Best fancy paper for fountain pen writing?

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:12 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

I seldom did, I seldom use my 100% cotton Original Crown Mill or Strathmore paper.

 

A long time ago, I once bought a few sheets of Rossler 120g at €0.80 a sheet, and it was so sinfully nice to write on, it would be illegal to use on Sunday in Kansas.....a bleed through champion.  Of course it swallowed the shading....but feathering and bleed through ruined the feeling.

I was glad I only had a couple sheets of that Rossler....I don't care for any Rossler papers from expensive to 'cheap' pads....a feathering paper brand. I had three or four sorts of it (that ended up in my printer!!!)...in it was a big German 'name.' brand, that may have been worth a dam back in the '80's but not now.

 

Fountain PenDa....50-100% cotton wicks the ink deep and fast. Shading is from the ink sitting on top of the paper for a little bit, where the letter is thick, the ink is slower to absorb  by the paper so is darker.

Three of these inks shade...click on a couple times until you get the max size.

I was doing a violet comparison and three of the inks shaded.

 

Printing will often show more shading than cursive.

Sad to hear that Roessler is not up to the standard any more... using them on printer said it all haha...

 

Got it now. Did some self learning online following you guys' replies ... Yes, I can see them shading - the beauty of writing with fountain pen I'd say (may be when they first invented ballpoint pen, this was what they were selling that it has no shading or feathering haha)

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:26 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

 

Mostly I wans't able to find Oxfore Optic 90g south of Frankfurt for a decade so used Clairefontaine Velote 90g which is equal.

Both are nice somewhat slick paper that will shade, shading inks.

Not perhaps quite as good as Clairefontaine Triomphe  or 80g Rhoda which can be ordered online.

 

I'd have to get in nit-picking mode to know  Triomphe and Rhoda is better.

In our hobby of fountain pens....being baptized in holy nit-picking water is required.

 

Galeria Kaufhause, and Horton's is where I find that spiral notebook Clairefontaine Velote`.

 

Now with in the last two or three years I can find Oxford Optic at the bigger REVA super markets and Edika's top of the line Scheck-in Center.

 

I am rather old fashioned, and buy hands on, instead of first looking in the net.

 

Let me check out Galeria Kaufhof. Too bad that they are in financial troubles again. Just read the news about its owner from Austria etc. 

Rewe and Edeka supermakets have them, too?! Then it is easy. I should check them out.

 

I think it makes sense. I mean now I heard your recommendations, a bit tempting to just buy on Amazon. But I have to admit that before Corona, I always try to feel the products before buying!

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:10 AM, Toolattack said:

@Fountain PenDa I like Bohemia paper from the Czech Republic.
Finding the right pen, ink, paper combination is one of our greatest mysteries… and a noble endeavour!

@Toolattack, Thanks for the suggestion! I think I had the chance to buy it once (probably only fancy envelopes. too long ago). 

 

Absolutely! I think this is part of the fun and a quest that is never-ending!

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:26 PM, txomsy said:

I'd say a vellum or laid paper of good reputation should be nice.

 

Best? With so many out there is difficult to think anyone can have tried them all, and even then, probably the answer would depend on the final intended use.

 

Cool. I had laid paper for some envelopes that I had bought recently - yet to test them. Will do some research on vellum paper...

True. This is the fun of trial and error (and collecting)! Did not know that it is that sophisticated and with some many choices before.

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 2:46 PM, Bo Bo Olson said:

I started it finally. This is over in the paper subsection.

.................................

 

A brilliant, fine person, who answered any and all. Giant's once walked the earth, Sandy1 was one.

 

A list of passed  Ink Guru Sandy1's papers. Over the 15 years or so of her ink reviews she used some 10 or so different papers.

All were available on line and affordable in one don't waste such paper in a printer so a 500 sheet ream would last some three or more years, a 100 sheet box a year or more.

I went down through Caran d'Ache ....it would be nice if others went into the many other inks she reviewed. And add the other papers.

 

2010 ,,,I think she was active before this.

Paper: HPJ1124 24 lb. Laser Copy...................certain HP papers were once rated good, then someone made a bit of bonus money by lessening the coating.....so some HP papers fell out of the better paper lists....I do Not know if this is one of them or not. Same with certain Fuji papers I didn't get around to getting.

Paper: Rhodia.

Paper: G Lalo, Verge de France, white.

Paper: Royal - 25% rag

Paper: Staples 20 lb. multi use.

 

A paper she did not like....Paper: Quo Vadis, Habana journal, ivory. (Swan song for this sub-normal paper.) That is a do not buy warning. "That paper is FP-hostile - worse than Pulp for goodness sake!")

Thanks for digging that out! 

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 3:30 PM, SpecTP said:

I bought some Richard de Bas stationery a few years ago. It looked so beautiful, I didn't have the heart to write on it.

Sounds fancy! Why not? It would be a pity if they are not being utilised

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 9:42 PM, Penguincollector said:

This is me with so much of the paper that I have. I recently decided to stop doing this. 
 

For inky properties, I like Tomoe River, Rhodia, and Clairfontaine. For tactile properties, I like laid paper and often look for vintage pieces. I particularly love old hotel stationery.

I can imagine! 

Thanks for sharing.

Collecting old hotel stationery sounds intriguing! A pity that hotels nowadays do not use good paper anymore - at least that is my impression - companies just focus on short term profits than quality.

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/9/2023 at 10:54 PM, lionelc said:

amatruda paper - super fancy

Wow that's equisite. Probably more for special occasions!

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/10/2023 at 2:47 AM, amper said:

 

Good paper persisted into the 2000s-2010s, but it's all gone now that Strathmore and Crane & Co. have been sold off.

 

Crane & Co. made the best stationery paper in the world, but they exited the retail market in 2015 to focus on their currency paper manufacturing. The stationery business was sold off to the employees, then purchased by Mohawk in 2018, only to be shut down in 2019. They are apparently functioning again, but they no longer sell retail packs of the papers that made them famous: Crane's Crest, Bond, and Thesis papers.

Strathmore Writing still exists in its 25% cotton form, no longer the 100% cotton. There's a new "Strathmore Pure Cotton" line that is 100% cotton, but I haven't tested it. The Strathmore stationery papers aren't made by the Strathmore Paper Company, any longer. Strathmore was sold to Mohawk in 2004, and then the artist lines were sold to Pacon in 2006. Mohawk is a big paper company that has been around for a long time, so the current papers are probably still good.

One other good mention is Southworth Thesis Paper, which is still available at retail in the 100% cotton version, I think. It was never quite as good as Strathmore, let alone Crane, but it's of excellent quality and fully archival.

That is a pity! 

Just like fountain pen companies or other business alike, they are just being bought and sold - with qualities sometimes dropped or simiply the products are being discontinued. 

 

These are new names to me. Will note them down and have a look around - probably starting with Strathmore

[Fountain PenDa]

On 3/10/2023 at 4:02 PM, Mercian said:

If one is looking for a truly ‘fancy’ or ‘high-end’ writing experience there is, surely, only one candidate…

 

Click me!

 

😉

So they were involved in Prince William's wedding (per the website)! Presumbly, for the wedding invitations 

[Fountain PenDa]

23 hours ago, 51ISH said:

 Three Candlesticks is lovely paper - even for a ballpoint! 😮

 

It's available on ebay.de  (as well as ebay.co.uk) WH Smith used to stock it, but I don't think they do any longer (or didn't last time I checked, which is why I ended up with Basildon Bond) Two very different papers IMO.

Great to know that. Thanks for checking that it is also on ebay . de!

Oh that's a pity...(regarding WH Smith as it is easier to find in person when in the UK)

[Mark from Yorkshire]

21 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Of the two which is the better shading paper?

 

I like and have been using Oxford Optic in spiral notebooks for years.

 

It was a small school pad that started my kink for shading. Back when Lamy turquoise only had two reviews...I found both reviews shaded  and the posters were or one of them was using Oxford Optic..

 

,,,.and I had a pad of it from the passed Piembi (once back before the day, one of  the com's experts on Pelikan and MP pens) where she wrote in many inks on it and then gave it to me. It was on that Optic pad I got hooked on shading.

At the time it could be bought in Frankfurt but not in Heidelberg.

 

I don’t know, I have hardly used the three Candlesticks writing pad since I bought it. I have not really paid all that much head to the Basildon Bond. I am not keen on the P4To size. It is nice paper to write on though. I think I have used one sheet of the three candlesticks just to see how well it took FP ink and it passed the test. 
 

Due to changes in circumstances of my Pen Pals I have not had chance to put it to good use as I am not sending all that many outgoing letters at present. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I spent a number of years dithering with Gmund paper...having gotten two sheets free and paid €0.80 for the other 10-12 sheets. Expensive as all hell...€40 so I became a dither master.

 

 

Gmund Papers were eliminated by the simple act of writing with all my new green inks and others....

Years ago,  I didn't need green ink...who did...iccky green ink. & I was chasing purple. then I got a buy, half a bottle of 4001 Brilliant Green ink for only €1.00....it shaded...(no longer made (instead the inkoholics got their wish a dull non-shading green ink...(and didn't buy the many Diamine dull green inks) .. I was able to give away  that new dull dark 4001 green to a noobie) the slightly better green-green ink is R&K's Verdura...and at €8.50 a great buy 50ml and at €23 for 60ml MB Irish Green is not a good buy...R&K is the tad better  shading green-green ink. MB Irish had beat the old 4001 ink also by a tad.....That had been bought when it wasn't a rip off at €15. Then I had R&K Verdura a winner by a nose over MB Irish and a neck over the old 4001 Brilliant Green, in the green-green shading ink race.

In that next year I bought 14 green-geenish inks....and tested them all out on those Gmund papers.....along with other inks. (Now have 19.

 

.......the sheets with the least same scribbled lines  ended up loosing. Some 4-5 made the 'final'.

 

Gmund Blanc Beige 170g creme, was the second best paper. Best was the Blanc Beige 120g beige...........Blank Beige was the paper sort.

At the last second, I pressed the heavy paper button. At €40 for 100 sheets.

 

Gmund Original which I didn't like as near as much was €40 for 50 sheets.

So I think you can see why I dithered 4-5 years before ordering that paper.

 

I went through a phase of chasing heavy paper so I don't think of 120g/32 pound paper as heavy.

 

Do remember when ordering samples to ask for the fountain pen friendly paper list.

I had made a mistake with Schwolenhammer (way misspelled) and got art paper samples which are useless for fountain pens.

 

Under threats of bear killing, I changed my man cave into a civilized library-den....and put much of my papers in colorful boxes...with little labels on them telling me what was in them.

 

While looking to see if I could get the exact Gmund paper I found out I have two 4"/10cm boxes with 'heavy papers'........that being 'out of sight' in the boxes were slowly becoming forgotten.

Did rearrange the paper boxes so both are on top of each other and closer to reach. ....IT'S HEAVY PAPER TIME!!!

[Toolattack]

Hi @Bo Bo Olson this is very interesting. At what weight do you think paper ceases to be paper? I've seen a lot of heavy papers recently which are closer to 'card' than 'paper'! I have my own criteria - when paper no longer folds without 'snapping' it has become card rather than paper!

[Bo Bo Olson]

2 hours ago, Toolattack said:

when paper no longer folds without 'snapping' it has become card rather than paper!

Sounds good...I do also have some card stock...but had a stupid ten minutes and didn't mark down how heavy each of the set of card stock were.

 

Going to bring out a sheet or two just for the hell of it.

I have one guess marked at 110 pounds white linen effect, a grayish marbled no weight guess; feels the same, and champagne marked 100 and why 67 is marked on a slightly less heavy  blue marbled I don't know. No marking on the slightly lighter feeling greenish marbled.

They fold stiffly but can be brought back to flat but there is a tiny crease.

 

I have a 160g Verge De France, the 170g and a few sheets a nice guy sent me....in that category of weight 150 g.

 

be back in a bit with the results  of seven pens.

[Toolattack]

12 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

They fold stiffly but can be brought back to flat but there is a tiny crease.

 

Interesting @Bo Bo Olson - I will now go an test my own papers.

[Bo Bo Olson]

56 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

I have one guess marked at 110 pounds white linen effect, a grayish marbled no weight guess; feels the same, and champagne marked 100 and why 67 is marked on a slightly less heavy  blue marbled I don't know. No marking on the slightly lighter feeling greenish marbled.

When I go looking for a woolly line...I cheat using a 1 1/2 inch or 2.7cm thick magnifying glass.

 

white linen effect....some to minor shading, expected more.

Minor Woolly line.

a grayish marbled guess 100 or so pounds.....somewhat woolly. 1/2 the inks shade.

champagne marked 100 ...very smooth, some shading, minor to more woolly line.

Lt. Gray marbled...has a laid or linen effect so is somewhat smooth for that.....but has a woolly line if one nit picks under magnification, bare eye not as bad as I thought under the glass....but it shades with only 2 of six inks.

3-4 is about average with the other papers.

 

I didn't expect Quink black to shade, but I had to load my old pre-converter P-75 with something.

 

I expected a bit more out of Lamy BB, but perhaps the 1.5 wide nib took shading away. by being wet due to width.

 

I didn't expect Edelstein Amethyst to be better or that 4001 Violet would have so much woolly lines on these papers.

I wasn't looking for woolly line problems when I did a quick 6 violet ink test, last week or so. Different paper mades a difference.

 

They were not the perfect papers I thought they were a decade ago when I had a partially false suspicion that heavy and extra heavy papers were  or had to be much better.

 

 

You know...within reach on a library shelf, I have a small plastic box with index ink cards....that I don't update.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I am OCD on woolly lines.......and feathering.

Taken from another post of mine.

 

""""In feathering/woolly line is often an ink problems, that the wrong paper can make worse....a good paper can cut it down ''''some''''. IMO, even a great paper won't turn a feathering BEF into a Mag F. I would think a great paper would turn BEF into NEF not more.(More detail on my system of woolly lines later.)

 

 

Howsoever I'm OCD/AR on feathering.

 

BEF....bare eyed feathering/lumpy line....seen while sitting....like some of the  Diamine inks. (Yes with over 200 inks there must be some that can pass the BEF test.) Yet....I have seen very many ink tests on the Com, (Including Diamine or Akkermann) where they do not show (tell or perhaps know) in the form that it feathers or has a woolly line ; and it is obvious in the pictures of the ink in it's test, that the line is uneven...lumpy...bumpy line., that is a woolly line. It is not a clean line.

 

Outside noticing the differences of nib and paper....I was not and am not into false judging of an ink (by maker), pen nor paper. I want a clean line, as clean as possible.

 

NEF....near eye feathering/lumpy or woolly line....seen while looking at it near my eye. Looks just about OK while sitting. There are many like that. When one takes a close look, it shows feathering/woolly line. No clean smooth line.

 

With a Big Honking Magnifying glass.1 1/2 inch by 3 x 4 inches or 2.7 by 7 1/2 x 10cm. (No you can't use your 10X loupe...everything has a woolly line under that.)

 

Mag F...what I'd consider a descent ink....if I like the tone, I will buy it again. Feathering/woolly line can be seen under magnification only.

 

NoMAG F.......great ink ...buy more...buy stock in the company. No feathering/woolly line at all, even when looking through the big, thick magnifying glass.

 

[Toolattack]

Wow @Bo Bo Olson you say OCD, but I think you have made an 'expert examination'. Thank you for sharing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thank you, when one has time and a honking big magnifying glass things can happen., like 1+1 equaling 2 or less.

 

I also have a subjunctive flex rate system of half's....that works for me....and works  for superflex noobies.

The more super-flex pens one has the less my system works. Mauricio said that and I agree, that borders blur the more of them you have.

Mauricio is the fella to read with superflex.

I got two of my Waterman 52 wet noodles from him. ..... Still haven't learned how to write.

 

Somewhere I found and wrote it down...perfection...nib, ink and paper....I sure wish I knew where I stuck that piece of paper.