Best Papers for Fountain Pens

You will find a wide array of things to consider whenever selecting outstanding paper for usage with water water fountain pencils. It’s very just like picking a superb wine with numerous subtleties and nuances. Nonetheless, any paper that is great draw out a entire new lease of life to your pencils and ink, permitting you to see things you could have missed before like sheen.

Let’s begin with a synopsis associated with the facts to consider whenever selecting a paper. Click the link to leap right to the guidelines.

Whiteness and colors

Paper, since you may understand, are located in virtually every color imaginable, from pure white to a neon pink that is bright. The de facto standard for lots more fountain pen paper is white. Some documents could be more white (brighter and less grey) than others. Another popular color is just a color that is cream/ivory. This might create your ink look different and often produces some very nice results with specific inks. Cream paper normally significantly easier regarding the eyes because it’s much less bright.

Here’s a sheet of white paper (HP 32lb Premium Laser) with a sheet of ivory paper (Southworth 32lb Ivory Laser). Spot the color differ from white to yellow, near the limit for the pen.

Feathering

Some cheaper documents tend to exhibit feathering, where ink spreads out uncontrollably through the paper. You have a tendency to get extremely dense lines and strange surges over the letters. This really is as a result of the paper taking in the ink too rapidly, similar to a muscle bathing in water. Reduced quality papers like those present in many spiral notebooks are far more susceptible to feathering, where as top quality documents are made to prevent feathering, mostly through a surface that is coated.

The image below programs the consequences of feathering. The image that is top a paper that feathers effortlessly (Xerox 24b copy paper). Notice exactly just just how dense the lines are when compared with a paper that resists feathering (Hewlett-Packard 32lb Premium Laser Paper). Both composing examples had been completed with the exact same pen (Visconti Homo Sapiens, B nib) along with the exact exact exact same ink (Sailor Yama-Dori).

Show-through and bleed-through

Bleed-through is quite typical on slimmer documents or bad quality papers that have a tendency to soak up ink quickly. Higher-end documents generally speaking are coated and stated in a real method to resist ink from bleeding through, in spite of how slim the paper is. However, despite having the fountain pen paper that is best, you may get traces of the writing being visible on the reverse side. This really is referred to as show-through or sometimes called “ghosting.” Show-through could be countered by utilizing a thicker paper stock, such as for instance 32lb over 20lb.

This image shows a big quantity of bleed-through. The most effective is the identical Xerox 24lb paper because the picture that is above has its own spots where in actuality the ink seeps through. In extreme situations, the ink can be seen regarding the sheet below it too. Underneath had been the exact same HP paper and displays simply no bleed-through or show-through after all.

Texture

Some documents have a smoother that is much than the others. Fountain pencils generally pair well with documents which can be really smooth, because the nib will simply glide throughout the paper. Generally speaking, coated papers are far more smooth while uncoated people have texture that is rough. Other specialty documents, such as for example cotton paper, may have a woven texture, similar to a fabric or shirt.

Drying Time

Once you compose in writing, the ink laid straight straight straight down takes some right time for you to dry completely without smearing. The factor that is dry-time a great deal related to the particular ink utilized (fast-dry inks as an example), but will all conditions being equal, some documents dry faster other people. As a great guideline, smooth and coated documents have a tendency to just take much longer to dry than uncoated, rough papers. Also, a paper than significantly resists bleed and feathering will tend to simply take much longer to dry, while the ink must evaporate in place of being consumed.

Rulings

If you’ve ever utilized a regular notebook, you really must be knowledgeable about American college-ruled or wide-ruled paper, which includes lines spaced at regular periods across the sheet by having a cut-off margin from the part. Perhaps you are amazed to find out that there are more unique rulings that is available on water fountain pen paper. There clearly was a dot-ruling that will be nearly the same as graph-paper, but makes use of dots rather than lines. Addititionally there is the French (Seyes) ruling usually used to rehearse cursive in France, also many more. In the event that you prefer to utilize printer paper for day-to-day writing, you’ll conveniently print nearly every ruling you love straight on your paper.

Price and Availability

Similar to things these days, there clearly was really paper that is inexpensive is wonderful for water fountain pencils and very costly paper that may work nicely. Nevertheless, take into account that not totally all high priced paper is going to be suited to water water fountain pencils.

Tips

Listed here papers are my own favorites but are presented in no specific purchase. You can’t get wrong selecting any people for the documents about this list!

Tomoe River

Tomoe River is really a paper that is japanese and it is paper is well regarded because of it’s silky smooth texture and extreme opposition to ink. The paper is very thin, to arrive at only 52 g/m 2 , and are usually really durable. They do tend to crinkle only a little if you should be rough utilizing the pages, but don’t rip or tear effortlessly.

Colors: for sale in both White and Ivory Feathering: definitely none, also for really flex that is wet Bleed-through: None, aside from extremely uncommon occasions Show-through: a great deal, as a result of exactly how thin the paper is. Ordinarily, i would recommend just utilizing one side. Texture: incredibly smooth, like composing on cup Dry Time: Very long as a result of just just exactly how ink resistant the paper is Rulings: just discovered as blank sheets but can have rulings printed on Price: $15 for 100 sheets; pricey but well well well worth the purchase price supply: Loose sheets or pads can be obtained at a few trusted online retailers Amazon: Link here

Rhodia

Rhodia is an extremely well understood paper that is high-end and it is very popular among water fountain pen users for the smoothness and ink opposition. Rhodia paper is 80g/m 2 and it is concerning the thickness that is same regular content paper. Rhodia is usually understood for its staple-bound pads with perforated sheets also their WebNotebook line.

Colors: Available only as White Feathering: None, anticipate on ink drips and wet flex pens Bleed-through: Absolutely none Show-through: really minimal although the paper just isn’t dense Texture: incredibly smooth, like composing on cup Dry Time: longer, but not as much as Tomoe River. Rulings: is available as Blank, Lined, Dot, or Graph Sizes: are located in complete A4, A5, and pocket sized pads and notebooks cost: $14.50 for the A4 pad of 80 sheets. Supply: Pads and notebooks provided and certainly will be located at most trusted online retailers Amazon: Link Here

Clairefontaine

Clairefontaine paper is truly made by the company that is same makes Rhodia paper so that the paper quality is beyond superb. Like Rhodia, Clairefontaine possesses number that is large of in rulings and paper structure. The paper is usually 90g/m 2 and it is thicker than regular content paper. These are typically renown with regards to their Triomphe notepads additionally as their bound notebooks.

Colors: Available only as White Feathering: positively none, despite having excessively damp flex pencils Bleed-through: positively none Show-through: Minimal given just how thick the paper is Texture: Silky smooth and quite soft Dry Time: longer and a comparable as Rhodia Sizes: A4 and A5 notepads and bound notebooks Price: $9 for a A4 Triomphe pad of 50 sheets and $6 for an A5 pad supply: Both pads and notebooks provided and certainly will be located at some trusted online retailers Amazon: Link here

HP Laser Paper

HP is typically understood because of their computer systems and printers, nonetheless they also make a selection that is large of and picture paper. Their “Premium Laser” line, although made for laser printers, works positively fantastically with water water water fountain pencils. The top is offered and coated in several paper loads: 24lb, 28lb (now discontinued), and 32lb.

Colors: Available only as bright(98 that is white) Feathering: generally speaking none, aside from flex pencils Bleed-through: positively none Show-through: definitely none, aside from wet flex pencils Texture: Smooth yet not because smooth as buy essay papers online Clairfontaine Dry Time: Medium, significantly less than Rhoda Sizes: Available on as standard United States page size (8.5”x11”) Cost: Retails at $19.99 for the ream of 500 sheets for 32lb and $14.99 for 24lb availability: 32lb can almost be found at all office supply shops. Amazon: Link here

About Moleskine

Moleskine notebooks are can everywhere be found! They’ve been identifiable from those rotatable stands that you notice in bookstores as well as other retailers. Usually lauded as a great notebook brand name, their paper is effective for pencils, ball points and rollerballs. Nonetheless, their paper executes terribly with water fountain pencils, feathering like a muscle and sometimes bleeding through on the 2nd sheet. Physically, I stay because clear far from Moleskine as I can once the paper simply doesn’t work in my situation. Many people are finding success making use of Extra-Fine (EF) nibs from the notebooks, yet not numerous.

I want to you realize favorite documents or documents that you simply hate when you look at the remarks!

(Product pictures are credit to JetPens and had been utilized with written permission.)