I am a fountain pen user and I’m loving the wide range of pens and inks you can buy in Taiwan.
I’m having a bit of trouble finding a good cheap looseleaf paper brand or notebook that won’t bleedthrough or feather like crazy. Currently it has been hit and miss for me. Oftentimes I find a great purchase only for that notebook or loose leaf pack of paper never to be seen again!
So far the most consistent for me has been the Muji dot pads, which are great. Strangely their lined paper has huge problems with bleed through though and I do want to use lined paper too.
Can anyone recommend a cheap product, preferably a Taiwanese brand, that I’ll be able to find consistently?
Muji’s recycled paper is surprisingly good for fountain pens, considering the price, but don’t get their premium paper. It’s garbage. Eslite has Rhodia, which is pretty good. If you’re in Taipei, T. Y. Lee is a fountain-pen mecca.
My personal favorites are Midori MD and Tomoe River. Do a Google Maps search on ＂鋼筆＂and see if there are any stores in your area. You’d be surprised at how many there actually are.
There is a Pen88 affiliate here in Taichung that carries a pretty affordable notebook that is fountain-pen friendly. You could try their store(s). I’m not sure what city you’re in, though.
Welcome back @Karlahn!
Yes, some pens here are hit and miss, in terms of quality.
I remember the book/stationary stores near NTNU that would have a plethora of them and you could sample them on pieces of paper taped on the aisle.
How much use do you get out of a pen, beside applications for all the various things?
You write letters home, diary… ?
I have actually found the selection of pens rather stellar here I’m actually having trouble finding the paper. As for the pens… I love using them for greeting cards using a unique nib and ink color really adds a personal touch. I also prefer to make notes by hand than on the pc.
Apparently, Taiwanese manufacturers aren’t good at making their own nibs. I would be interested in trying an SKB pen sometime, though, because I think they may. I’ve noticed a lot of Taiwanese pens use Schmidt nibs, but Laban and TWSBI use Jowo. The selection of imported pens is amazing here, and there are a lot of fountain-pen stores, which shows how much the Taiwanese value traditional writing instruments.
I found one brand of cheapish paper at Guang Nan (光南) that’s decent for fountain pens. It’s from a paper company in Kaohsiung called Ming Huang (明鍠). Sizes range from ~A4 to B6, and come in lined, grid, or blank. My 100 sheets of lined B5 was $45NT. It specifically says 鋼筆 (fountain pen) on the package, and has a picture of a fountain-pen nib on it, too. I tried another brand that claimed to be for fountain pens, but it wasn’t great.
There is some bleed-through with Heart of Darkness and Baystate Blue and some feathering with Baystate Blue, but that’s to be expected. Heart of Darkness and Kiowa Pecan had some spreading going on, too. But I was impressed with the shading on Green Marine and R & K Carmen. Hope this helps.
I’m actually having trouble finding the paper. As for the pens… I love using them for greeting cards using a unique nib and ink color really adds a personal touch. I also prefer to make notes by hand than on the pc.
