Help with Stationery and Notebook Recommendations

[mdevine]

I write with a fountain pen all day long while at work. There, I have no choice of the paper I'm writing on most of the time. However, from time to time, I'll write out some notes or a message. I don't need anything with a letterhead, but am interested in a high quality paper. I would also like a couple of notebooks: one for notes when I read/study, and one as an all-purpose journal. I have quite a few pens, but prefer medium nibs and often use purple or green inks, although lately i have been enamored with Iroshizuko Yama Budo. Thanks for the help.

Mike

 

[syngent]

http://www.gouletpens.com/Clairefontaine_Clothbound_s/90.htm

These are great, Clairefontaine clothbound life unplugged books depending on how often you reach for them, they are not a bad price either.

 

[rickboone1]

Ampad Gold Fibre @ Staples
Rhodia notebookes
I'm not a fan of Clarirefontaine, personally. Too slick of a paper and takes too long to dry. Easy to smear. Personal opinion, though. It is a quality paper.

 

[syngent]

Rick, is the Rhodia paper different then the clairefontaine stuff, i know clairefontaine makes it for them, i was under the impression the only difference was the off white colour

 

[rickboone1]

Rick, is the Rhodia paper different then the clairefontaine stuff, i know clairefontaine makes it for them, i was under the impression the only difference was the off white colour

Hmm...I don't know. Rhodia does have some slickness to it, but it doesn't seem to be quite as bad as the Clair.. It could very well be me. Tell you what...PM me your address, I'll drop you a few Rhodia sheets in the mail to test out. See what your testings reveal. It could be that I just had a bunch of Rhodia notebooks and got used to them. I do have a Clairfontaine notebook that's pocket sized that the paper seems a little different on, but I rarely use FP's on it.

 

[the_edski]

I definitely notice a difference in slickness and drying time between the two. The paper quality, not regarding those two properties, is exactly the same.

Rick, is the Rhodia paper different then the clairefontaine stuff, i know clairefontaine makes it for them, i was under the impression the only difference was the off white colour

 

[The Nid Hog]

I have been using the heck out of Rhodia notebooks lately. I think that they're great.

As far as stationery goes, I've had some from Smythson that really liked. I've also ordered Clairefontaine and Lalo from Goulet's for my daughters, and both seemed nice. Lately I've just been using Crane's. One of my local B&M stationery shops was going out of business and I bought a couple of boxes. I'd be happy with any of these.

 

[jumper]

I'd have to second any recommendation for the Rhodia notebooks. I love the webbies.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I use Norcom composition books for my brewing notebook and another for keeping track of when I give my dog his heartguard, frontline, etc. If he gets sick or whatever I also write that down in it. These are the made in USA ones.

I buy them when school supplies are on sale for fifty cents a piece. I think they are normally a buck fifty.

 

[andrew98]

Just to clarify, there is a difference between Rhodia and Clairefontaine paper. Rhodia is 80g, and Clairefontaine is 90g. Clairefontaine is smoother and thicker. I also notice the longer drying time with Clairefontaine. I use top stapled notepads from Rhodia for notes, letters, etc. at home, and I use small Clairefontaine side stapled notebooks to jot lists and reminders that I carry around with me when I run errands or travel. I use a Japanese fine nib with the Clairefontaine notebooks.

-Andy

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Rhodia is my go-to now. As others have stated, Clairefontaine is perfectly fine if you never want your ink to dry. It's way too slick for me.

Other than that, Ampad Gold Fibre if you want a legal pad, and Black n' Red if you want much else. Black n' Red also is locally available for a lot of folks.

 

[chris.hale]

I've become a big fan of Rhodia, especially the A5 dotpads. I use them all the time for notes at work.

 

[Shutterbug57]

I like the Staples ARC series of pads. I have the size for my journal and when I run out of the smaller books I keep work notes in (roughly 6x8), I will switch them to the ARC version too. The Rhodia meeting book is great if you attend a lot of meetings.

 

[Snargle]

Another economic choice is the Staples "Sustainable Earth" sugar cane fiber notebooks. Dirt cheap, and actually perform quite well with most pens and inks.

 

[wherndon]

I just penned out the last page in a Mead college ruled notebook, It had very little bleed and worked quite well for my wandom, doodling. Now, i'm using an Office Max college ruled note book, and it sucks, bleed is so bad that for every page I write, I throw away two.
I recently bought my wife a Top brand notebook from Staples, it is not too bad, not much bleed, not as good as the Mead, but far better than the Office Max brand.
IMHO.
Bil

 

[SmoovD]

+1 on the Rhodia. 80g and 90g are both nice. Sustainable Earth is finicky probably because it is thin. Kokuyo has been my favorite paper for the past few months. I like the sizes but love the paper. Worth trying if you want a handy notebook.

 

[cursethis]

I love all the various Rhodia products. I use the pocket dot pads to jot down notes, and I have a few of the bigger pads for when I need to plan something out in greater detail. I also have a Rhodiarama that I use as a diary.

For business, I prefer the Staple Arc series. The paper works well with fountain pens, and the ability to move pages from one book to another one is wonderful. I can be very OCD about organizing things, so this lets me keep different projects in different books.

 

[Snargle]

Sustainable Earth is finicky probably because it is thin.

It is thin and the resulting show-through limits the use of the back of the pages, but I've never had a problem with bleed-through or feathering. It's not perfect but it's certainly a viable, inexpensive option.

 

[mdevine]

The Rhodia paper looks interesting. I'll have to pick some up with my next ink purchase. Thanks, Mike.

 

[Moondancer]

I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but out of all the notebooks I have tried (so far) I like Moleskine the best. The paper is thin and as a consequence I only use one side, but as far as dry time, feathering, and all the other associated problems of using a fountain pen, this is my choice. I use their large journals at work and their Cahier pocket journals for personal use. My preference is the grid pages, fwiw.