Is there such a thing as paper that is too smooth? Most fountain pen users want paper that is smooth to write on, but I’ve regularly heard people say that Clairefontaine paper is too smooth for them. I have used the Clairefontaine Triomphe in the past and thought it was extremely smooth, but wondered how a basic notebook would compare. …
The other day I was testing out some different papers and was surprised to find that the ink looked significantly different on one type of paper versus another. This was not something that I had ever experienced before, and it made me wonder, can different papers really change the way an ink looks? I had experienced inks looking less saturated …
I’ve always wondered what makes writing on some papers feel different than others. I’m sure you’ve noticed that some paper feels incredibly smooth when you write on it and other paper has some feedback or “tooth” to it. Furthermore, the way a paper feels doesn’t seem to have any correlation to how it performs with fountain pens. To try and …
Look through photos on social media platforms like Instagram and it won’t take long before you see the popularity of ink splat photos. There’s a good reason ink splats are so popular. They can show off all of the properties of ink, from shading to sheen, and usually represent the different colors you can expect to get from a given …
Berlin Notebook Review As regular readers might know, I’m on a quest to try out all of the fountain pen friendly notebooks that I can get my hands on. Recently I was contacted by Berlin Notebook to see if I wanted to give their notebooks a try. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity since (as far as I know) …
You might have noticed that when you use an ink in one pen it looks darker or lighter than when you use it in a different pen, even if you use them on the same paper. No, this isn’t because you didn’t properly clean out one pen and old ink is affecting how the new ink looks. The difference can …
Many people who collect fountain pens sometimes have trouble using them as often as they would like. If you are not a student or in a profession that requires you to write very often, you might struggle to use your pens at all! In this series of articles I want to make some suggestions that should help you use your …
With so many different writing instruments available today that are both easy to use and inexpensive, you might ask, “Why use a fountain pen?”. You have ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, gel pens, mechanical pencils, Sharpies, markers… all very capable writing instruments that only cost a few dollars and do the job. What makes fountain pens so special that many people …
If you enjoy using fountain pens, there’s a chance you also enjoy photographing and sharing photos of them. In this series of articles, I want to share some tips on how to photograph a fountain pen so that you can get the best images possible, regardless of what type of camera you use. Before you start taking photos, you’ll need …
If you’re looking for fountain pen friendly notebooks, the choices can be pretty overwhelming. I’m not just talking about options like lined versus grid paper. I’m talking about the sheer number of manufacturers who are making amazing notebooks these days. And it’s not just one per manufacturer! Some companies like Life have many different options available. How are you supposed …