Cheap fountain pen paper

[BetterSense]

I'm a student and I do quite a bit of math writing. I like fountain pens, because they don't suck. I typically used to buy simple copy paper by the brick....a lot of it ends up in the trash can. This worked well with my old finer pointed cheap pens but I got a couple desk pens at a garage sale with wider nibs and the paper really bleeds and looks ugly. I want to find a paper that writes nicely with fountain pens, but is not a fancy letter-writing paper or anything impressive, because I want it to be cheap. Any suggestions?

My friend suggests waiting a few more months of inflation and using fresh dollar bills.

 

[superbleu]

The eco friendly line of papers made of sugarcane waste (bagasse) sold at staples are said to work well, but I though I read that there were changes to the paper recently, and it's not as good as it used to be.

 

[danek]

I've found that my fountain pens write fantastically on the paper we use for our color copier at work. It is more expensive than the super-cheap copy paper, but it's not bad and available by the ream.

 

[winkydink]

The HP 32lb paper works really well.

 

[nemo]

The eco friendly line of papers made of sugarcane waste (bagasse) sold at staples are said to work well, but I though I read that there were changes to the paper recently, and it's not as good as it used to be.

I went to restock my supply of this wonderful paper at my local Staples and was told they're not stocking it due to low sales volume.

I feel your pain with the nice pen/lousy paper combo.

 

[bigstick]

I find that "thesis bond" worked very well for me. 25% rag content 20 or 24lb paper. It's the rag content that accounts for non-blotchiness.

 

[Uncle Erik]

For lots of little note-taking and informal use, I like Rhodia Tablets. You can find them over at www.pendemonium.com. Pendemonium always shows at the LA Fountain Pen Show and I've bought a lot from them over the years. Nice people and good service.

You might also take a look at different inks. Some inks are much more prone to feather and bleed than others. I've mostly switched over to Noodler's inks - some of them even do well on newsprint.

Enjoy your fountains and stick with them - there is no better way to write.

 

[crowdog]

I can still find the notebooks at Staples and they also have the top tear paper that goes into portfolios and such.

I am working with a gal at a print shop to try a lot of different papers. I did a review on one on Fountainpennetwork. Which is also a great source in their paper reviews to see how paper stacks up.

Marty

 

[superbleu]

The HP 32lb paper works really well.

+1 The HP premium choice laser printer paper HPU1128 is really good stuff.
Don't use any inkjet or coated papers as those make FP inks feather even more.

 

[WhosYerBob]

The HP 32lb paper works really well.

+1 The HP premium choice laser printer paper HPU1128 is really good stuff.
Don't use any inkjet or coated papers as those make FP inks feather even more.

+1 on both of those.

I have some of the good inexpensive stuff right here in front of me:

HP Premium Choice Laser Paper 32lb​

It's a bit on the thick side, but very smooth for fountain pens. I use a Pelikan Souverän M805 with a custom BB italic nib and Private Reserve ink without any bleeding or feathering whatsoever.

 

[Crouse229]

My friend suggests waiting a few more months of inflation and using fresh dollar bills.

No input here, that just cracked me up.

 

[superbleu]

+1 on both of those.

I have some of the good inexpensive stuff right here in front of me:

HP Premium Choice Laser Paper 32lb​

It's a bit on the thick side, but very smooth for fountain pens. I use a Pelikan Souverän M805 with a custom BB italic nib and Private Reserve ink without any bleeding or feathering whatsoever.

Opps. Thanks Mitch, the correct HP number is HPU1132

 

[drewmac]

For lots of little note-taking and informal use, I like Rhodia Tablets. You can find them over at www.pendemonium.com.

+1! I've used Rhodia grid-style notepads for 10 years now. They are phenomenal!

 

[Doc4]

I find that "thesis bond" worked very well for me. 25% rag content 20 or 24lb paper. It's the rag content that accounts for non-blotchiness.

Good idea. Any paper with a 25% rag content will do nicely. You can buy in in 400 sheet packaged fairly easily, so you avoid the mark-up of small "letter writing" packs. It's still expensive compared to 'regular' paper, but much much nicer.

 

[andrew98]

+1! I've used Rhodia grid-style notepads for 10 years now. They are phenomenal!

I really like Rhodia, too. Although, it may not be the cheapest option.

-Andy

 

[Torcams]

I really like Rhodia, too. Although, it may not be the cheapest option.

-Andy

Me too. I picked up a tablet at Target for around $8. The MiquelRius spiral notebooks are nice as well and also available at Target.

 

[Sullybob]

Me too. I picked up a tablet at Target for around $8. The MiquelRius spiral notebooks are nice as well and also available at Target.

I picked up a small MiquelRius notebook from Target and really like it.

 

[thebikingengineer]

I grabbed a pad of white Cambridge by Mead and it seems to do well with my Lamy. It was something like $2 so that's a win in my book.

 

[RoyalKooparillo]

My favorite paper is Rhodia and Clairefontaine. I have some Apica coming, I hear good things about it as well.

On a budget, it's hard to beat Red & Black notebooks. Available at Office Depot, fantastic fountain pen-friendly paper, very inexpensive.

 

[Valker]

I happen to like the Rhodia products. It may not be the cheapest but I like the results.