"fountain Pen Friendly" Notebooks Vs Regular Cheap Notebooks

[Zombify]

I don't see the big deal with these expensive "Fountain Pen Friendly" notebooks like Clairfontaine and Rhodia. I find that the writing experience for me is far more enjoyable with cheaper notebooks like Blueline or Mead. The ink seems to absorb better and quicker on the cheaper ones compared to the higher end ones, which also seem to be not as smooth. The cheaper ones also generate an even ink line.

 

Agree? Disagree? Comments?

[Centopar]

And how are feathering, blotting and bleedthrough on the pads you're using? What's the consistency of paper stock like across other notebooks from the same brand? Are you finding they're kind to all the inks and all the nibs you use?

[WirsPlm]

I don't see the big deal with these expensive "Fountain Pen Friendly" notebooks like Clairfontaine and Rhodia. I find that the writing experience for me is far more enjoyable with cheaper notebooks like Blueline or Mead. The ink seems to absorb better and quicker on the cheaper ones compared to the higher end ones, which also seem to be not as smooth. The cheaper ones also generate an even ink line.

 

Agree? Disagree? Comments?

 

Cheap paper uses less pulp generally (and often absorbs ink more quickly) but it also needs heavy coatings (that's where the smooth feeling comes from). Ink and paper and pen nibs are all part of the equation of a good writing experience, so someone using an M nib will have different experiences that someone using an F nib. I'm mostly OK with cheaper papers, except that the showthrough really bugs me so I prefer notebooks that have thick, opaque paper. I'm not a fan of Clairfontaine or Rhodia because the dry times are so long, but Paperblanks is also a very good paper that is much more absorbent and dries quickly.

 

The other thing is that cheap notebooks get paper from cheap suppliers (which means their supplier changes), or don't spend a lot of money on QC, so the paper quality can vary widely in the same notebook or across the line, which is why Rhodia and other expensive notebooks can charge a premium for their consistent paper.

Edited January 28, 2014 by WirsPlm

[Zombify]

And how are feathering, blotting and bleedthrough on the pads you're using? What's the consistency of paper stock like across other notebooks from the same brand? Are you finding they're kind to all the inks and all the nibs you use?

 

I mostly use cheap BlueLine notebooks and it seems pretty consistent than the Mead notebooks for example, which appear to be different from page to page.. I don't notice any feathering or blotting on the paper, and even using my broad Sheaffer Prelude, which is a waterfall of a pen, there is some, but hardly any bleedthrough. I've used different inks, but mostly Waterman inks. In terms of nibs, I use medium mostly, and sometimes broad, and never really have an issue.

[Zombify]

 

Cheap paper uses less pulp generally (and often absorbs ink more quickly) but it also needs heavy coatings (that's where the smooth feeling comes from). Ink and paper and pen nibs are all part of the equation of a good writing experience, so someone using an M nib will have different experiences that someone using an F nib. I'm mostly OK with cheaper papers, except that the showthrough really bugs me so I prefer notebooks that have thick, opaque paper. I'm not a fan of Clairfontaine or Rhodia because the dry times are so long, but Paperblanks is also a very good paper that is much more absorbent and dries quickly.

 

The other thing is that cheap notebooks get paper from cheap suppliers (which means their supplier changes), or don't spend a lot of money on QC, so the paper quality can vary widely in the same notebook or across the line, which is why Rhodia and other expensive notebooks can charge a premium for their consistent paper.

 

Yes, apart from the lack of smoothness on CF and Rhodia, the slow dry times on these notebooks turns me off as well.

[wastelanded]

I've found notebooks made by Mead to have pretty good paper for FP use: almost no feathering, a little showthrough but hardly a deal-breaker. Even their index cards aren't bad at all, especially for the price.

[WirsPlm]

I have no idea what kind of Mead paper you all are using, but I want some, I gave Mead 5 Star a solid try and it had terrible feathering and showthrough (not much bleedthrough, but I was using Ms and Fs mostly so that's not saying much). Maybe Mead sells different paper qualities in different places (this would not surprise me at all, actually).

[Ike Levens]

I don't see the big deal with these expensive "Fountain Pen Friendly" notebooks like Clairfontaine and Rhodia. I find that the writing experience for me is far more enjoyable with cheaper notebooks like Blueline or Mead. The ink seems to absorb better and quicker on the cheaper ones compared to the higher end ones, which also seem to be not as smooth. The cheaper ones also generate an even ink line.

 

Agree? Disagree? Comments?

When you say generate an even ink line, I think you are stating that the ink doesn't shade. However, ink shading is one of the things that some of us like best about writing with fountain pens and liquid ink. That is why Apache Sunset and Black Swanin Australian Roses by Noodler's are such great inks.

[sandy101]

I don't mind cheap notebooks, but I've had some that are no good for fountain pens. They either absorb ink like blotting paper or the paper is so thin that the nib starts tearing the pages. I've found the Oxford books (which are half the price of Moleskine & Leuchtturm) to be perfectly usable and every so often are sold at buy one get one free.

 

That said, I like Leuchtturm with the page numbers which makes it easier to organise everything. SO I use the cheaper stuff for scribbling, and when I'm ready for a final draft is goes in one of the poshies.

[ac12]

I don't see the big deal with these expensive "Fountain Pen Friendly" notebooks like Clairfontaine and Rhodia. I find that the writing experience for me is far more enjoyable with cheaper notebooks like Blueline or Mead. The ink seems to absorb better and quicker on the cheaper ones compared to the higher end ones, which also seem to be not as smooth. The cheaper ones also generate an even ink line.

 

Agree? Disagree? Comments?

 

It Depends ....

 

I write a LOT, so for me I need cheap notebooks. I use notebooks made in Brazil and I get decent results with it. BUT, the notebook paper is only 16# weight, so wet and wide nib pens tend to have shadowing on the other side of the page, which is sometimes quite irritating when I am writing on the other side of the page. I appreciate the features of the better notebooks more, because I have to put up with the disadvantages of the cheap notebooks.

 

Your Mead sound different than the ones that I've seen in Northern California. The ones that I have seen are rather rough to the touch, and based on my experience, rough feeling paper is NOT good for my Fine nib fountain pens. And rough paper seem to feather a lot more than smooth papers.

 

If I could afford Clairefontaine or Rhodia for my regular daily journals and practice books, I would.

But given the cost, I save them for my special journals.

[Tonkus]

When you say generate an even ink line, I think you are stating that the ink doesn't shade. However, ink shading is one of the things that some of us like best about writing with fountain pens and liquid ink. That is why Apache Sunset and Black Swanin Australian Roses by Noodler's are such great inks.

 

My favorite inks!

[Centopar]

Two of mine too - and if you haven't tried Diamine Golden Brown, you really should, whether you're using cheap paper or Tomoe River!

[markh]

The thing with "cheap" notebooks is lack of consistency. In some cases, cheap paper is a pleasure with a fountain pen. In others, it doesn't work, with an unusable amount of feathering and bleedthrough.

 

The trick is when you find something cheap that works for you, buy some more. Than you have a supply of paper that works.

 

Clairfontaine or Rhodia are consistent from product to product and over time. I happen to like using them. But whatever you think of them, the manufacturer obviously pays attention the the finished product to make sure it always behaves in the same way.

 

My latest cheap find is the pads and spiral books from Staples made with recycled sugarcane. Paper is inexpensive, but the surface finish is such that its a great fit with a fountain pen. I bought a bunch.

 

 

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[French]

I have had good luck using the sugarcane "bagasse" composition notebooks that Staples has. I stock up during the back to school sales. There is some show through with wet pen/ink combinations, but, nothing that prevents me from using both sides of the paper. However, I use mainly fine and extra fine nibs, so your experience may vary.

[Moondrop]

I haven't tried any of the "fountain pen friendly" brands that I see mentioned here frequently--closest I've gotten is Ampad Gold Fibre paper. It's nice, but not necessary.

 

For the past several years, I've used plain old composition notebooks (Mead, Norcom, etc.) for all my penmanship & calligraphy practice and for what some might consider journaling and I've noticed that as long as the notebook says "made in Brazil", the paper works pretty well with most of my pens and very few inks with the exception of my two flexy nibs and the widest italic nibs. With the flex nibs, there's bleed-through, but still no feathering. With the wider italic nibs, there's show-through but not bleed-through or feathering.

 

Maybe if I tried some of the more expensive notebooks I'd end up hating the cheap ones I've been using, but for now they work fine for me.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Moondrop

[ac12]

@Moondrop

I have had the opposite experience with Brazil COMPOSITION books.

Unlike the Brazil wire bound spiral notebooks (which I like), the Brazil composition books seem to be 2nd rate.

The ones that I got at Staples and WalMart were not consistent in the paper quality. Some pages were nice, others were not so nice, even on the same page the surface quality will vary on different parts of the page. It got to be rather frustrating trying to write on it. Maybe I got the books from a bad batch of paper, who knows.

 

I use an old Parker Fine nib (similar to a Lamy XF nib), and the F nibs are more sensitive to paper surface quality.

[aenjin]

I don't see the big deal with these expensive "Fountain Pen Friendly" notebooks like Clairfontaine and Rhodia. I find that the writing experience for me is far more enjoyable with cheaper notebooks like Blueline or Mead. The ink seems to absorb better and quicker on the cheaper ones compared to the higher end ones, which also seem to be not as smooth. The cheaper ones also generate an even ink line.

 

Agree? Disagree? Comments?

 

To me "fountain pen friendly" and expensive are overlapping categories, really. Ideally I want to use paper that falls under both [edited to say: I meant I'd like paper that is both "friendly" and "inexpensive" ] , but not all of them are going to.

 

I really enjoy using composition notebooks with sugarcane paper over anything else for most writing, but they're not going to break the bank, especially if I can buy them in bulk (I go through a lot of these).

 

At the same time some really beautiful and expensive papers just wouldn't be a good match for me in terms of writing -- ink takes too long to dry, the paper has too much tooth, the color is unpleasant, the paper/journal/notebook is too heavy/not a useful size, etc.

Edited January 30, 2014 by aenjin

[Namru]

I don't want the ink to be absorbed or for the line colour to be consistant.

[Sailor Kenshin]

India paper and Staples Bagasse are my current favorites. I love the tan lines in the Bagasse.

 

India paper is...different. It feels thin, soft, absorbent, the opposite of Claire and Rhodia, but it takes fp ink remarkably well.

[grainweevil]

Just picked up another Silvine Memo Book from my local newsagent today, which will be familiar to UK residents (possibly of a certain age) and while if you're show-through phobic it might bring you out in a rash (it's really not bad, but they don't favour thickness in their paper), for lack or feathering and bleed through I've yet to find anything cheaper and more consistent. That applies to their school exercise books as well; can't speak for other items in their extensive range. It's a different writing experience to that of Clairefontaine or Rhodia, but I find I have room in my life for both.

 

Cheers, Al