Writing Mats

[Silverbreeze]

Has anyone seen these for sale other then
http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/...ats-clear.html
And Alibaba?

I am interested in other sizes then David sells

Thanks

[kia]

Desk blotters, but they can be pretty expensive and not very portable.

I bought a set of leather placemats off Etsy for the purpose of using as writing mats. They just fit an 8-1/2 x 11 US letter page. Probably any inexpensive placemat which is plastic coated and foam backed would work.

Maybe these from Amazon, 11 x 14 http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Plastic-.../dp/B009AYY2XS

Odd. I bought placemats for writing pads, and now I'm going to make placemats for the table. Eh, the table placemats will be able to be thrown in the washer.

[AndyT]

This has been a hot topic elsewhere just lately, but I don't think anybody has received one of the Nanami mats to assess it yet. The favourite option (other than a couple of sheets of paper, that is) seems to be a piece of thin felt.

[Wile E Coyote]

Alvin Vyco drawing board covers work great. They are available in various sizes from 18"x24" up to 60"x10 yd rolls and come three colors; grey/cream, green/cream and clear.

[jackwebb]

This has been a hot topic elsewhere just lately, but I don't think anybody has received one of the Nanami mats to assess it yet. The favourite option (other than a couple of sheets of paper, that is) seems to be a piece of thin felt.

I have the grid version of the Midori mat from Nanami. Although the quality is excellent I don't know that I am sold on the concept yet. I only tried it once so far but immediately switched to a stack of four or five sheets of copy paper. With the mat directly under a single sheet of Tomoe River paper I got an unpleasant scratchy feel from the nib, this could be different if the mat were a couple of sheets down, but I just haven't had time to play with it.



EDIT:
Just ran and tried a few lines with the new TWSBI Vac700 1.1 nib and it felt much smoother then the Pelikan M600 B nib, but required more pressure for punctuation and startup. I think some more testing with different paper and pens is in order.

[Silverbreeze]

This has been a hot topic elsewhere just lately, but I don't think anybody has received one of the Nanami mats to assess it yet. The favourite option (other than a couple of sheets of paper, that is) seems to be a piece of thin felt.

I have the grid version of the Midori mat from Nanami. Although the quality is excellent I don't know that I am sold on the concept yet. I only tried it once so far but immediately switched to a stack of four or five sheets of copy paper. With the mat directly under a single sheet of Tomoe River paper I got an unpleasant scratchy feel from the nib, this could be different if the mat were a couple of sheets down, but I just haven't had time to play with it.



EDIT:
Just ran and tried a few lines with the new TWSBI Vac700 1.1 nib and it felt much smoother then the Pelikan M600 B nib, but required more pressure for punctuation and startup. I think some more testing with different paper and pens is in order.

I have the soft green and the hard clear

I like them but not all notebooks I need to use are their size

Which is why I am looking for other sizes :-)

[Dreck]

As much as I'd love to invest in a nice leather desk pad, I have instead taken to using a sheet of posterboard from the local dollar store. Sometimes I fold the sheet in half so it doesn't take up as much space. For .25 to .50, I have something that functions beautifully as a padded surface, keeps inky or coffee spills and crumbs off my desk, can be doodled on, comes in any color I like, and is easily replaceable.

Inexpensive, simple, & efficient. What could be better?

[Lady Onogaro]

This has been a hot topic elsewhere just lately, but I don't think anybody has received one of the Nanami mats to assess it yet. The favourite option (other than a couple of sheets of paper, that is) seems to be a piece of thin felt.

I have two writing mats, and I like them very much. My favorite is the small version that Nanami sells (the first one I bought has a textured surface on one side--that's my favorite because it grips smooth paper like Tomoe River). I have a smooth one, too, and it provides a nice hard surface on which to write. At home, I usually write at the kitchen table, and using the writing mat means I do not have to roll away my tablecloth. Writing on wood surfaces (real wood surfaces) isn't always best for either my correspondence or my desk or table. And I have found most blotters to be too soft for fountain pens. So these work splendidly for me. I even carry one in my bag to take to school.

[axolotl66]

I don't use it for writing but I have a cutting mat that would do the job just fine I think. Some give to it, nice and flat and doesn't move easily.
Graham

[cwent2]

I have a piece of glass on my desk, both my office at home and at work. Makes a nice solid writing surface and a handy place to put pictures under

I made a guide sheet - a series of black block lines on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and laminated it.
I slide this under an unlined sheet of paper, quite useful in keeping the lines straight.

[AndyT]

Interesting: so nearly everyone is looking for a hard, or at least decidedly firm surface then? The textured / grippy surface sounds like a nice touch.

The point of using something soft like felt is to allow a very sharp nib to glide over the paper without digging in - sounds paradoxical but preliminary experiments suggest it works like a dream for me. Might also help anyone who wants to reduce their writing pressure.

[SteveE]

I use a compromise solution. At work and at home, I have desk mats on the writing areas of my desks. Mine are Rhinohide brand, and they feel a lot like the old linoleum desktops of the 1950's. They are moderately firm (more firm than blotter pads), moderately smooth, but have a bit of "give" to their surfaces. I think they work well with both FP's and my occasional RB, and they continue to look good for years.

I've been using this type of pad for over 20 years, and have no issues with them at all. They are available at some of the "Big-Box" office supply stores, and over the internet.

[ac12]

Staples or Office Depot has them.
It is simply a flexible sheet of plastic about 1/32 or 1/16 inch thick.
The best thing that it is good for is keeping accidental ink spills off the table cloth.
Next is keeping the table cloth clean from the other stuff that you do.

If you want some "give" then you need to look into a paper pad.
Go to an art/craft store and get some construction paper. Cheap.
If you have a really nice art store you might find blotter paper.

Personally, I prefer a softer backing. I don't like the hard feel and sound of a hard mat, glass or other HARD surface.
The flexible plastic is OK but I prefer a sheet or 2 of thick paper for the give it provides.

[VertOlive]

My cheesy method: I write on an 11 x 17 yellow legal pad. I can see the lines through the Tomoe or onionskin I always use, and it keeps me from digging my nibs into the soft pine table top.