Paper
The best paper to use is a high cotton content rag paper in a smooth finish .
In other words a little thicker than say normal fax paper or the cheap legal pad stuff. I have found that both the fax and cheap legal pads have a tendency to wax up and clog a fountain pen
Rhodia. These pads are great! I have been using the number 18 pad in the graph style and I absolutely love it. I also carry in my pocket the smaller pocket pad number 12 beca
I use HP Premium Choice Laser Paper 32lb. I read somewhere on the forum that inkjet papers have a clay coating that can clog fountain pens
I use Ampad pads generally. But for long-term purposes--as in a journal you want to keep for decades--I've found that ordinary copier paper does not hold up well. Over time, it begins to darken and devour the ink, as the result of acidity in the paper (lignin is the culprit, and there's a whole science about this). For my journal, I began to use an archival acid-free, buffered paper called Perma/Dur, which is one of several brands with those qualities. This brand takes FP ink well; not all do. Over 15 years or so I have seen no change in this paper, and the ink color is still vibrant.
Rick Conner says
Standard advice #2: your paper choice
Contrary to popular folklore, fountain pens do not require ultra-expensive, fancy paper; most standard business and writing papers will work fine. However, it will pay you to know what kinds of problems you might experience with the wrong kind of paper.
First, a brief review of paper terminology.
Paper is made from a chemically- and mechanically-processed mixture of wood pulp and plant fiber or "rag" (usually cotton). 100% cotton papers usually work well with fountain pens, not so much due to the lack of pulp as to the fact that these more expensive papers are usually finished with more care than cheaper papers.
"Bond" is a term applied to almost any good writing or office paper (it originally denoted an everyday paper of high enough quality for printing the legal documents known as bonds).
The terms "laid" and "wove" refer to decorative textures that are mechanically embossed into the paper; they seldom interfere with pen writing.
A little natural texture or "tooth" doesn't generally affect the writing (and may actually help in some cases), although pressed (smooth) or "calendared" or milled (smoother still) papers may be even better for fountain pen writing. This seems to be a matter of preference, or of writing style.
Better papers usually have a watermark, which is formed by a "dandy roll" in the paper mill that embosses a design (e.g., a maker's mark) in the wet paper; when the paper is pressed and dried, the watermark remains as a minute thickness variation that is most visible when lit from behind. Usually a paper maker won't bother to watermark inferior papers, although the lack of a watermark doesn't necessarily mean that the paper is inferior.
The thickness of a sheet of paper is measured indirectly as the basis weight, which is the weight in pounds of one ream (500 sheets) of the paper in its original (pre-trimming) size (in SI units, basis weight is given in grams per square meter). 20 lbs. (75 gpsm) is the standard weight for office paper, with weights of 24 to 80 pounds being common for other applications. Heavier paper feeels more luxurious and, usually being of higher quality, works well with fountain pens. Thinner (but more dense) papers such as vellum also work well with fountain pens, however.
The "whiteness" of white papers is measured by their brightness index. The higher the number, the whiter the paper (I've seen values well over 100 for inkjet papers, while normal bond papers usually rate in the 90s). I happen to prefer very bright whites, but this is a matter of taste. Some papers, of course, are not supposed to be white and so the white brightness is of less importance in such cases.
Some luxury papers have an unfinished or raveled "deckle" edge to give them a handmade appearance.
Strong chemicals are used in the manufacture of paper; in some cases, free acids can remain in the finished product and cause the paper to yellow or become brittle with age. For archival writings, choose an "acid free" or neutral pH paper so you won't have problems. The use of acidic papers isn't, as a practical matter, harmful to your pen; the pen nib is usually made from some of the hardest, most non-reactive metals around, and it won't be fazed by a few molecules of free acid.
If the paper you write on is too thin or not dense enough, or is high in pulp (wood fiber) content, the ink can bleed across the paper making your writing look fuzzy. In extreme cases, the ink can bleed through the paper completely and actually soak into sheets underneath. High-pulp papers have very short fibers, which can often get picked up in the pen point (like hair in a tweezer), eventually forming giant fuzzballs which further distort your writing. These fuzzballs have to be removed by gently wiping the nibs with a lint-free cloth. If you continue to experience this problem, and if the pen seems to write well on other kinds of paper, you should probably stop using the offending paper. Cheap, high-pulp papers used for wrapping (such as butcher or Kraft paper) or in inexpensive drawing tablets (such as are often sold for children's drawings) may not work well with fountain pens.
In my experience, decent-quality Xerographic bond paper (five to ten bucks a ream at any office-supply house) will work just fine for fountain pens (many of the first-generation cheap recycled office papers tended to bleed, but I think these types have gotten better over time). These papers have been perfected over the years to work well in dry-copier machines, laser printers, etc., and the characteristics that suit them for their main use also make them good for fountain pens.
Most of the better spiral or composition notebooks (such as the traditional stitch-bound marble-back comp books common here in the U.S.) also work well, as do better-quality legal pads (particularly the ones with heavy 24-lb paper). Many good bookstores carry bound journals, some of which are better than others. The notebooks and pads made by the French firms Rhodia and Clairefontaine are an ideal, if somewhat expensive, choice for fountain pen writing; you can find them at Pendemonium.
Slick or coated papers, such as those sold for first-generation inkjet printers, or used in magazines and greeting cards, often don't allow the ink to be absorbed into the paper and so the writing is slow to dry and easily smeared or rubbed off altogether. However, you can at least leave a mark on these papers with a fountain pen, which is often not possible with a ballpoint or pencil (which depend more upon friction between the paper and point). I have even had some success in marking on viewgraph transparencies with fountain pens (although you have to leave plenty of time for the ink to dry before you handle it). Modern inkjet paper is basically ultrawhite heavy bond paper coated with silica to keep the inkjet ink from bleeding; it seems to set off the colors in fountain pen ink very well, although the ink doesn't get taken up by the paper as quickly, and can take longer to dry.
In the old days, charge card vouchers used to be made of very nice vellum or onionskin-like papers that worked well with fountain pens (although often you could not apply enough pressure to make carbons). More and more, these documents are printed by small thermal or dot matrix printers onto cheap two-part tape which can bleed when used with a fountain pen (not to mention that you still can't get a very effective copy with the average fountain pen). This may be the occasion to use the proffered cheap ballpoint.
Clairefontaine is famous for its exceptionally white and ultra smooth vellum paper.
Their reputation rests on the brushed vellum paper manufactured by Clairefontaine for the last 50 years on continually perfected machinery. The paper weighs 90 grams per square meter, and has excellent opacity and a prefect satin finish for maximum smoothness in writing. The paper, white enough for the writing to be clear, is also anti-glare.
Clairefontaine is currently the only manufacturer making its own paper for its own products. This guarantees not only consistent product quality, but also controls the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.
Clairefontaine only buys pulp from sustainable forests that are certified according to recognized international standards (PEFC, FSC, etc.) These certifications also ensure that endangered wildlife habitat is protected, worker health and safety laws are kept, and the rights of indigenous communities are respected.
The River Meurthe is the source of water supply for our Vosges mill. The water is so clean when it leaves our facility; local people can fish, swim and boat downstream within sight of the mill.
Please Note: Clairefontaine offers an extensive line of products. We endeavor to stock the most popular items. Please check out the listings below to see if we carry your favorite Clairefontaine item.
Suitable Paper
Contrary to popular believe, fountain pens do not require any special paper. Most standard paper used in business applications work fine for fountain pens. However; is best that you know what can happen from using the wrong kind of paper.
If the paper you are using is too thin the ink can bleed across the page making your writing look fuzzy and out of focus. It can even soak though the page onto the underside or the following pages. You can get this effect if you try to print on both sides of the paper using an ink-jet printer.
Some paper has very short fibers which can be picked up in the tip, much like hair in a tweezers. These will form into ink balls that will further distort your writing and can only be removed by gently wiping your nib with a lint-free cloth.
Slick or coated paper as you fill find in magazines, do not allow the ink to soak into the page. This causes the writing to be very slow in drying and easily smeared. However; sometimes a fountain pen will be able to write on these surfaces easier then most common ballpoint pens or pencils.
Decent quality photo copy paper, found in any office supply store, will work just fine for fountain pens. Any paper that works well for photo copiers and laser printers also work great for fountain pens.