Most my ink reviews are done on Rhodia 80gsm paper, in the staple-bound pad. It’s for me to try to be as consistent as possible, it’s a fairly easily accessible paper so many people have experience with it, but it’s also just great paper.
I like this paper because for the quality, it’s not too pricey – I’m talking about the 80gsm in the staplebounds, the 90gsm in the Webnotebooks is more expensive, which also has to do with the hard cover. The paper is very fountain pen friendly, meaning you can use your flex nibs and really wet inks on this paper without a problem.
Rhodia is one of the most common choices for fountain pen users.
Rhodia is a paper company that dates back to the 1930s as a family business (like us!) from Lyon, France, and named for the Rhone River. Apparently the two trees in the Rhodia Logo represent the two brothers from the original family, drawn by the mother by the kitchen table.
The company was purchased by Clairefontaine in the 1990s, who now makes the Rhodia paper, still in France. The Webnotebook has become a well-recognized, iconic notebook in France and Europe, and the high quality of the paper has made it one of the most common choices for fountain pen users.
The back cover gives you some information on the quality of the paper.
The “High Grade Vellum Paper” is made from cotton and wood pulp, which makes it more ink resistant. Because it is ink resistant, rather than allowing the ink to soak into the fibres of the paper to dry (feathering), the ink sits on the surface to air dry, making for longer dry times.
Rhodia paper is known for being super smooth, and if you’re going for a smooth, flawless writing experience, this is the paper for you. If you’d like something with a little more texture, try the G. Lalo paper.
The paper is smooth and has its trademark purplish lines on the lined version, but is also available in dot grid. It’s sizes are the A5 and A4, in a black cover (with orange logo) or orange cover (with black logo).
From F to Flex, this paper has no problem handling ink without feathering or bleeding.
The back of my writing sample – no bleed through!
The paper is for fountain pens. Above is a sampling of different inks in different pens, but you can also check out my other ink reviews and see a full writing sample of other inks on the Rhodia paper.
There is rarely bleeding or feathering, so you can write on both sides if you need to. The show through here is from the Noodler’s Flex.
The top cover has fold lines to allow you to fold over the cover easily and cleanly.
The cover has scored fold lines to be able to fold the cover over your pad cleanly. Because of the perforated lines for your tearing, as you tear out paper, you will still leave the original number of sheets at the very top of the pad, so your fold lines will always be the same, square fold.
The cover is quite durable, and can take folding quite well. If your cover stays open after you’ve been using it for a while and you need it to lay flat, just fold the cover’s fold lines the opposite way, and it should lay flat again.
Perforated sheets make for a clean tear on Rhodia Staplebound Pads.
If you’re concerned about your cover flapping up, especially if you’re tucking this into your bag or the cover is getting caught on things, bend the cover flap the opposite way, and it should lie flat with no problem.
PEFC certified – Rhodia paper comes from sustainably managed forests.
Lastly, this paper is PEFC certified (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). While the amount of paper we may use for our doodles with fountain pens may seem negligible, it’s nice to know that the paper is sustainably sourced.
Our notepads are available here, but should be pretty easy to find in most stationery stores or college bookshops.
Elsewhere to read about this paper:
The Penny Writer
Fountain Pen Network: What’s All the Fuss Over Rhodia?
Wonder Pens - Life Behind a Stationery Shop 