Stationary?

[sharktm]

I will start with some background. I graduated from collage about a year ago and have really slowed in using my pens. I have recently really missed having a reason to put pen to paper and have started to look into getting into letter writing. Other then being of a generation where the pen has been mostly pushed aside for the latest iPhone leading to me not having the best handwriting I have one very dumb question. How important is it to use proper stationary? I only ask as I dont want to seem rude writing on plane printer paper or some other easily accessible paper as long as its not notebook paper.

[ParramattaPaul]

Mate, I once wrote a letter on the remnants of brown wrapping paper with a grease pencil. Admittedly, that was 1968, I was in the 'Bush's in Vietnam, and that was all any of us had.

[ParramattaPaul]

My point is that I'm not sure that the kind of stationary one uses really matters.

[Karmachanic]

Letters are written on Stationery. Just sayin.'

[ParramattaPaul]

One would then ask what is the definition of stationery?

[D B Holtz]

I think good stationery does matter. It's like wrapping a present in nice paper, rather than the bag they gave you at the store. Right now I have correspondence cards from Crane, for short notes and thank-yous, and Old Crown Mill for longer letters. Even if your recipient doesn't notice, it's nicer stuff to write on for you.

 

DB

[Sailor Kenshin]

I'm just happy to get any kind of letter.

[sharonspens]

I love stationery, from Crane and Papyrus letter sheets to various notecards and correspondence cards. I also send postcards whenever I'm traveling. Using those various papers make my writing special for ME. However, several of my penpals are wedded to notebook paper. I am happy to read their words on whatever they want to write on/with. It doesn't matter to me how their work comes, but it does matter to me what I use because my writing time is special to me.

 

Sharon in Indiana

[Maccabeus]

I have one very dumb question. How important is it to use proper stationary? I only ask as I dont want to seem rude writing on plane printer paper or some other easily accessible paper as long as its not notebook paper.

 

First off, as a longtime educator, let me remind you that the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.

Secondly, the paper and envelopes (stationery) one uses can be as personal as the instrument and medium with which a message is written. Many in the fp world prefer papers that show off sheen of their inks. Some get near-manic about matching stock. One of my pen pals, whose missives are always eagerly-awaited, writes from one edge to the other on old exam paper left over from his time as a teacher in the UK. Another uses super-shiny paper and makes her own (very fetching, very interesting, very colorful) envelopes. I like my stationery to match in both color and weight, and choose writing-weight stock with a linen finish (8 years as a pressman made me a paper snob). What you write on is as much (or more) for you as it is for your recipients. It will reveal things about you to your correspondents. Similarly, you should enjoy writing on it. I had some very nice paper that I gave away because I couldn't abide how it felt when I was writing.

 

In short, do what you like. Enjoy it without apologies. As Sailor Kenshin intimated, your pen pals will probably be more interested in what you have to say rather than what you wrote it on.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Maccabeus

[Alexandra]

I’ve had the pleasure of receiving letters written on a variety of papers ranging from sturdy G. Lalo to exquisitely fine Japanese stationery to binder paper. Never once has my delight in a letter been diminished by the paper it’s written on. Of course there’s always the sensory pleasure to be gained from paper that just feels nice or has a beauty of its own but any paper at hand is acceptable. You might consider the experience or impression you want to convey. For myself I’ve more or less settled on a 25% cotton paper in a ream which I cut in half to make my own stationery. The main thing is to find a paper you like and keep writing. It’s the conversation that counts.