Best "feeling" copy paper?

[CoolBreeze]

I've been using Xerox 24lb bold professional copy paper for while now and it performs really well. I mostly use wet pens but with XF and F nibs and I don't have a problem with no feather/spread/bleed through/ or show through at all. However, all of my nibs just feel sticky or draggy on it (even my smoothest/roundest nibs). I'm curious if anyone knows what I am talking about and if they found an alternative that works for them. I'm not looking for super heavy paper - I would prefer to keep it 24lb and below (if possible!!) with decent performance (feather/spread/bleed/show through/etc.). I primarily use Tomoe River 68gsm in journals for the way it "feels" (it performs well too) - but I don't need shading/sheen/etc. I would love that feel on copy paper but I imagine it doesn't exist. Long-shot question - I am aware. What do you all like for best feeling copy paper? Interested in hearing your opinions even if they don't match exactly my criteria - copy paper is cheap to test!

[ajoe]

I'm not sure I would classify as copy paper except for the fact that you buy it by the ream, but HP Premium 32 is pretty nice paper and works very well with fountain pens.

[txomsy]

Agreed to both. I also do not like the feeling of copy paper, it is waxed to better take inkjet printer inks, and that makes FPs drag very often. HP Premium seems to be a good option. Clairefontaine also has some nice paper in their DCP line, but it can be quite expensive.

[WalterC]

3 hours ago, ajoe said:

I'm not sure I would classify as copy paper except for the fact that you buy it by the ream, but HP Premium 32 is pretty nice paper and works very well with fountain pens.

I like HP Premium 24 (24 lb paper). Some people do not like the performance of HP Premium papers since they changed several years ago. I still like them, but note that I use F and EF nibs.

[ajoe]

4 minutes ago, WalterC said:

I still like them, but note that I use F and EF nibs.

 

Well, I use B to 2.0, so I guess we probably have the range covered.

[peroride]

7 hours ago, CoolBreeze said:

What do you all like for best feeling copy paper?

I stocked up and bought several reams of this good stuff: Kokuyo KB Paper, White Degree 80%, Paper Thickness 0.09 mm, 64gsm, A4 which is waay better than the Costco Advantage Premium Bright Ink Jet and Laser Paper, 8.5"x11" Letter, White, 24lb which seems to melt with prolonged water logging. Kokuyo feels more smooth, forgiving and less feathery while Advantage Premium Bright is more absorbent, okay for extra fine lines with drier ink.  

 

To be fair, maybe there is a functional difference between paper for copying and inkjet/laser jet paper, but since i only use fountain pens, i reserve Kokuyo for the good notebooks and Advantage Premium Bright for more of the scratchpad type notebooks i staple together.

[fireant]

On 2/24/2023 at 6:55 AM, ajoe said:

I'm not sure I would classify as copy paper except for the fact that you buy it by the ream, but HP Premium 32 is pretty nice paper and works very well with fountain pens.

 

I agree! Also if you can get your hands on it, the Staples sugarcane is nice as well.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Avoid canon paper it is pants I will come back with some other brands later

[NeverTapOut]

I like HP Premium 32 for all the reasons mentioned in past posts. I have been using lately Boise X9 20lb copy paper. The inks I use (mainly Montblanc and Pilot Iroshizuku) spread slightly and are flat however it is a good non premium copy paper for office work.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Also ones to avoid are: NU laser copier and inkjet paper, and Navigator Universal.

 

one that is ok or not bad is Banner Office paper

[Mercian]

4 hours ago, Mark from Yorkshire said:

one that is ok or not bad is Banner Office paper

I’m surprised to read that!

 

Many moons ago, in a former job, my colleagues & I were forced to use their ersatz versions of Bic ballpoints, because our employer had a contract with them.

Absolutely horrible things - totally unreliable. Would either leak, or suddenly stop working when more than half of the ink was still visible in the tube.

 

The experience put me off the brand for life.

To be fair to Banner, it may well have been that my employer had insisted on buying only their ‘most-affordable’ offerings.

Or had purchased items that had been reduced in price after having been salvaged from a freighter that had lain on the Sea bed for a couple of years.

[tubuliferous]

I'm not convinced that there currently is a great US letter-size copy paper for fountain pens. There are some acceptable options, but I've not seen anything outstanding in years.

 

I've tried both the Xerox 24-pound Bold Professional paper and the HP Premium options, and both were deeply disappointing. Please convince me if you know of a great letter-sized copy paper!

 

There have formerly been truly great US letter-sized copy papers, and both were sold by Staples. One was Sustainable Earth, and the other was Step Forward. Both papers were outstanding for fountain pens, with Step Forward being especially excellent. In fact, Step Forward is my favorite fountain pen paper, period. I like it better overall than the original Tomoe River papers.

 

I contacted the founder of Step Forward last year to see if there was any interest in bringing back his paper, possibly in a crowdsourced, fountain-pen-user-focused way, and he indicated that he'd definitely be interested in a crowd-backed return. I've posted about the possibility of a Step Forward reboot on FPN before.

 

Have you tried Step Forward? Are you interested in seeing it come back?

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:02 PM, txomsy said:

DCP line,

This year, I didn't care for it, it went in the printer even before ClaireAlfa....both way too expensive copy papers that didn't shade.

I prefer papers that shade when using shading inks.

Up to two years ago here in Germany regular ream €6-7.00 90g copy paper shaded when €3.80-4.00 a ream 80g didn't.

Then suddenly none of the 90g shaded, none of the 120g shaded...

Expensive 120 G Mondi shades...on the low side...it is not a paper I intend to buy again, unless there is no other choice....for €15 a half ream...it's an expensive almost shading paper.

 

I lucked out and got three reams of the discontinued 80g Neusiedler Japan Post paper. That paper shades with most of my inked pens...not all of them are inked with shading inks.

I want to edit with narrow nibbed shading inks. Neusiedler will...I'm just wondering if I will put the 120g Mondi in the printer before the better paper.