What paper qualities do you look for?

[Wuddus]

Today I received a parcel with my first dollop of "non-cheapo" paper. Rhodia seems to have a good reputation, as does Clairefontaine, so I got myself an A4 Rhodia pad and a small matching pocket notepad, and a pocketable Clairefontaine pad. Finally, I got an A6 sketchpad with 150gsm cartridge paper, which seems fairly well behaved.

Having been used to cheapo generic notepads, I was unfamiliar with what property differences I might discover. As such, I really didn't know what to expect. Having now put pen to paper on three of these items, I now have a better understanding of how papers differ, and am starting to get a picture in mind of what I want.

What do YOU look for in paper?

I'll start us off...

Letter Writing:
Show through and bleed through is not all that relevant to me, as I only one one side of the page for letters. Old habit. However, I don't want to much as to make the paper seem "cheap". The paper must look/feel like I got it for writing letters. No left hand perforation tears, no holes punched, 80gsm absolute minimum (for in-hand feel only), 100gsm preferred. Must either have faint lines, or preferably a line guide placed beneath must show through clearly. Dry time irrelevant - it just has to dry before I've finished the next page. Minimal feathering/no feathering, depending who I'm writing to. No snag, no squeak.

Pocket Notebook:
I want to see my writing clearly on both sides of the page. A little show through or spot bleed is acceptable, so long as it doesn't impede too much on what's written on the reverse side. Quick dry time - I want to be able to turn the page and keep writing almost straight away. No snag, no squeak. Minimal feathering. Lines or grid preferred.

Writing for Keeping/Filing:
If I want to record stuff like recipes, plans, or anything I need to refer back to, I want to be able to use both sides. Minimal showthrough/bleed, just like with the pocket pad. For recipes, I'll happily use both sides. For plans/records, I'll use one side, and leave the reverse clear to add further notes later. No snag, no squeak. Minimal feathering. Dry time not critical. Lines or grid preferred.

Daily Scribbles:
For just working through stuff in my head, processing ideas, writing shopping lists, quick phone notes, and daily disposable stuff, cheap is fine. Pukka Pad, or other generic A4 lined pads are fine. No point in wasting money on stuff I wont be referring back to after the next two or three days. No snag, no squeak, moderate feathering tolerable. Quick dry time essential. Lines preferred, but I might ignore them.

Price:
This is a general "unwritten" rule I tend to use for everything, whether related to pens or not. If I can use cheap, I will. The daily scribbles pad is what I consider cheap. So is box basic copier paper. Premium to me, or what I'll pay for premium, is cheap x2. If a cheap pad (of whatever size/thickness) is £2 for a usable pad, then I'll pay up to £4 for a decent/better one. Anything over £4 can go whistle. This applies to other pen stuff too, such as inks. Diamine standard inks have been working just great for me, so I won't pay more than double on a per ml equivalent. (as I can get a functioning pen for under £5, it also means I won't pay more than £10 for a pen)

Smoothness/tooth/feedback:
To be perfectly honest, I'm not really bothered. So long as there's no squeak, snag, drag, chatter, furring, or feathering like I'm writing on a loo roll, the texture of the paper is kind of a moot point. I'm as happy writing on cartridge paper or glassy smooth paper, so long as the ink behaves without skipping or flooding the page. As an analogy, I don't mind walking on flagstones, carpet, tiles, grass, mud, or scree, just so long as I've got the footwear to suit.