MAGAZINE . Writing Basics • Fountain pen paper: selection guide

Fountain pen paper: selection guide

The features of the best luxury pen sheets

 

The passion for writing also comes from the choice of suitable tools with which to live it in your daily life. And if we have seen what are the characteristics that must possess the best luxury fountain pens and what are the peculiarities of the best fountain pen inks, we focus today on paper, the white canvas on which to imprint our stroke.

Montegrappa leads us today to the discovery of the best cards for fountain pen Montegrappa, identifying the characteristics that make them suitable for this writing instrument, enhancing the performance and allowing style exercises worthy of the greatest calligraphers. Because if the pen represents the pulsating motor of writing, paper represents the way to go and open new horizons.

 
 
 

How to choose fountain pen paper

The characteristics to be taken into account

Before deepening the various characteristics it is necessary to admit that for those who love writing with the fountain pen the choice must fall on a suitable paper that allows the maximum smoothness of the tip, a consequence of the absence of friction of the latter on the surface: are to be discarded a priori, therefore, particularly rough cards.

Another parameter to consider before purchasing a fountain pen paper is the ability of the sheet to absorb ink. A paper that does not absorb too much causes feathering phenomena, ie capillary diffusion of the ink on the paper that increases the size of the stroke, and bleed through, which consists in the passage of ink on the other side of the sheet.

The absorption capacity of the paper is to be considered in relation to the flow of the pen: it is not always true that a paper that absorbs a lot of ink is to be discarded. We must always consider what type of fountain pen we are going to use, choosing one from the extreme flow for a paper that can absorb the ink well.

 

Fountain pen paper and ability to absorb ink.

Differences between smooth and rough surface

We are led to think that a thick paper (of a grammage of about 80/100 g or more), very smooth and high cost, is of superior quality, but it is not always true. What is the relationship between the weight of a paper and the ability to absorb ink? Well, thick papers are not always a guarantee of adequate ink absorption, but this capacity depends on the type of treatment that the paper undergoes during processing.

Hygroscopy is a property of paper that also has little to do with surface roughness. The very smooth, untreated paper, on which the nib can slide without any particular friction, can absorb the right amount of ink.

Untreated paper, which is rough and thin, is the worst in terms of the ability to absorb ink in writing with the fountain pen: designed to be economical, the rough surface is better matched to the grease-based and non-aqueous inks of the pen.

What happens when you use too absorbent paper with a fountain pen? When the ink absorption is too high, it is possible that the amount of ink coming out of the nib may exceed that coming from the reservoir to the feeder. The flow is reduced initially to the total dryness of the power supply and the blocking of the writing.

 
 
 

Coated writing paper with fountain pen

When aesthetics is a disadvantage

How do you deal with coated paper? The coating has a "repellent" effect against the ink and it is not uncommon to clearly perceive the sensation of rubbing the tip on the surface with consequent difficulty by the ink to adhere.

Coated papers often have points of irregularity, areas where the ink acts as if it were passing on a plastic film. This type of paper, then, dries very slowly giving problems to fountain pens from the abundant flow of ink and generous stroke.

The advice is to focus on the choice of not very glossy papers, especially considering the fountain pen that we intend to use to write on it.

 
 

Stone paper for fountain pen

What it is and what are the advantages of its use

A new material particularly appreciated by those who love to write with precious fountain pens is stone paper, composed of 80% calcium carbonate and 20% high density polyethylene.

Calcium carbonate is widely spread in nature, presents in a wide variety of rocks: from here comes the name for this new compound. The stone paper is prepared by reducing in powder the stones that contain calcium carbonate, resulting from residues of building materials, which are then mixed with special resins to fine-tune the right writing..

Ideal paper for fountain pen

Environmentally friendly and tear resistant

This results in a paper that is more environmentally friendly than synthetic paper and recycled cellulose paper because it has high concentrations of non-natural resins. The stone paper lends itself well to writing with the fountain pen because it is unalterable to contact with water and particularly resistant to tearing.

Other qualities to mention are the ability to absorb ink without leaving stains and the rapid total biodegradability ranging from 3 to 9 months of exposure to water and sun.

 
 
 

Montegrappa luxury fountain pens need the right stage to be able to perform in all their splendor: for this reason the choice of paper is of fundamental importance. To write well with a fountain pen, the paper must have an adequate thickness, a suitable ability to absorb ink and a smooth surface that allows the stroke to flow long and long.