Quick Tips on Paper and Pens

This article is an extension of the one I wrote on Journals. It's important to know your tools!

Paper

The paper you choose to write on is very important. You want to be able to write clearly and quickly. That means: beware of paper that will slow down your pens and not pick up all the ink. Don’t use paper that’s so thin that your pens will bleed and be visible on the opposite side. Be skeptical about expensive papers. You have to check the manufacturer, where it’s made, not just the label. 

For instance, Moleskin journals give the illusion of being these fancy, Italian, high quality journals. False. Moleskin used to be top-notch… then their paper factories moved to China. The paper is horrible. The journals are expensive.

Rhodia has a great paper and well-made journals and pads. They aren’t the prettiest things out there, but the paper is amazing.

Five-star journals are fine, but be wary of dark pens. There will be bleeding.

Just shop around, you’ll find something you like.

Don’t feel obligated to buy really expensive paper. It’s easier to be intimidated by nicer paper because you’re afraid that your dumb thoughts will tarnish it. 

Pens

Your pen quality is more important than your paper quality, by far. Make sure the pen you use will get its ink out as you write! Otherwise, only parts of your letters will come out of the pen. You want a rollerball, or other quick-gliding pen type that will write quickly and clearly. No ballpoints. Uniball pens write quickly and come in lots of colors, but tend to bleed. Sarasa Zebra pens also come in a lot of colors and won’t bleed. However, the Zebras lose their umph with age and certain colors don’t want to write at all. Pilot pens are terrible. They will not write.

Gel pens are cool, but expensive. You can get really glittery pens and there is a larger variety of colors.

Be wary of the fountain pen. There is a reason why we switched to ballpoint and rollerballs. The more modern styles of fountain pen, like the Lamy Safari, will write very well. They even do well on lower quality paper, whereas the fancier pens always need high quality paper.

Some fountain pens refuse to write at all, and are also extremely expensive. I got a $100 Bexley for my first anniversary (not marriage) and it slowly stopped writing. I’ve taken it in to get cleaned and fixed at least five times and nothing helped. Now it sits on my vanity like a depressing prop. It’s a pain in the ass because most fountain pens will write well in the store, but there’s no telling how they’ll write after a bit of use. Buy at your own risk.