin, but it’s more absorbent than I like. There is slight feathering with wetter inks, better with finer nibs. I can find no real fault with it as far as performance goes - it just feels like writing on cheap paper. It could also be the darker color of the paper, I might like it more if it didn’t have that purple tinge to it. Online reviews are good, but I just don’t find anything special about it. Too bad, because I like buying from them, being an American company, and the paper is made from bamboo and is inexpensive.
Re: Which papers to try out
I've enjoyed bagasse papers, but they've become harder to find. I bought a boatload of bagasse looseleaf when Staples closed it out about ten years ago. I'm on my last pack. The texture of bagasse paper gives pleasant feedback and the slight absorbency helps with some pens. Staples may still carry some bagasse notebooks. However, they're always changing suppliers, which means you never know what you'll get. I hate Staples.
I've used and enjoyed various Japanese bound notebooks since my student days. I like the Tsubame Nohto notebooks best. I also have an Apica 1000 Year notebook that has worked out pretty well. I prefer its slightly softer feel to some of their premium papers, which are too slick for me. I'm not sure if they still make that one or whether it was ever sold anywhere but Japan. I've also used Miquelrius composition books. Unfortunately, Miquelrius notebooks are almost all spiral bound. I've only found the composition books in Montreal at Nota Bene. The paper is standard decent paper, but Clairfontaine Seyes ruled sheets are good for calligraphy practice. Not sure if that's available in non-francophone places.
Other than that, i use a lot of the same papers & notebooks everyone else does: Rhodia staplebound, Tomoegawa loose sheets and bound notebooks, generally all blank.
"Avoid haphazard writing materials. A pedantic adherence to certain papers, pens, inks is beneficial. No luxury, but an abundance of these utensils is indispensable." -- Walter Benjamin, One Way Street
Re: Which papers to try out
Quote:
Originally Posted by
guyy
I've enjoyed bagasse papers, but they've become harder to find. I bought a boatload of bagasse looseleaf when Staples closed it out about ten years ago. I'm on my last pack. The texture of bagasse paper gives pleasant feedback and the slight absorbency helps with some pens. Staples may still carry some bagasse notebooks. However, they're always changing suppliers, which means you never know what you'll get. I hate Staples.
I've used and enjoyed various Japanese bound notebooks since my student days. I like the Tsubame Nohto notebooks best. I also have an Apica 1000 Year notebook that has worked out pretty well. I prefer its slightly softer feel to some of their premium papers, which are too slick for me. I'm not sure if they still make that one or whether it was ever sold anywhere but Japan. I've also used Miquelrius composition books. Unfortunately, Miquelrius notebooks are almost all spiral bound. I've only found the composition books in Montreal at Nota Bene. The paper is standard decent paper, but Clairfontaine Seyes ruled sheets are good for calligraphy practice. Not sure if that's available in non-francophone places.
Other than that, i use a lot of the same papers & notebooks everyone else does: Rhodia staplebound, Tomoegawa loose sheets and bound notebooks, generally all blank.
"Avoid haphazard writing materials. A pedantic adherence to certain papers, pens, inks is beneficial. No luxury, but an abundance of these utensils is indispensable." -- Walter Benjamin, One Way Street
I used to buy the Miquelrius soft cover A5-ish size bound notebooks at Barnes & Noble, but I don’t see them there anymore. I have seen them on Amazon, though.
Re: Which papers to try out
Apicia's paper is nice - my Japanese nibs love it.
Also Monokaki's books are nice (but expensive).
Basildon bond pads are great for correspondance. Their champagne paper looks lovely with brown ink.