Oxford Red and Black A4 notebook for work, looking for a (better) alternative

[Jolltax]

Oxford Red and Black A4 notebooks for work, looking for an alternative

As you will see from my post count I am a fledgling so looking for advice on notebooks for work .......

I am conscious that both Oxford Red and Black brand and also the A4 size is perhaps not common on the other side of the Atlantic in the U.S.? In which case apologies to those people, but here in the UK they are quite widely used.



I use these notebooks, (provided generously by my employer) at work and I guess compared to the other budget / cheap books I have used they are are actually pretty good. The paper is of reasonable smoothness and quality and, provided I use the drier of my FP's I have no issues with minimal horribleness.



HOWEVER, if I get out my 'Juicy' pens it is carnage. The fact that it is 90 gsm paper and described as 'Premium' is both encouraging and worrisome - do I really need to use heavier gauge paper than this? :



Could anyone advise what my cheapest option for a hard-back notebook of this size which is robust enough to deal with a wet writing foutain pen? Some Rhodia pads, for example are available through our suppliers, do you think they would be much better? I am struggliong to work out whether they are 'good' paper for FP.

http://tinyurl.com/o6ubv5y

I am also starting to think that spiral wound may not be that good for me, the rings really get in the way when you are writing on the 'other side' of the page, I might be better off with a normally bound one.

Any other recommendations?

o7

Jolltax

[da vinci]

I am surprised to see the level of show thru - I use the black n red and don't seem to have that problem with my wetter pens.

Can I suggest a visit to your local Asda or Tesco - the Asda notebooks have in the main been very good to me (A5 executive) although the last one I bought wasn't the best, so worth purchasing one as a test before you bulk buy.

I'd also recommend a look at a staples arc - if you buy the punch as well then you can fill it with whatever paper you want (but not the cheapest option by any means).

[Jolltax]

I am surprised to see the level of show thru - I use the black n red and don't seem to have that problem with my wetter pens.

Can I suggest a visit to your local Asda or Tesco - the Asda notebooks have in the main been very good to me (A5 executive) although the last one I bought wasn't the best, so worth purchasing one as a test before you bulk buy.

I'd also recommend a look at a staples arc - if you buy the punch as well then you can fill it with whatever paper you want (but not the cheapest option by any means).

Thanks, I will definitely check those out

[da vinci]

Please do post an update in due course - would be interested to see where u end up

[Jolltax]

Please do post an update in due course - would be interested to see where u end up

No problem, I am somewhat limited as to what I can order from our suppliers. I have put an order in for some of these and i will feedback how they work when I get them :

http://www.langstane.co.uk/productin...catref=1209990

[inlovewithjournals]

I'd also recommend a look at a staples arc - if you buy the punch as well then you can fill it with whatever paper you want (but not the cheapest option by any means).

I agree with da vinci; and you might be happy with the Staples Arc paper. I have found it to be very fountain pen friendly, I use it all the time with no show through with my wettest pen.

My employer here in Canada provides us with the NotePro notebooks by Blueline. They have an index page at the front, adhesive tabs, a poly pocket inside the back cover, a place for the date and page number on each page, and each page is perforated for easy removal. I love them and they take fountain pen ink, indeed all inks, beautifully.

Let us know what you settle on!

[Cookies]

Black N Red are available in the US as well, and I've always found them wonderfully behaved. Though I've heard different manufacturing locations produce better paper. I can't remember which are supposed to be good (I think Croatia is a good one) but check to see where the paper in yours is made.

As for Rhodia, they make wonderfully FP-friendly paper. I am especially fond of their premium 'soft touch' line. Do you have access to Clairefontaine?

[da vinci]

Please do post an update in due course - would be interested to see where u end up

No problem, I am somewhat limited as to what I can order from our suppliers. I have put an order in for some of these and i will feedback how they work when I get them :

http://www.langstane.co.uk/productin...catref=1209990

Ohh Rhodia. I don't have that notebook. But I do have a pad.

It's great paper but watch out for drying times!

[Jolltax]

Do you have access to Clairefontaine?

I don't think so unless I want to buy my own, but thanks for the advice!

[chojo]

Thought you might like to see an example of the Asda notebooks, the one i use is a6 size and very nice paper and although there is no bleed through and hardly any feathering as you can see the show through could be an issue if you want write on both sides. The first 2 are jinhao x450 with J Herbin Lierre Sauvage and the last are Parker Sonnet with Quink ink. Don't if this helps at all but i thought i'd share, I've just bought a paper blanks journal but haven't tried it yet but i have read promising things.


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[da vinci]

Chojo, can you confirm which notebooks these are (my experience relates to the black hardcover bound "executive" model) and when you bought your note book - was it recently?

Thanks

[Jolltax]

Chojo,

That paper is much better than my Red and Black, I imagine if it is at Asda its reasonably priced also. If they do an A4 version I might give it a whirl. I have my Rhodia pads on order and I'll feed back how they go also.

Would be good to get confirmation of whether there is any branding which we could use to easily identify the notebook in question.

Cheers!

Jolltax

[chojo]

Chojo, can you confirm which notebooks these are (my experience relates to the black hardcover bound "executive" model) and when you bought your note book - was it recently?

Thanks

Hi, this one is the executive it looks a little like a moleskin it's hardback bound soft "leather" bought it from Asda about a month ago for about £4, i think the A5 was around £7. Jolitax i don't think there's any actual branding but they do stand out from all the rest as being better quality. I'm sure they do A4 as well around £9 i think.
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[ac12]

@Jolltax
I learned this trick from someone on FPN:
- write only on the RIGHT side page.
- when you reach the end of the notebook, flip it over and use the right side page and write from the back of the notebook to the front.
- When you look at the open notebook, the right side page will look normal, but the writing on the left side page is upside down. This takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you have to use the notebook for class or work, vs just a journal/diary.

It seems kinda wierd, but it does keep my hand off the wire spiral.
I also use this for composition books, as the bound gutter of the books is troublesome to deal with.

[da vinci]

Thanks Chojo - that is the Asda notebook I was referring to.

If you go the ARC route then staples 120gsm paper is apparently the way to go..

[Plume145]

If wire-binding gets in the way, disc-bound notebooks (like the Arc) probably will as well. At least with those you can remove the page from the notebook and lay it face down on the right side to write on the 'wrong' side, then put it back once you've written on both sides - kind of like you would probably do with a metal ring-binder. But that does add some maneuvering and maybe you can't be bothered with that (I know I couldn't lol) :-)

[Runnin_Ute]

I use Black N Red A4 (and A5) all the time - Have never had the problems your photos show - regardless of what pen and ink combo.