Old Style Writing Tablets

[MKeith]

I am looking for the old style writing tablets that are good for FPs. I know that Clairfontaine and others make writing tablets but at about 10+ cents a sheet it makes my mistake quotient too expensive. I remember MANY years ago my mother and grandmother using fountain pens on these 6X9 inch top adhesive ruled tablets for letter writing. I have acquired a couple of cheap ones ($1.00 range) in grocery stores and Wal-Mart but the bleed through is terrible. Surely somewhere these exist. I would really appreciate any help or alternatives.

Edited August 3, 2012 by MKeith

[dgturner]

Mead makes some 6x9 writing pads that work fairly well -- the paper is absorbent, you get "spread" rather than feathering, but you also get faster drying. I do not recall the model but I think I may have some around the house, I will try and get the exact model number and post it later.

[isaacrn]

We always had one of these in my grandparent's house. Horribly cheap paper

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-frYGbaQoNwU/ToiI2A70-wI/AAAAAAAADuY/IuM8FjtXFkk/s1600/BigChiefTabletScreenShotBON003.jpg

[MKeith]

Thanks dgturner. Yeah Big Chief tablets, I can still remember the smell of those. Worked pretty well with pencils but if you erased too many times or too hard you had a hole in the paper!

[DanF]

Some time ago Walgreen's used to have just such a tablet called "Corner Office" . They were made in Brazil, and the paper was just as good as the Brazilian Compostion books, but in the standard 6 X9" tablet format. Then suddenly they were being replaced by ones made in Viet Nam, but looked identical. This resulted in a mad scramble for the last remaining Brazilian stock. It might be worth a visit to Wallgreen's to see if there has been a change back, you never know. I doubt if anyone has checked recently, though I thought about it the other day. I don't know of anyone else making a cheap table that size with good paper.

 

Another option worth considering for the price would be to buy a bunch of the Brazilian Norcom composition books at Walmart, take them to Staples or Office Depot, and have them cut the paper to the size you want and pad them up for you. With the books on sale now for about fifty cents each, it should be cost effective. Just make sure that each of the comp books are made in Brazil, as there are others that look identical but are made in Viet Nam, Mexico, and India mixed in with the Brazilian ones. Check the bottom label on the back of the book for country of origin.

 

Dan

[Tweel]

I bought a small stack of those Corner Office letter tablets. The paper is thin, but performs well. Look for tablets that are marked "Made in Brazil", and I think that Indonesian paper has gotten better too. For example, I have a DG Office steno pad from Dollar General, made in Indonesia, that works very well with FP ink, with smooth paper that is actually heavier and more opaque than the Brazilian paper.

 

And when you find something you like, go back and buy all you can of that batch. Cheap paper is a global commodity with constantly changing suppliers.

[Stompie]

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by a writing tablet exactly?

 

I recently purchased a largish square block from Rhodia. I ordered the ones with grid paper. I also ordered a Shopping lists from Rhodia, nice small but long pads, also grid 2.9 x 8.3 inch.

 

Both are perforated so it is easy to tear out.

[Sleepyside]

Yes, DG had some really good ones last summer. I basically cornered the market on those in the Raleigh area and now have a lifetime supply. They still carry the tablets but they have changed and I am not sure the new ones are FP friendly. I have also seen tablets at Dollar Tree but they don't look conducive to FP use, though the scratch pads from there are.

[Tweel]

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by a writing tablet exactly?

As the OP mentioned -- a 6 X 9 inch pad meant for letter-writing (I prefer unlined). The pages, folded in three, fit a #6-3/4 envelope (3-5/8" X 6-1/2"). It's an old American classic that many of us grew up with, and is still around, but the paper is usually terrible nowadays.

[MKeith]

Thanks for all the suggestions. New places to hunt!

[Tweel]

I was just at Dollar General yesterday. The writing tablet paper did not feel or look good now, although the steno pads seemed the same as the one I bought before.

[melissa59]

Oh how I can relate to the mistakes and tossing aside a page! If I'm going to write letters, I'm going to have to learn to live with the mistakes or quickly improve my spelling and grammar. I think the former will be easier than the latter.

 

I have good luck with the MEAD brand composition books for my own personal notes and such, especially if I use only one side of the paper (playing with my flex Noodler's Konrad caused bleed through). Other similar looking brands not so good.

 

I really liked the Rhodia 5x7 pad of lined paper, but HATE the super wide margins that take up nearly 30% of the page. Maybe I'll try the dot pads next, though I'll probably miss the actual lines and I find it to still be a bit spendy for a write, crumple and toss person like me.

 

Not fancy, but I think the best fountain bargain out there is the Sustainable Earth lined pads by Staples. My local Staples was discontinuing the larger pads in 12-packs, and I got mine for about 60% off the regular price. (Wish I'd picked up both packs now!) I haven't been back to see if they still carry the single pads, but I noticed that the multi-packs are still available on the Website (5x8 = $7.99 for a dozen pads; 8.5 x 11.75 = $12.99 for a dozen)

[jbb]

You can have a print shop cut & pad any paper that you like. Padding & cutting is pretty cheap... the expense is mostly in the paper you buy.

[doggonecarl]

I've had good luck with the Kroger store-brand letter writing tablet. Some bleed through, and for most pen and ink combinations, no feathering. If I can remember to look, I'll get the name and edit my post.

 

Post Script

I stand corrected. It isn't a Kroger brand. The brand is OfficeWorks, distributed by Inter-American Products. One hundred sheets, less than $2.

Edited August 8, 2012 by doggonecarl

[MKeith]

I thought I would get back with my findings if anyone was interested besides me. I have tried the following and here are my results so far using mostly fine and medium nibs.

 

1. Office Works (current Kroger brand) 6X9 inch, is made in USA and sells for approx. $1.00 for 100 sheets. This paper is fairly good. It is somewhat smooth to the touch. It is moderately smooth writing with some bleed through with wetter nibs and inks and show light feathering.

 

2. Wexford (current Walgreen brand) 6X9 inch, is made in Viet Nam and sells for around $1.00 for 100 sheets. The paper is rough to the touch. It is rough writing and has terrible bleed through with all nibs and inks tested and feathers heaviliy.

 

3. DG Office (current Dollar General brand)5.75X9 inch, is made in Indonesia and sells for $1.00 for 120 sheets. This paper is the smoothest to the touch. It writes with a bit of resistance and scratchy sound, which I actually like as it slows my somewhat hectic writing down. It has so far shown no bleed through, has only light show through, and very light if at all feathering. If you use these type tablets I think they are very much worth a try.

 

 

In conclusion, and until or if I find some of the Brazilian Corner Office paper to try, I think I have a winner in the Dollar General brand. I might still have to consider some day cutting down some of the Brazilian composition books as this paper for the money amazes me in it's quality. Fortunately I have stocked up on them. Thanks again for all the advice and it was much appreciated.

Edited August 15, 2012 by MKeith

[hangarhermit]

Thanks dgturner. Yeah Big Chief tablets, I can still remember the smell of those. Worked pretty well with pencils but if you erased too many times or too hard you had a hole in the paper!

[hangarhermit]

We always had one of these in my grandparent's house. Horribly cheap paper

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-frYGbaQoNwU/ToiI2A70-wI/AAAAAAAADuY/IuM8FjtXFkk/s1600/BigChiefTabletScreenShotBON003.jpg

[hangarhermit]

The Big Chief writing tablets are back. Found them on Amazon.

[MKeith]

Been a long time since I've seen those. At $4.95 per 48 sheet tablet those are higher than some premium tablets. If memory serves me right they were somewhere around 25 cents apiece when I was kid. Wish I had appreciated in value as much as these have.

Edited September 23, 2012 by MKeith

[hangarhermit]

Yeah, there was sticker shock, however looking back, when my parents were buying my 39 cent Big Chief tablets for me, they were paying 25 cents a gallon for gasoline.