Years ago, I compiled a five-part resource titled “The Best Paper for Everyday Writing,” in which I looked at five different product categories that I regularly use in my working life and recommendations for each. These included hardcover notebooks, softcover notebooks, spiral notebooks, pocket notebooks, and writing pads/looseleaf. This particular post (which is semi-regularly updated), steps back from specifics and offer more general thoughts on paper, this time going by brand.
I receive a lot of questions about which brand of paper to buy to ensure a good experience with fountain pens. Those are always tricky questions to answer because (1) “fountain pen friendly” is a relative concept; and (2) some brands use different types of paper for different products - some designed with the fountain pen user in mind, others not. For example, most standard products from Write Notepads feature some of the most fountain pen friendly paper available, but they also release special edition products such as the “Engineer” series that use different paper stock. Despite the challenges, it’s been a long-term goal of mine to have a resource like this available on the site.
So as a baseline, what needs to happen before I will publicly recommend something as “fountain pen friendly paper”? My standard is fairly simple: No bleed-through or feathering with any fountain pen nib that can be reasonably used for everyday writing. (Because I mainly use my paper for drafting and notetaking, as opposed to drawing, wet ink samples, or flex-nib calligraphy, my standards may be more lenient than some.) I also don’t worry much about how the paper shows off ink color or things like sheen and saturation, though dry time occasionally factors into which paper I want to use for a particular purpose (i.e., quick notes). Below, I’ve divided major paper companies into “Tiers”, based on my own experience with using a range of fountain pens on their products. This is NOT intended as commentary on the overall quality of their offerings, merely to serve as a reference point on how well the paper used by certain brands tends to handle fountain pen ink according to my own standard. For example, while Field Notes is listed in “Tier Three,” that’s not surprising because the company makes pocket notebooks, and their products aren’t directed at those who want to write with a stub nib fountain pen every day. I love Field Notes, sell them in my shop, and use them fairly regularly - just not with fountain pens.