Could you make a paper recommendation

[Warbler]

Hello, could you please help me find the right paper?  I am looking for good paper that meets the following qualifications:

 

• letter head or a4
• loose leaf
• good for fountain pens
• blank, no dots or or lines anything
• bleed through resistant(I like to write on both sides of the paper)
• white or off white or something close

Anyone know a good paper that meets the above?  Thanks in advance.

Edited September 17, 2023 by Warbler

[DrPlush]

I think a Midori MD notepad A4 plain would be a good option (I love the A5 version and write on both sides). MD is cream-coloured but there are also MD Cotton plain notepads in A4, and the Cotton is bright white and thicker.

 

HP Premium (or HP ColorChoice here in Aus) printer paper is also good and you can choose the thickness that you prefer.

[Warbler]

oops!  I forgot to include that I want loose leaf paper.  I have edited my original post. Sorry about that.

[SLinkster]

6 hours ago, Warbler said:

want loose leaf

 

If you want something slightly toothy take a look at Neenah Capitol Bond 25% cotton. I enjoy it with pretty much every nib+ink combo. Optically it leans just barely toward cream. It will bleed just a bit with extra-juicy pen+ink combos. I'd you keep an eye on this on [Internet sales juggernaut] you can snag a "used" ream for about $16.

 

If you want super-smooth and super-white it's hard to go wrong with HP Premium. The 24# is a great all-purpose weight.  

 

 

[Ink Blotto]

Kokuyo makes A4, blank paper. It’s part of their Campus line. It’s not too expensive either. The lined paper I’ve used from them is very resistant to bleed though. 

[senzen]

I'm a long time user of HP 32, makes pens feel smooth and inks look great, even if it is a little thick; finally managed to get some Kokuyo A4 and A5, it's decent paper that makes inks look vibrant, no bleed through but since it's quite thin you can see what was written on the other side. I have yet to make up my mind about its smoothness, definitely better than generic copy paper but coming from Clairefontaine, Rhodia and 52 Tomoe River, Kokuyo seems to be more picky, not all my pens glide; not sure if one side is smoother than the other.

[Penguincollector]

I like Yamamoto Bank Paper Takasago Premium 87.9/gsm. I used one of my biggest nibs and I didn’t see it on the reverse. I found it by picking up one of Yamamoto Paper’s Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection at Jetpens.  The samplers might be worth checking out if you like paper exploration. It’s been really fun to try out. Yamamoto sells directly to consumers as well.  
Yamamoto

 

Oh, also R by Rhodia blank perforated notepads aren’t loose leaf, but I tear them out and run them through my laser printer. Thick, beautiful 90gsm off white paper.  Clairfontaine Digital Copy Paper 100g is great if you can find it.

[Rita8]

On 9/17/2023 at 4:11 AM, Warbler said:

Hello, could you please help me find the right paper?  I am looking for good paper that meets the following qualifications:

 

• letter head or a4
• loose leaf
• good for fountain pens
• blank, no dots or or lines anything
• bleed through resistant(I like to write on both sides of the paper)
• white or off white or something close

Anyone know a good paper that meets the above?  Thanks in advance.

Maybe Triumph from Clairefontaine?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Besides the usual suspects,

 

 

 

Mondi color copy 100g' or ...got to look at 90 g for putting into my laser printer, in I want shading on my editing...Can be found in Amazon much cheaper than my B&M.

 

Before I'd said, 90g would give shading, but I've run into some 90g paper that is no better than 80g printer paper for shading. Before, you did need 90g paper for shading.

The two spiral note books I recommend lower down, do shade nicely.

 

 

M&K Office 95g ( use to be M&K 95g Typewriter paper....typewriter paper is only coated on the front side.)I use it often, it good. A shading paper.

 

Good affordable paper in a spiral note book is Oxford Optic 90g is exactly = to Clairefontaine Velout 90g...................

 

Claralfa 120, from Clairefontaine was a big disappointment. It might well end up in my printer one day.

 

I normally like heavy paper....and that Starts at 120.....I have 150-160 papers, plus an expensive 170g paper.

Some times it's much better than light 120g papers, other times not....still worth having, even if some didn't dance on unfrozen water.

[Jim Holzemer]

The "Tree Free" from Fed X is delightful.

Also the Neenah "Capitol Bond" as well as Strathmore "Premium Wove" are excellent choices.

[LandyVlad]

32 minutes ago, Jim Holzemer said:

The "Tree Free" from Fed X is delightful.

 

I've never heard of this and thought" Rubbish!" so I looked it up and it's legit. What a great idea. And it is, kinda, made from rubbish.

But we don't have it here so I'll just take your word for it  

[senzen]

12 hours ago, Jim Holzemer said:

The "Tree Free" from Fed X is delightful.

Also the Neenah "Capitol Bond" as well as Strathmore "Premium Wove" are excellent choices.

 

Is that the B622 Neenah Capitol Bond?

[pen_environmentalist]

HP Premium 32 lb paper

[Bo Bo Olson]

Once, HP was a great paper....especially the 32 pound/120g....

I haven't ran into any of that lately.

When I did run into it, a few years after, reviewers here on the com told of its fall. It wasn't anything that dodged the printer................ In I don't have any of it left in the good paper stack.

 

A while back...half a year, nearly a year, I found some 90g HP Premium ......was real short-lived. It was like many 90g, lacked the sizing of CT or Rhoda. ...Or Oxford Optic.

 

My wife (a BP Barabarian; so wouldn't have a paper memory of us,) found some HP Premium 24 lb/ 90g paper; bringing it home to make me happy, because I continue the Holy Grail for inexpensive good 90g/24 lb paper.  (I've struck out with 100G/28 pound Moni (printer)...the 120g/32 Moni is ok....but not on my list to buy again. And gone.

I didn't tell her the HP Premium 24 lb/ 90g paper is Printer Bound.

 

90g HP Premium shades some, and not with all my shading inks.  I have two inks in a pen cup from a couple recent shading ink reviews....F, M&B. And three other pens filled with what ever shading inks were on hand then. Not worth looking up in my index card box.

 

Three of the Review inks showed some shading, .... to not a lot. Width wasn't a factor.

Three inks in various pens, showed none.............

I chase only shading inks...outside some sheen inks lately....and I thought they would shade too. Even my glitter inks are bought as shading inks.

 

There was some WOOLLY LINE.    Not a lot, but even a little woolly line is not acceptable. Especially when one can eliminate ink from the WOOLLY LINE formula.

None of those inks run to woolly lines.

 

For me, 90g HP Premium is Printer Bound.

 

 

[lapis]

FWIW, I hate Clairefontaine because I have the feeling that it's forcing me to write on glass.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Lapis I might have that feeling if I had many butter smooth pens. In I have mostly vintage and semi-vintage pens, I only have a few butter smooth nibs.

 

Do you have the same feeling of Rhoda 80g?  I have only had the 90g, which some dislike. Getting the 80g Rhoda is one of my aims to compare with the 90g.

 

For normal use, I like spiral notebooks from Oxford Optic or Clairefontaine Velot`; both 90g. Both =.

Both are a bit less slick, than Rhoda or CT; but still smooth.

[Jim Holzemer]

On 1/8/2025 at 11:58 AM, senzen said:

 

Is that the B622 Neenah Capitol Bond?

Sorry, not sure.

It takes a variety of inks/nib size differenced well.

[lapis]

4 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Lapis I might have that feeling if I had many butter smooth pens. In I have mostly vintage and semi-vintage pens, I only have a few butter smooth nibs.

 

Do you have the same feeling of Rhoda 80g?  I have only had the 90g, which some dislike. Getting the 80g Rhoda is one of my aims to compare with the 90g.

 

No, I like Rhodia better and use it all the time. Sure, Clairefontaine bought out Rhodia years ago but they still end up being made and/or issued differently. I like R's texture. Not "the best" but better than C's. IYAM.

[Bo Bo Olson]

My best paper is a Gmund beige-beige (not the color, but what they call a certain paper they make), cream 170g.

At over €40 for a hundred sheets.....it took me some 4 or more years of running what ever new ink I bought over them...the 10-12 sample sheets.

There were three really superb papers of them.

 

The 120g was the slightest hair better than the 170, but often I like real heavy paper (& I don't consider 32 pound/120g as heavy enough), so at the last second, I pushed the button for the 170 over the 120g.

[Jim Holzemer]

Hi All!

As regards the Tree Free brand, I use it for homemade memo/sketch books.

Since it is pretty thin I can throw together 20 or more pages using a saddle stapler.

Don't get me wrong, I love all the established brands. Just enjoy making notebooks for my fp friends!

Jim