Fountain Pen Friendly Index Cards - Any Current Available Sources?

[dizzypen]

There is another version of Tops cards floating around Amazon too, these are made in Indonesia. Are these the ones I should have gotten????

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DuNfiOFtL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

Those are the ones I have.

[cellmatrix]

There is another version of Tops cards floating around Amazon too, these are made in Indonesia. Are these the ones I should have gotten????

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DuNfiOFtL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

Those are the ones I have.

 

aha! well live and learn.

[USMCMom]

Do you know what the difference is between the Tops index cards in the blue wrapper and red wrapper?? Different weight, perhaps?

Edited September 21, 2011 by USMCMom

[USMCMom]

I haven't used this brand of index card, so I know nothing about them, but did find what appears to be a pretty good deal.

 

http://www.shoplet.c...d/TOP62501/spdv

 

I know nothing about "Shoplet" either.

Edited September 21, 2011 by USMCMom

[macaddicted]

I sell Pentel Sharp pencils, mostly for my customers convenience. Shoplet has great prices. I've ordered a couple of times

 

Ordered the lined and plain Tops cards. And some padding glue. 100 cards/pack, 10 packs/box, 10 box/carton. $8.05/carton is 10,000 cards? $0.0008, or .08¢ per card? That's less than a case of cheap copy paper. I'm guessing the listing is wrong somehow, otherwise I just ordered 20,000 index cards. For which I'll need the padding glue.

[cellmatrix]

I haven't used this brand of index card, so I know nothing about them, but did find what appears to be a pretty good deal.

 

http://www.shoplet.c...d/TOP62501/spdv

 

I know nothing about "Shoplet" either.

 

I just want to warn you, those black label/made in the USA Tops cards are definitely not fountain pen friendly.

 

The good ones, according to dizzy pen, have the red label and are from indonesia

[USMCMom]

I haven't used this brand of index card, so I know nothing about them, but did find what appears to be a pretty good deal.

 

http://www.shoplet.c...d/TOP62501/spdv

 

I know nothing about "Shoplet" either.

 

I just want to warn you, those black label/made in the USA Tops cards are definitely not fountain pen friendly.

 

The good ones, according to dizzy pen, have the red label and are from indonesia

 

Thank you ... got it ... notes made.

[macaddicted]

I haven't used this brand of index card, so I know nothing about them, but did find what appears to be a pretty good deal.

 

http://www.shoplet.c...d/TOP62501/spdv

 

I know nothing about "Shoplet" either.

 

I just want to warn you, those black label/made in the USA Tops cards are definitely not fountain pen friendly.

 

The good ones, according to dizzy pen, have the red label and are from indonesia

 

Drat. Different SKU. They make it more difficult than it should be to cancel the order.

 

Well I'm going to try them anyway. Most of my notes on the cards are throw away, and I've got some Exacompta cards for "nice" notes. I've wanted to get the glue anyway. At worst I'll follow the Goulet's advice and hold the card at a distance...

Edited September 21, 2011 by macaddicted

[greenapogee]

Funnily enough, I've just gone through this same exercise; I use these for note taking and bookmarks (they're fantastic for noting down quotations, references, etc down on whilst you're reading), and ran out of the stack I'd been using.

 

Five or six packs later, and almost all the index cards I bought were dreadful - flimsy cardstock, nasty feathering, and terrible print jobs.

 

I finally bought a pack of 'Silvine'-brand 3x5 cards from amazon in the UK, and I'm happy with these - I'd like them to be a little thicker, but with a medium Vacumatic nib and Diamine ink they work just fine, and I'm satisfied with them.

 

HTH!

[Sleepyside]

OK, I do not understand the problem. I have got to ask just what kinds of pens you folks are using. Because I am the index card queen. I have got all sorts of cards from a bunch of different sources and makers, ranging from Dollar Tree to Staples to Levenger, plus a lot of other places. I have not had this problem with any of them. Not particularly bad feathering or anything else, including on one slick, sleazy card that you could barely use a pencil on. I figure all of you are writing with broad wet nibs and wet ink. Most of my pens are fine nibs but I have also used my italics.

[mooshi]

I use the Tops brand from Target too. But I've never gotten the black label; always the red our blue and they've been good to me. Heads up, I saw a 300 pack at my $ 0.99 only store. Might want to check that place out too.

[greenapogee]

OK, I do not understand the problem. I have got to ask just what kinds of pens you folks are using. Because I am the index card queen. I have got all sorts of cards from a bunch of different sources and makers, ranging from Dollar Tree to Staples to Levenger, plus a lot of other places. I have not had this problem with any of them. Not particularly bad feathering or anything else, including on one slick, sleazy card that you could barely use a pencil on. I figure all of you are writing with broad wet nibs and wet ink. Most of my pens are fine nibs but I have also used my italics.

 

I too tend to use finer nibs - by way of comparison, here are two plucks from the various piles currently littering my desk... I use index cards heavily for notes whilst reading and I'm generally not particularly careful as to penmanship, since only I read them; my handwriting in these reflects that, and is pretty representative of what emerges when I'm taking quick notes leaning on the back of the book with no particular care. (Please don't judge, or repost to the penmanship forum. ) As I'm writing quickly, it's also pretty favourable for the poorer quality paper - if I was writing more neatly the nib would be lingering much longer and the effect would be worse!

 

These are W.H. Smith's own brand 5x3" index cards (W.H. Smith are the largest chain of stationers in the UK, found on almost every high street)

 

http://i.imgur.com/fBHry.jpg

 

The comment on this one says it all really; if life wasn't too short I would've taken them back to the store and moaned! These are probably by a touch the worst ones I've found (the cards are really no thicker than decent paper, and soak up ink like a sponge), but many of the others were nearly as bad.

 

These are the Silvine cards, which I'm happy with:

 

http://i.imgur.com/XFnYE.jpg

 

And a comparison with two identically written segments side-by-side (with a little post-photo colour adjustment equally applied to both) - same pen, same hand, same ink:

 

http://i.imgur.com/MTepr.jpg

 

W.H. Smith top, Silvine bottom.

 

The colours aren't perfect onscreen, but the difference in saturation is roughly the same as the one I see with the two cards side-by-side. The dirty blobs are part of the paper, and not anything I've added!

Edited September 26, 2011 by greenapogee

[Tberry010]

A good brand is Inspira made by Tjiwi Kimia Paper Products. I think this in an Indonesian company but am not sure. Dollar General carried them but I haven't seen them recently. Next time, if ever, I find them I will buy a bunch.I use fine nibs and there is very little feathering and no bleed through.

[mab52]

I've been using index cards for some time--the last big batch I bought at Sam's Club--they are ruled and I don't normally care for that,so I mostly write on the back. I'll use them up eventually.

 

Despite wishing otherwise, I went over to Staples and bought a 500 pack of their brand blank cards. They are rather thin, but they take my Waterman Phileas rather nicely also ok for rollerball or ballpoint. A thick marker will bleed through them, so I wouldn't want to use them for that. Fine for note taking and dirt cheap at $3.39 for the 500. Worth a try. I'm still interested in something more robust and maybe smoother for FP, but taking notes is more of a priority.

[trace]

I make my own by purchasing a ream of card stock and cutting them. I can then print some if necessary.

[LedZepGirl]

I had good luck with the Post It brand index cards, but others may not depending on the pen/ink they are using. They also have sticky on the back so you can stick them to the wall if you want to. I have to admit I probably wouldn't have bought them, but that's all they had in the bookstore at school and I needed them for a class that afternoon.

[drifting]

Yes, I have used some of the exacompta cards before in the 5 by 8 inch size, and they were very good albeit a bit pricey. I wish they made them in 3 by 5!

 

They do. I know this isn't your local stationer, but it is mine, and they've got Exacompta 3x5 quad ruled cards. If you see somewhere that has the 5x8s, ask if they can order in the 3x5s.

 

Ryan.

[macaddicted]

Yes, I have used some of the exacompta cards before in the 5 by 8 inch size, and they were very good albeit a bit pricey. I wish they made them in 3 by 5!

 

They do. I know this isn't your local stationer, but it is mine, and they've got Exacompta 3x5 quad ruled cards. If you see somewhere that has the 5x8s, ask if they can order in the 3x5s.

 

Ryan.

 

I carry a couple of Rhodia products in my (non-stationary) store. I just checked the Exaclair B2B site. They don't list the 3x5 cards as orderable.

[drifting]

Yes, I have used some of the exacompta cards before in the 5 by 8 inch size, and they were very good albeit a bit pricey. I wish they made them in 3 by 5!

 

They do. I know this isn't your local stationer, but it is mine, and they've got Exacompta 3x5 quad ruled cards. If you see somewhere that has the 5x8s, ask if they can order in the 3x5s.

 

Ryan.

 

I carry a couple of Rhodia products in my (non-stationary) store. I just checked the Exaclair B2B site. They don't list the 3x5 cards as orderable.

 

Ah, I don't think Exaclair is the Canadian distributor, so we must have a different selection of products.

 

Ryan.

[SamCapote]

Do you know what the difference is between the Tops index cards in the blue wrapper and red wrapper?? Different weight, perhaps?

 

Ruled and plain

 

 

Red plain image already posted above.

 

 

Blue Ruled below

 

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KvfO%2BiSkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Edited November 13, 2011 by SamCapote