Japanese ‘Bank Paper’
I write a lot of stuff down every day on paper – sketches of future projects, notes on joinery, Megan’s lunch order, and dimensions, dimensions, dimensions. For the last decade I’ve mostly used the free throw-away pads that our lumber supplier would bring us every month for my scratchings.
When the pandemic hit, however, the sales visits stopped. And I ran out of free notepads.
One day I went into a local writing supply store to get a new notepad and came out a changed man. I discovered Japanese “Bank Paper.”
Look, I know that a lot of you must be paper snobs and will pooh-pooh my love of the Bank Paper. But this stuff brings the same joy of touching the skin of a lover. It’s so smooth and yielding. It accepts ink and pencil with the same facility. And it’s just a joy to use and touch.
And it’s not terribly expensive, either.
OK, yes, $26 is a lot to pay for a pad of 100 A4 sheets (but if you’re willing to pay a little more still, try to find the pad via a local supplier). But I will gladly visit my local writing supply store again for another when I use up my current pad. The funny thing about nice paper is that you use it up utterly. I write on both sides. I leave no space empty. And I enjoy every minute of it.
Look, I can’t explain it. It’s tactile. If you won’t spend $26, will you perhaps spend $19.95 on this A5 notebook? Or come visit us, and I’ll give you a sheet of mine to try.
Editor’s note: My favorite paper is a type Chris bought to try years ago and hated, so he gave it to me. It is also a little spendy, but… Karst Stone Paper. My Parker Jotter (my favorite pen, by the by) glides delightfully over its slickery surface.
I know what you mean about enjoying nice paper, I collect and use fountain pens and the paper you use makes a huge difference with regard to the overall experience. If you’re interested try Rhodia, Clairefontaine, or since you seem to like Japanese paper, Tomoe River, just to name a few. The right paper can be a thing of beauty. I thought it was just us fountain pen users who had a paper fetish.
I used to run with a bunch of graphic designers and all of them cherished their paper cabinets. True enough, the paper you scribble on and get a feel for can become a bit of a thing. But I totally get it. I did work for the Neenah Paper division of Kimberly-Clark and learned to appreciate the tech and toil it takes to make good paper.
Do you generally write/scribble/draw with pencil or ink?
Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered A5 bank paper. For pens I always like the tactile feel of the Rotring 600 https://a.co/d/cqhPNcn
Most of my daily paper comes from Levenger, I’ve tried the Rhodia but didn’t like it as much as the Levenger house stuff (90gsm). I’m a Circa system guy though with the Cornell notes sidebar.
This paper is fantastic! Most writing I do is text and artwork including my letters. It will even tolerate a light use of a water brush. It also has enough texture to allow a pencil to work well and give feedback. If you are a fountain pen user you will find fewer more consistent papers.
I’m still going through a box of notepads I inherited from my dad’s office. I’m not sure I’ll ever use them all. But I think about little anecdotes about him whenever I see his name.
So, I don’t have paper snobbery. But I have my own things that I’m a little precious about, so I get it.
Okay I get it also but, I love to make paper air planes . Can that paper fly !
FYI, Sharpies and Life papers are available from jetpens.com, i.e., a source that’s not Amazon.
My comment is for the Editor. What Parker Jotter do you prefer: the fountain, gel or ballpoint?
Ball point