This week’s Q&A is about the popular fountain pen friendly paper brands Clairefontaine and Rhodia. Going into it, I really wasn’t sure how many questions I’d get about these, but it shaped up nicely! Enjoy:
1) Rafael P.- Facebook (1:15):
Do you know if Clairefontaine is going to use dot grids in their notebooks and/or pads? I like Clairefontaine paper more than Rhodia but I am in love with dot grids. Thanks.
- nothing currently
- Clairefontaine Grafit (sketch pad) coming out in dot, not something we’re planning to carry right now
- dangerous? a little dramatic
- might clog the flow a bit, proper cleaning/brass sheet should fix it
- no post-its
- smallest French rule I know is Clairefontaine Classic Side Staplebound 6.5″x8.25″ C381 (Midori 4.1″x5.25″)
- great question, never tried it!
- same weight? probably doesn’t matter, actually! I would think the heavier paper would be best
- No, it’s the same stuff
- blank, lined, lined with margin (bigger sizes), grid/graph, dot
- Webbie paper is different, same as R Premium
- Webbie planner paper- seems to be different, dries slightly faster
- technically, three types of paper (in US)
- technically, not the same paper
- both made by Clairefontaine, owned by same company
- machines used to make CF paper is different than Rhodia
- vellum used to loosely refer to fine paper
- We considered it, but haven’t moved on it
- Not sure interest is there, maybe I’m wrong
- Leuchtturm we can get them, but not sure interest is there
- If interested, email info@gouletpens.com and we’ll consider it if interest is there
- CF paper is slightly smoother than Rhodia
- Some pens are smoother than others just because of the way their ground, but paper does make a difference
- show the notebook
- never used stone paper myself
- doesn’t seem like it’d be fountain pen friendly, since it’s not absorbent
- unfortunately not, you’d need stone paper to beat scissors! (ba dum ching!)
- They started out as separate companies, but joined (I think in 1997)
- Rhodia is made in Clairefontaine mill just outside of Paris
- separate set of machines used for making Rhodia, so similar but slightly different
- In Europe, but not in the US
2) Does Rhodia hold some kind of patent on dot ruling? I find the dot grid ideal, but it’s not available from Quo Vadis or any of the other papers I’m interested in trying, which is kind of a deal-breaker.
- no patent, there are other brands with dots ( Leuchtturm for one)
- I agree, I don’t know why dots aren’t on everything!
- probably not
- It’s pretty freaking awesome
- Rhodia Premium is comparable
- lots of things are fountain pen friendly, a lot boils down to preference
- some say Triomphe is too smooth, or too white
- These papers are ink resistant
- how people define “better” can vary a lot
- shading- higher on these papers
- dry time- usually longer
- feathering/bleeding- usually lower/non-existant, better for broader nibs/wetter inks
- smoothness- write faster
- C8267– 90 sheets, that’s it!
17) Steven C.- Facebook (31:01):
- seems to be a unique Rhodia paper offering, don’t know what else has paper just like this
- planners in general use paper with less sizing/coating
- decrease dry time
- All CF paper used in notebooks is the same 90g, white paper (except Triomphe)
- Rhodia would be your next option, or the Quo Vadis Habana
- still paper made by Clairefontaine, but slightly less smooth (though not by much)
- skipping could be hand oils, especially if happening at the bottom of the page
- supposed to be here soon…very possible coming early next week!
- been out of stock since January
- we ordered a lot!
- we will carry every Ice Rhodia makes,
- 11, 12, 13, 16, 18
Hi Brian, my question is maybe a bit off for this Q&A but here it goes: I see you have tons of ink swatches, what paper have you found best for these? Which paper best shows off the properties of the ink, generally? I want to start making swatches for future reference but don’t have all that many brands of paper at hand to test it. Thanks.
- I use Clairefontaine Pollen Cardstock, not something we regularly carry
- cardstock is thicker, what’s needed for swabs that last
- doesn’t have to be CF, really any ink-resistant cardstock would work, you’ll have to experiment
22) Keith C.- Facebook (42:52):
- yup, gone
- had some bottom shelf pens as of late, but are now gone
Second, I am a poet and I usually have written in the mead type composition notebooks, is there an equivalent in either clairefontaine or rhodia notebooks, i am more interested in the size than anything else. thanks and I love the Q&A’s
- Mead- 7.5″x9.75″
- Clairefontaine Clothbound A5 5.9″x8.25″
- Apica CD-15 7″x10″
- Apica Premium B5 7.2″x10″
Brian Goulet