Please Recommend Fp-Friendly, Inexpensive Pads?

[Sailor Kenshin]

I bought pads from a Big Store, and they turned out to be paper towels with lines printed on them. Even so, I struggled doggedly to use them. But now I'm done, and I'm looking for something nice to write on, yet still inexpensive. Or even cheap!

 

Does anyone know of a CHEAP, white, lined 8 1/2 x 11 top-bound pad? US sources only, please, readily available, and low-cost... as I already have pads from Levenger, Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and a few precious Staples Bagasse.

 

And many thanks for your help!

[dcwaites]

I went through the same thing here in Aus. some years ago. All I could do was buy one inexpensive pad, see if it worked well (and I got a few good hits, and a large pile of unusables) and then go back if I wanted more of a good one. Unfortunately, these ultra cheap brands seem to change from shipment to shipment, and I could never get a repeat purchase...

 

General guidelines --

1) only use one side

2) paper that is thin and hard is likely to be better than thicker, softer paper

3) if you find a pad that is good, go back the next day and buy a life-time's supply, because it won't be available after the next shipment.

 

A newcomer to the market is bamboo-based paper.

 

These days I have given up on pads and use good quality cut sheet paper (Double-A). I cut mine down to B5, as that is my preferred size, and print lines, dots or whiteline patterns as desired.

If I needed a pad, I would print out 50 or 100 sheets and take it down to a printery and get it padded ( glued and turned into a pad).

[Sailor Kenshin]

I went through the same thing here in Aus. some years ago. All I could do was buy one inexpensive pad, see if it worked well (and I got a few good hits, and a large pile of unusables) and then go back if I wanted more of a good one. Unfortunately, these ultra cheap brands seem to change from shipment to shipment, and I could never get a repeat purchase...

 

General guidelines --

1) only use one side

2) paper that is thin and hard is likely to be better than thicker, softer paper

3) if you find a pad that is good, go back the next day and buy a life-time's supply, because it won't be available after the next shipment.

 

A newcomer to the market is bamboo-based paper.

 

These days I have given up on pads and use good quality cut sheet paper (Double-A). I cut mine down to B5, as that is my preferred size, and print lines, dots or whiteline patterns as desired.

If I needed a pad, I would print out 50 or 100 sheets and take it down to a printery and get it padded ( glued and turned into a pad).

I like # 3...it's true!

[mooshi]

Hmmm.... I recall Daiso having something that was top-bound, and I've always had good luck with Japanese paper. I shall check this week when I make my Daiso run and report back.

Edited November 5, 2016 by mooshi

[Valkyrii]

I have had exceptionally good results using Kokuyu pads from Jet pens. Somewhere (in moving boxes) I have several notebooks filled with various FP inks and they perform very well IMHO.

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Kokuyo-Campus-Twin-Ring-Notebook-Semi-B5-7-mm-Rule-Blue/pd/10423

Edited November 5, 2016 by Valkyrii

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have had exceptionally good results using Kokuyu pads from Jet pens. Somewhere (in moving boxes) I have several notebooks filled with various FP inks and they perform very well IMHO.

 

http://www.jetpens.com/Kokuyo-Campus-Twin-Ring-Notebook-Semi-B5-7-mm-Rule-Blue/pd/10423

 

I have some of their notebooks (nice paper, a bit slick) but really am looking for conventional, top-bound letter pads.

[Skyppere]

Go into a big box office supply store like staples or office max or office depot. Get a ream of 32 pound laser ink jet printing paper. Hand it over to them and ask them to make it into pads. I like smaller pads so I had them cut it in half first. I ended up with four huge pads that even though I write a letter a day may last me a year or two. It does mean you have to leave it with them and they make the pad and let the glue dry so you pick it up the next day but the paper is great and when you consider how much you're getting, it's a real bargain!

skyppere

[Sailor Kenshin]

Go into a big box office supply store like staples or office max or office depot. Get a ream of 32 pound laser ink jet printing paper. Hand it over to them and ask them to make it into pads. I like smaller pads so I had them cut it in half first. I ended up with four huge pads that even though I write a letter a day may last me a year or two. It does mean you have to leave it with them and they make the pad and let the glue dry so you pick it up the next day but the paper is great and when you consider how much you're getting, it's a real bargain!

skyppere

 

Thanks. Not a bad idea, but once you get into having to make lines on the paper...

[Mr. Dante]

Red n Black notebook. I used to use pads but switched to this notebook. Excellent for fountain pens. Not cheap, but less expensive than Rhodia or Clairefontaine. $5.77 at Amazon.

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I support the idea of Member Skyppere, with the following mods:

 

> Purchase a ream of good utility paper. (Over the years I've settled on H P 90gsm (24lb) laser copy/print paper, so that might serve as a point of departure. I use that paper in my Ink Reviews (many pen + ink combos).

> Print lines on the paper as you wish from your home devices.

> Purchase a brush and some stiff backing board of your choice.

> Get the appropriate quantity of sheets per pad, then insert the backing board.

> Conjure your own padding compound.

> Follow instructions as per .https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251638697899189279/

> Et viola! Custom pads on the cheap

 

My technique is intended to do a few reams at one go, so is a bit fussy. (No surprise.) I put a bit of plywood over the stack of paper+backing boards, topped with a demijohn of water balanced on the padding edge to compress the stack prior to applying the padding compound, which avoids the padding compound creeping between the sheets. Well after the padding compound is dry, I use a blunt blade to separate each pad from the stack. I confess to using Orange colour commercial padding compound.

 

The backing boards can be reused.

 

To prevent loose sheets in the pad, prior to applying the padding compound it is important that the paper at the padding edge of the stack be aligned / jogged http://bookbinding.com/short-essays-on-bookbinding/paper-cutting-machines/techniques-in-handling-paper.html

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 6, 2016 by Sandy1

[mooshi]

Hi,

 

I support the idea of Member Skippere, with the following mods:

 

> Purchase a ream of good utility paper. Over the years I've settled on H P 90gsm (24lb) laser copy/print paper, so that might serve as a point of departure. I use that paper in my Ink Reviews (many pen + ink combos).

> Print the paper as you wish from your home devices.

> Purchase a brush and some stiff backing board of your choice, then conjure your own padding compound, et viola! Custom pads on the cheap.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251638697899189279/

(I confess to using commercial padding compound, and put a bit of plywood over the stack of paper, then used a demijohn of water to compress the paper prior to applying the padding compound. It is important the paper at the padding edge be aligned [jogged http://bookbinding.com/short-essays-on-bookbinding/paper-cutting-machines/techniques-in-handling-paper.html], to prevent loose sheets in the pad.)

 

Bye,

S1

I've done this successfully before with Aileen's Tacky Glue. The consistency dries like padding compound, when I'd last used it for this purpose.

[Wandering Man]

For note taking, I've found that Tops Docket Gold at Office Depot works really well. Much better than Office Depot's Professional.

 

I also like Yoobi's Compose Yourself Composition Book from Target (9 3/4 X 7 1/2) for writing out ideas, stories, etc.

 

Both are cheaper alternatives to specialty paper.

[LizEF]

Just to add to the options: at the grocery store, I found a Top Flight Wired notebook that works pretty well with western fine and extra fine nibs. It's top spiral bound, labeled 8.5 x 11.5, but perforated so when you remove it, it should be 8.5 x 11, but it's about 1/8 of an inch narrower than 8.5. It's the one in the lower left corner of this page. There's show-through, but no bleed-through, even when I pressed hard on the nibs. You could easily use both sides. The paper feels smooth and is pretty thick. (Sorry, I don't have anything wider inked right now.) 70 pages, college ruled, cost $3.99

 

I also got a Notebound "Personal Book", 7" x 5 " 80 sheets, carolinapad.com is on the cover, but this notebook wasn't on the website. The closest I could find was at sears.com. It has this little slot in the cover that you can use to hook your pen clip in. Even my TWSBI Eco could be hooked in there with the pen between the covers (though it wouldn't close flat). You can see the slot in the pics at that link. The pages are perforated and about like the Top Flight notebook, except ink did bleed in two little dots onto the next page when I pressed down on the nib - with one of the inks (De Atramentis Steel Blue, which was already pretty wet, so that's probably part of it). Also, the show-through is worse and depending on your tastes, you may not want to use the second side. $2.59 for that one.

 

FWIW

[Sailor Kenshin]

Now that might work...the top-bound spiral notebook. Thanks.

[inkyelbows]

Thanks for this thread. And it never crossed my mind to turning FP-friendly paper into a spiral-bound notebook; what a fantastic idea.

 

Debbie (aka Fountain pen newbie)