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The Paper Plane - Exacompta Bloc FAF I've been enjoying this little corner of the web for some time now, mainly focusing on inks and pens. But these are more or less useless without the humble paper or notebook that will let you capture your thoughts. So here comes the "Paper Plane", where I review some of the paper and notebooks that I've enjoyed using over the years. Today's guest is the Exacompta desktop note block, a handy tool for quickly jotting down short notes. Founded in 1928, Exacompta was originally a workshop for the production of account books and diaries. This workshop is located in Paris on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin, in buildings designed by the architect Paul Friesé. Now a historic monument, the site extends to adjoining buildings and is home to the largest factory in the heart of Paris where stationery, filing and diaries are still manufactured. The Exacompta Bloc FAF (Fabriqué en France) is a nice-looking desktop note block with a retro design. It essentially consists of an aluminum baseplate with brass screws and washers to fixate a pad of loose-leaf paper. Simple but effective. The result is a very functional note block, that looks much better on your desk than a pack of post-it notes. The note block comes in three different sizes (170x100 mm, 197x115 mm and 220x135 mm). I got myself the small version which fits just perfect on my desk. Small rubber feet ensure that the note block stays in place while taking notes. All in all, a very functional desktop accessory with a cool design. And an inexpensive one at that: the 170x100 small version costs 19,95 EUR (taxes included) and comes with a 170-page bloc of paper. Refills can be bought for 4,50 EUR. Exacompta uses Clairefontaine 70 gsm paper for its refills. The paper has a light-grey 5 mm dot-grid, and is fountain-pen friendly. Sheets are micro-perforated at the top, making it super easy to tear off a page. Below is a photo of the front and back of a sheet of paper, on which I made some scribbles with multiple pen/ink combinations. If you are looking for an alternative for the boring pack of post-it notes, this desktop block with its good-looking retro design certainly fits the bill.

First a disclaimer…I am fairly new to the forums…joining only in March. And perhaps this topic has already been written to death. But I’ve been writing cursive italic for 40 years. Everyone seems to rave about Tomoe paper for writing with fountain pens. But it’s not my favorite writing paper. I know this can vary from person to person, depending on many different things, the pen, the nib, the ink, whether you prefer some “tooth” or not. Today, I was writing a letter on Tomoe 68 gm paper. I often use an italic fountain pen for my writing….and I write in cursive italic. But I seem to find it difficult to write on Tomoe paper with my italic pens. I was wondering if others had as difficult a time writing on Tomoe as I do. The paper is super thin, which doesn’t particularly bother me. But I think it is the extreme smoothness (almost slipperiness) that gives me trouble. It is so slick that it is difficult to form proper italic letter shapes (I’m talking quickly written cursive…NOT formal italic) and I am not able to get the nice thick and thins that I get with a “toothier” paper. So I got out 6 different types of writing paper that I have on hand: 1. Strathmore Series 400 Calligraphy writing paper 75 gm 2. Rhodia High Grade Vellum Paper 90 gm 3. Tomoe 68 gm paper 4. Triomphe Clairefontaine Vellum paper 90 gm 5. Md Midori Loose leaf paper 70 gm 6. Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% cotton 90 g I took out several different pens with different nibs…from extra fine to medium regular nibs to italic extra fine to double broad. I wrote the same sentence on all the papers with all the various pens and nibs. I would say both Tomoe and Rhodia paper produced the most “saturated” colors with a higher sheen. Both are very smooth papers. It is difficult for me to control the uniformity of my handwriting as well on these papers. I just don’t have the control of my pens that I would like to have…especially my italic pens. They simply just don’t “feel” as nice to write on as some of the other papers. The ink lines are slightly thicker on both of these papers. The next smoothest paper was the Triomphe Clairefontaine. I felt I had more control over my pens on this paper. It is slightly “toothier” than the Tomoe and Rhodia. My pens grabbed the paper better, so I had more controll over my pens. The italic pens seemed to work much better on this paper also, providing nice thicks and thins. Next for me was the MD Midori paper. Very similar to Triomphone Clairefontaine, but just slightly toothier. Writing on this paper was perhaps the best for both regular fountain pens and my italic pens with italic cursive. The ink flowed very well, it was nice and saturated. Next was the Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% cotton. Actually, I really liked writing on this paper also, especially with my regular nibs. The “toothiness” made control of my regular nibs very easy. My italic nibs did not write as well on this paper, since it is rougher than the other papers. Formal italic would work fine but cursive italic handwriting is a little more difficult. My regular fountain pen nibs worked well on this paper. Nice saturated ink and dried quickly. The last paper, Strathmore Series 400 Calligraphy Writing Paper 75 gm is a bonded paper. So there are very small ridges running through it. Regular fountain pens again worked very well on this paper. But italic cursive writing was the most difficult on this paper because of the ridges in the paper. This paper would be OK for formal italic. The paper itself is the prettiest paper of all 6 that I tried. Since ALL of the paper I tried is “writing paper,” I really did not have any major problems with bleeding or feathering. Comparing the ghosting from best (least show through) to worse (most show through): Best: MD Midori Rhodia Strathmore Calligraphy Paper Triomphe Clairefontaine Strathmore Premium Writing Paper 25% Cotton Worst: Tomoe 68 gm paper My conclusions regarding these papers for the way that I write, and the pens that I use: For both regular nib fountain pens and italic nibs, I prefer both the Midori and Clairefonatine. These 2 papers work the best (FOR ME) as all around writing paper. For formal italic, I would normally use specialty papers….but the strathmore calligraphy paper, as well as the Midori and Clairefontain could also be made to work okay for formal italic. If I’m only using regular fountain pen nibs (not italic), then all of them EXCEPT Tomoe and Rhodia. The Tomoe and Rhodia paper are simply to slick for me. I don’t like how my pens feel when I write on these papers, and I am not able to control my pens well. I suppose you could say they are “too buttery” for my taste. Sorry about the pun. I like to be able to have control and “feel” my pens working on the paper. And I do NOT have a heavy hand when I write. I know most people will probably disagree with me, but that’s just my opinion based on my experience with these papers. In time and with more writing experience, this could change. I’d be curious about how others feel; especially in regard to using italic nibs for cursive handwriting. What paper do you prefer? Which nibs on which paper. And why?

About a year ago a colleague turned me on to Oxford notebooks, having used Rhodia and Clairefontaine for a long time before that. I love Rhodia, not just the paper but also the design in that wonderful golden yellow. It took me a while to get hooked on Oxford, but once the hook sank in... Some reasons why I've come to prefer Oxford: -significantly lower price compared to Rhodia and Clairefontaine (for example: three thick, 100-page A4 spiralbound notebooks can be had for 8 euros) -huge range of products -every Oxford notebook has margins (except the ones with blank paper), whereas Rhodia and Clairefontaine often do not have vertical lines (which annoys me greatly) -Oxford usually uses 90 g/m^2 paper whereas Rhodia uses 80 g/m^2 (don't know about Clairefontaine), which translates into "more paper, less coating". This is the main selling point for me. It doesn't feel like writing on plastic at all; Oxford paper is soft, organic and smooth and all of my pens love it, whereas some of my pens really don't like Clairefontaine -in terms of feathering (none), bleedthrough (none) and showthrough (same as other good brands), Oxford is at least on the level of other brands -Rhodia can feel very different on both sides of the same page; the front side of a page is sometimes a bit rough and makes pens look dry, whereas the backside will be smooth and wet. In short, Oxford offers more for less and I honestly cannot find a single quality of Rhoda or Clairefontaine that Oxford doesn't match. I haven't tried Tomoe River yet, but that's probably too expensive for my huge daily turnover at work.

I got five notebooks from Massdrop this week, just as I needed to start a new one. The "1951" notebook is a revival of an older product, with a sort of composition book styling only more sophisticated. I like the monochrome cover with an overall fishnet-stocking pattern and a blank cartouche for a title. They're book-bound, with Clairfontaine's brilliant 90-gram paper. I have the A5 size, which I've come to like a lot. The paper is wonderful: very smooth, substantial, with no bleed-through whatsover. I use slightly desaturated inks, so your experience may be different but it works a treat for me. It's right on the edge between absorbent and resistant, so I don't have to blot everything. i also like the purple color of the ruled sheets. The cloth binding is very high-quality, but it prevents the notebook from lying flat, which is an inconvenience to a left-handed writer. Otherwise it's one of the best notebooks I've ever used, and I'm glad I have multiples.

Hi, so I've recently started using fountain pens and want to take notes for school. I've decided to buy clairefontaine or Rhodia for my notes, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Does anyone know where to buy it anymore without importing it? All the threads I've seen aren't updated and thus may be inaccurate. I've checked most stationary stores, department stores but none of them have the notebooks I'm looking for. I've found Rhodia paper in Chung Nam but not the notebooks. One place I know of is called Parentheses which is a French bookstore They stock clairefontaine and Rhodia but they aren't quite 'right' as the Rhodias are in A4 and I prefer the Webnotebooks. The Clairefontaines aren't also quite nice as I've seen the lines seem to too overpowering (as shown below) and I prefer the ones for taking notes that are either dotted grids or single lines. w Does anyone know of places that stock the notebooks of the mentioned brands that aren't wayyy too expensive? Thanks! http://reviews.shopwritersbloc.com//wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Clairefontaine-Side-Staple-French-Ruled-Notebooks.jpg

So, having just bought a Cross Townsend fountain pen, in black with 23k gold medium nib and trim I thought I'd value being able to discuss matters handwriting with like spirits. The Cross Townsend is to replace my Parker Duofold International which I've been using since 1988. The Duofold is still giving excellent service even after 30 years, but hey! I suddenly fancied a change (fickle or what?). I'm currently using Clairefontaine Velin Blanc 90g paper, a delight but expensive. Being somewhat careful in matters financial (skinflint?) I'm using up the two Cross cartridges that came with the pen before I fit the ink converter and fill up from the bottle of Cross blue-black ink I've purchased. I'll be interested to see if I can detect any difference. My immediate impressions of my new Cross Townsend is that the medium nib seems more like a broad to me, and is writing more wet than I'd expected, Still, early days.

Edited... Realized it's not Clairefontaine paper that's in my notebook.. thought it was... It's Rhodia Webnotebook with Rhodia paper...Hi.. New to fountain pens this last year, and have had the experience of my Precious 580 1.1 stub not writing well on new Rhodia paper (I'm new to the paper too). I'm using Diamine Flamingo Pink ink, and have had no problems on any other paper. On this paper, my Twsbi just doesn't want to write... it skips like crazy... I go over to another paper and it writes perfectly... really wet, smooth, nice definition of the straight lines. Is there a known issue with the Twsbi 1.1 stub on Rhodia paper? Thanks!

Hi all! I'd like to introduce you to my site, oakenreed.com! Admittedly, the site I created is not solely based on fountain pens, but it was undoubtedly the initial goal. I will soon be reviewing a few pens and inks I've accrued over the past couple of years, from recommendations from you all or otherwise. I'm currently having a giveaway, but while my PIF is being moderated over there, please head on over and check it out for yourself. I also tend to write poetry and stories, so if that appeals, I hope to see you there!

In this case, a Clairefontaine Triomphe A5. And the pen of choice - Pilot Custom 823, the double reservoir makes flying with a FP so much easier and worry free. ink!

Hi everyone- I've been looking everywhere for a decently priced notepad that's similar to the ones I always used in France. (Currently in DC) When I was there my everyday paper was the Clairefontaine french-ruled, perforated tear-out page **paper pad, no spiral bound** Is there a way to find these in stores in the US? Online without spending an arm and a leg? I found a similar notepad by Rhodia, but can only find it in packs of 3. It may be silly, but I'm just looking to get one! Any suggestions would be awesome! Thank you!

This is an ongoing bleed-through comparison test between ten different commercially available notebooks. This test will continue as long as there is interest in it and pages remaining in the current set of test notebooks. Method This is a simple test, and will involve three steps: 1. Every time I fill a pen with ink I will write the names of the pen, nib size, and ink in ten different notebooks. 2. I will assign each entry a score indicating the severity of bleeding based upon predetermined thresholds. Absence of bleed-though is scored with a checkmark. Bonus points will be given for each additional page side where ink is present. A plus sign indicates that the ink has bled onto the subsequent sheet and the number following it indicates the number of sides bled onto. e.g. an ink that bleeds ink onto the next sheet will get a +1, an ink that bleeds through that same second sheet will get a +2. 3. Points will be tallied at the end of each round to a cumulative total, and the leaderboard will be updated. Lower numbers equate to higher bleed-through resistance. Objectives 1. To determine what notebook paper, of those tested, has the best resistance to bleeding. 2. To see how the same ink appears and behaves on different paper. 3. To see what inks do well on otherwise bleed-prone paper. Qualification Notebooks must meet the following qualifications: 1. They must have at least 30 ruled lines to accommodate ten sets of two written lines with one blank space in between each entry. 2. They must have side wire binding with perforated pages. Ten notebooks take up a lot of workspace and wire binding is ideal as it allows notebooks to fold back on themselves into single stacks of paper. Having detachable pages is only important for ease of scanning. Two exceptions were made, as noted below, because these examples were deemed too important to be excluded due to format. 3. The cost of notebooks must not exceed $12.00 CAD including shipping if applicable. This includes instances of sale prices and promotions. In cases where notebooks were obtained free of cost the price would reflect the lowest price found online. The Contenders Scoring Notes 1. I have debated whether to post a scan of the back of each page but have decided against it. We all know what bleed-through looks like. It would be twice the work in scanning and uploading, and in many cases there would be very little or nothing at all to show on the opposite side of the page. Also this is a comparison between notebook paper and not a focused review of one particular product, and so the empirical aspect takes precedence over individual peculiarities. Refer to the scoring examples for an approximation of bleed-through severity. 2. The white sticker at the top of each page is to provide a standard white balance to each example. 3. The Maruman Mnemosyne notebook is the only B5-size notebook, chosen because there are thirty lines per page, and a larger A4 notebook would have many more lines than needed 4. The Clairefontaine and Black n' Red Casebound notebooks are the only ones without perforated pages. Additionally, the Black n' Red Casebound notebook is the only one without wire binding. This is because neither was locally obtainable in a perforated wirebound format. 5. Two Black n' Red notebooks were chosen because, examined side-by-side, it's very obvious that they have different paper. The paper made in Poland is significantly smoother by touch. 6. The show-through on Staples Sustainable Earth is strong enough that what bleed there is may not be noticed without close inspection. However hidden or understated, bleed will still be counted and scored in full. 7. The Polish Black n’ Red notebooks bleed mostly at the printed lines. Line bleeding is not omitted or counted partially in the overall score and no separate score will be given discounting it. ROUND I Scorecard Standings: 1. Clairefontaine - 0.0 2. Cambridge - 0.5 T3. Rhodia 80gsm - 1.0 T3. Staples Sustainable Earth - 1.0 T5. Black n' Red (Germany) - 2.0 T5. Maruman Mnemosyne - 2.0 T7. Five Star Heavyweight - 7.0 T7. Hilroy - 7.0 9. Black n' Red (Poland) - 9.5 10. Staples Notes - 16.0 Cumulative Bleed-Through Score By Sample: Sample 1 - 0.5 Sample 2 - 8.0 Sample 3 - 1.5 Sample 4 - 8.5 Sample 5 - 8.0 Sample 6 - 1.0 Sample 7 - 8.0 Sample 8 - 6.0 Sample 9 - 1.0 Sample 10 - 3.0

During a recent trip to Montréal, my wife and I stopped at Papeterie Nota Bene* (http://nota-bene.ca), which has the best selection of FP friendly notebooks I've ever seen. It's a very cool shop, and I highly recommend it. Anyway, we found a Clairefontaine notebook we've seen nowhere else. It's designed for science/lab use. These are A5 notebooks with Séyès ruled paper and blank sheets as well. They can be seen on the Clairefontaine site here: http://www.clairefontaine.com/subcategory-en-031033-laboratory-work-drawing-books.html Does anyone know of a United States seller for this particular notebook? Thanks! Christopher

It's that time of year again! Time to "stock up" on your Back to School needs! We offer Notebooks and Journals from Clairefontaine: http://www.federalistpensonline.com/-Clairfontaine-Products_c_81.html Rhodia Pads in all types (Lined, Plain, Grid, Dot): http://www.federalistpensonline.com/-Rhodia-Pads_c_32.html Filofax Refillable Notebooks: http://www.federalistpensonline.com/Fiolofax-A5-Model-Notebook_p_52.html Check Out Our "Pens for Under $25" Tab under Pen Specials! FP Models from Regal, Diplomat, and J. Herbin! http://www.federalistpensonline.com/Pens-25-and-Under_c_105.html Receive and additional 5% Discount with code FPN at Checkout! Authorized Dealer of All New Brands Listed Frank Federalist Pens 866-746-4900

Hello all, Now thru 8/20/2016 all ink and paper is on sale at A&D Penworx! 15% off all ink 10% off all Rhodia and Clairefontaine Paper No coupon code required. Thank you! David Tipton

Rhodia is now officially available in India. Rhodia products are available on flipkart.com and amazon.in Alternatively, you can also contact us at info@abhimanintl.in directly for placing an order or to inquire for bulk/ corporate orders. Regards, AbhimanIntl

Here's a quick review of what has become my favorite ink! The paper used in the first image is clairefontaine 90g, and the text is written with a jinhao x750 (goulet f nib). In the second image, I used a pelikan m200 (m) for the bold lettering, and the jinhao turned upside down for the rest of the text. The paper comes from a twsbi notebook. Color reproduction of the scans isn't exceptional, but I tried my best to make them look similar to what the ink looks on paper. http://i.imgur.com/Eeb7pZK.jpg?1 Keep in mind that the ink darkens as it oxidizes, so in a couple of days the color looks darker than above (Almost black, as I said, when using a wet pen). Some additional thoughts: http://i.imgur.com/JWPHLt1.jpg?1

My first serious attempt to make a codex, with FP-friendly paper, good enough as a personal gift. https://lennartwennberg.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/codex-1-006.jpg

For some time now, I've been using leather notebook covers made by a UK-based craftsman, Fenner Benedict. Made from a variety of traditional materials, they are well-finished and of the highest quality. And of course, available easily in the UK. However, I decided that having already got the Explorer 2 which I use with Moleskine Cahiers and Field Notes, I thought I'd try the latest Explorer 3 in Midori Passport size. Good call! As can be seen from the photograph below, the two covers are virtually the same, apart from the size of course, and I chose the black leather for the Midori-sized one. The Explorer range come with a cleverly laid-out set-up where a single piece of bungee cord is threaded through the cover to give four bands straight away, so that number of books or inserts can be used immediately. But, Midori refills are a little on the expensive side for me, to use all the time so I decided to use the excellent (in my opinion) Clairefontaine 1951 pocket notebooks (9cm x 14cm) and trim down to the Midori size. Basically, I just trimmed about 7mm or the top and bottom of the notebook and it fits just fine. Because the Clairefontaine books have more pages than the Midori ones per se, I made the cut-down version a fraction shorter so that it wouldn't be difficult to fit into the cover. I also make my own notebooks for both, especially if I want a 'disposable' one with perforated pages - shopping lists etc. Using thin card for the cover and either QC or Ryman's Bank papers for the pages. Very simple to produce. I realise that there are loads of similar options out there, from many different countries but at least I thought you should be aware that the Clairefontaine notebooks, and of course any similar stapled ones, can easily be trimmed to fit the Midori-sized covers. I wouldn't recommend trimming ones like the Moleskine Cahiers though, because they are stitched! Goodness-knows what would happen then...!

Massdrop offering Clairefontaine clothbound 5/10 Pack Notebook Bundle Here is the link: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/clairefontaine-1951-clothbound-notebooks?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Massdrop%20-%20Master%20-%20Writing&utm_campaign=Writing%20Product%20Announcement%202015-03-23&mode=guest_open

Hi fellow Australian FPN members, I just wanted to let you know in case you aren't aware, that Officeworks now carry A4 and A5 Rhodia pads (I saw dot pads, ruled, plain, graph, yellow w/margin) and notebooks, as well as Clairefontaine Clothbound notebooks in various sizes. I have just been to Officeworks Dee Why in Sydney and they had a really good selection there. The price was the same as what Notemaker offers without their volume or VIP discount. In the past I have bought my Rhodia/CF notebooks from Notemaker or Nation State online, but it is great to know that in an emergency I can just pop into a physical store in the next suburb to pick up my favourite fountain pen friendly notebooks and pads. Just a heads up that these wonderful notebooks are now available in many suburbs. (I am not affiliated with any of the stores mentioned above, just a happy customer.) SNAK P.S. I also saw some Moleskine notebooks on the shelf too, but I don't bother with them any more so I didn't check them out very carefully.