Your Favorite Writing Paper

[LizB]

I've recently been using some of the 100% cotton paper from Original Crown Mill. I don't like their laid paper at all, but the cotton range they do it really excellent, feels very high quality.

[Retro-user]

 

I decided to try this paper out & ordered a ream that arrived today. Very nice!

 

After writing just a few lines I am impressed. At the price, better yet. A great all around default for everyday use. A slight bit of tooth, most notable with a finer nib.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I will be ordering more.

Glad it worked out!

[ENewton]

On 10/2/2020 at 1:32 AM, LizB said:

The Fabriano Ecoqua is a very different paper to the premium letter-writing paper being discussed above. Fabriano produces a huge range of speciality paper for art and writing, across students and professional budgets. I have an Ecoqua notebook I bought a couple of years ago, and it is a well-made A4 lined pad, similar to Oxford Optik probably.

 

But it is not a letter writing paper, it's a notebook. Fabriano Medioevalis is a beautiful heavyweight paper, probably more of a card, designed to handle watercolour as well as ink. It is beautiful to write on. I would love to try some of their other premium writing papers but they are proving very difficult to get hold of; I think Minerva and Florentia may be discontinued.

 

I have lately been using a Fabriano Ecoqua notebook that I bought about a year ago.  It is, as you say, not letter writing paper, but I have been impressed with its qualities.  It shows to advantage certain inks that lose their color on Tomoe River, notably some of the Robert Oster purple inks.  In addition, I now use it on a daily basis for brush calligraphy, and whether I use dye ink, liquid sumi, or sumi ink I've ground on an inkstone, I can write on both sides of the page.  Its only real disadvantage, as a utility paper, is that it is best for applications in which it is acceptable for individual sheets to detach themselves from the binding.  

 

As for my favorite paper overall, I recently acquired a notebook made with Cosmo Air Light, and so far I am delighted with it.  It is not an extra-smooth paper by any means, but for those who prefer paper that has some texture to it, CAL is certainly an option to try.  I really wish it were available in a planner format.   

[rkesey]

On 7/12/2020 at 3:17 PM, Boston Brian said:

I always enjoyed using Basildon Bond from the UK. Available in several sizes and colors, with matching envelopes!

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but is there a good source for Basildon Bond with envelopes in the US? I've only found the Duke line, which is smaller, and I haven't been able to find envelopes...

[alkman]

On 2/20/2022 at 3:08 PM, rkesey said:

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but is there a good source for Basildon Bond with envelopes in the US? I've only found the Duke line, which is smaller, and I haven't been able to find envelopes...

 

I've seen older threads resurrected. I've used amazon.co.uk to get BB in A4 along with the DL or C6 envelopes. Shipping has ranged anywhere from 5-10 GBP over the years...and once it. It also looks like Amazon Canada is stocking what you need...a bit pricey

[rkesey]

13 hours ago, alkman said:

 

I've seen older threads resurrected. I've used amazon.co.uk to get BB in A4 along with the DL or C6 envelopes. Shipping has ranged anywhere from 5-10 GBP over the years...and once it. It also looks like Amazon Canada is stocking what you need...a bit pricey

Great, thanks again, alkman!

[GutSchrift]

I have far too much writing paper and envelopes, but here are a few noes on the notes I like best: 

 

Smythson -- the Bond Street Blue (laid) and Bond Street Blue (wove) are both lovely to write on. I've also used some of the bordered paper I acquired recently and it was just as nice to write on and makes just as charming an impression. Smythson isn't cheap, but I used it for correspondence and it's worth it, especially if you buy more than just the minimum amount. 

 

Pineider -- Florentia (laid) A very, very nice paper but probably some of the most expensive I've used. 

 

Rivoli (by Carta Pura) -- I have the pink colored version. This is a heavy and formal 25% cotton paper, but still somehow feels more 'modern' than the Smythson or Pineider papers. Wove surface, good tooth but not scratchy.

 

Life -- Bank Paper. While I love many Japanese papers (several drawers full of them -- including Midori and Tomoe River) I find this to be my favorite go-to paper for all around use, including correspondence that's less formal or more frequent. It's probably the most affordable on this list and the the easiest to obtain. Highly recommended. 

 

 

[MHBru]

On 7/10/2020 at 1:34 AM, Uncial said:

Amalfi paper. Not easily found in larger batches and certainly not cheap but it is such beautiful paper it's hard to resist.

I'll be in Amalfi later this year and getting some Amalfi paper is very high on my list.

[Recursion]

For daily notetaking I always use Rhodia’s Goalbook 90 g/m². 
I have tried many others but this one seems to best fit my needs and preferences and also perfectly fits in my leather notebook cover

 

For writing letters, I tend to drift to cream coloured 52 g/m² Tomoe River loose sheets (A4 or A5). 

[Lexus77]

For me, the ultimate paper is tomoe river.
I have to admit I've been out of the hobby for a while, so I'm still using the old Tomoe River, and haven't tried the new one yet, but from what I've read, I'll probably be happy to stick with it.
So, for my journal I still have a Nanami seven seas (I believe it's the seven seas, at least; the one with over 400 pages and dot grid.)
For letters, I still have a nice supply of the old 52 gsm Tomoe River A4 in cream.
For note taking, however, I tend to use Rhodia pads. I don't like the feeling of their coating very much, but since I don't spend lots of time taking notes, the complete absence of bleedthrough and showthrough at that price point (because who wants to spend much money on just note taking, when you often just end up throwing it away?)  makes it a fine choice. Though I'm open to exploring other options.
For my other writing (poetry, short stories, essays etc) I use Leuchtturm. Not the ideal paper, but good enough, not too expensive, and I just love their range of colours and the way they're bound. I have to say, I really am a fan of the luxury overall feel of their notebooks, for a reasonable price, and I just love the way the filled notebooks look in my bookcase.

[Karmachanic]

Reported

[txomsy]

I feel a bit like an outlier. I just write on whatever I have at hand. But...

 

When I go buy notebooks, I tend to favor Miquelrius and Rhodia. I do also happen to like using the ragged cotton paper from Indian leather notebooks, tracing/parchment/vellum paper and laid paper.