I recently started working on a tool that I hoped would prove to be a comprehensive search experience for anyone looking for specific paper qualities. Initially, these specific qualities were more or less what is already available in my Massive List of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Ratings post. After coming up with a first draft and getting a bit of feedback, I added a bunch of other attributes that could not only help you find the perfect paper, but also the perfect format for your paper. This includes notebooks, notepads, and many other formats.
I’d like to introduce you to my Paper Search tool. You can find it any time you need it in the main menu at the top of each page. If you have a minute, please give it a try and see what you think. I am always open to suggestions, so let me know in the comments for this post if you have anything you’d like to see added or changed (or if for some reason it’s not working for you).
What The Future Holds
I have a huge batch of new papers and notebooks that I plan to test in the very near future, so they should show up in my database (and the search results) once I have them ready. Once they’re tested, expect to see a new wave of reviews showing up on the blog. I also plan to re-test all of the papers that I’ve already tested just to make sure everything is consistent and all of my ratings are accurate.
I’m also working on creating some new videos for my YouTube channel. I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve uploaded any new content, but I’m planning on getting back into a more consistent schedule of creating and sharing. If there’s any videos you’d like to see me do, let me know in the comments!
Comments 12
Great tool.
I’ve just done 2 searches : one simple and one advanced. I agreed with the simple but not the advanced… it’s probably difficult for you to know 3very single paper format out there.
In my simple search Cosmo Air Light and some others appeared (CAL is my current favourite), but when I added B5 and dots it no longer appeared. This does exist however as I have it 😏 (Danika58 on Etsy created it at my request).
Great tool though. I shall share it in some FP FB groups I’m part of.
Good luck with its future development.
Author
Thanks for the input, Jane. I definitely don’t know every format for notebooks that contain papers like TR and Cosmo Air Light. I’m not sure I’d consider a custom-made notebook for the search results, but will dig around some more and make an attempt to have most options available.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi
Sorry I wasn’t clear.
She made the B5 at my request, but it’s now generally on sale.
Good luck with the continuation of your tool!
Author
That makes sense, as I did check out her site and saw that she now offers that size. Thanks for letting me know!
When I searched for spiral bound, alone or with other attributes the search returned top bound glued and stapled. Also I recently purchased top spiral bound Rhoda and Clairefontaine. This top spiral is my favorite format because the Spirls do not impede writing on the back. Your search engine did not return any top spiral binding.
I really enjoy your site and the search tool is a great idea. Best wishes with it.
Author
Thanks for the heads up, Robert. I’ll have to look into that. I didn’t try out every combination, so I’m sure there are a few searches that may need tweaked a bit. I don’t think that I differentiated between top and side-spiral binding, but will take a look and see what you’re referring to.
Glad to hear you enjoy the site! Hopefully soon I’ll have the search tool working better and will have some new papers added as well!
I like it.
May I offer another category to track in (and search for) with the database? I will sometimes grab a handy notebook to quickly write something which will need to be typed up later — so to me, the ideal notebook has perforations or allows me to remove a page, without my having to search for a pair of scissors. Most people would grab a yellow pad or legal pad for that kind of writing; but when you have a thought you don’t want to lose, you grab the closest piece of paper…
Anyway, it was just a thought. Thanks for creating the ability to search!
Author
That’s not a bad idea, Fred. I’m trying to balance enough options to be useful and not so many that it becomes overwhelming. While it’s relatively easy to add categories, I don’t want the user to be faced with a wall of options. Maybe I’ll add an “Even More!” option for extra search criteria. Thanks for the input!
This is interesting and useful, John, One category that might be handy is page count. It could be in blocks of 100 up to 400 (since Stalogy has some at 384) and then “>400.”
Author
I thought about adding page count, but decided to leave it out to keep the number of search options lower. See my comment above about adding even more options at some point in the future. 🙂
Hello John –
Let me first compliment you on your website. It is informative, well written, nicely organized, and pleasing to the eye. The subject matter will probably interest a small audience, but I am certainly one of them. Thanks for doing it.
Your Paper Search Tool is awesome. I applaud the time and energy you must have spent building the underlying database. You asked for comments. I would like to offer two:
1. At the very top, as a first break, I suggest separating “Notebooks/Journals” from “Stationery/Writing Paper”
2. Under “Binding”, I suggest “Spiral”, “Ring”, and “Comb” as three separate binding types.
Again, great website. Thanks for your effort.
Author
Thanks for chiming in, Bob. Glad to hear you like my site and are getting something out of it. As for your suggestions, I’ll definitely consider them. I initially thought about adding a separate option for “notebooks” and “writing paper”, but decided it was an option that could be wrapped into the “binding/loose leaf” option. Still, I’m sure this will be ever evolving, so at some point it may find its way into the search.