Original Crown Mill Classic Laid Writing Paper

We've just brought in some new things from Original Crown Mill! We have the Classic Laid and the 100% Pure Cotton. I'm a sucker for the really nice writing paper. The Classic Laid in cream is what I'm talking about today, mainly because I love textured paper and having just a bit of feedback when I write - the sound and feel of the nib against the paper! If you're going for smoother paper, you will want to look at the 100% Pure Cotton.

We had been thinking about Original Crown Mill Paper and debating back and forth on it for a while now. We had been holding off on it because we had already had G. Lalo stationery in, but the recent delays in getting the A5 G. Lalo papers in spurred us to bring in the new line. The paper is replicated from the very original handmade sheets made by monks in Belgium, which may be the ultimate in romantic beginnings. It's now made by Pelletier, a Belgium company, who has expanded the line to include envelopes and cards and other paper things. The Classic Laid Paper is available in cream or white, with corresponding envelopes.

I love that a tablet or pad of this paper comes with a guide sheet of lines! It's the first page you tear off, and it is very, very useful. You tear it off and place it directly underneath the sheet you're writing on so you can just see the shadow of the lines underneath. I know school teachers are supposed to be able to write in straight lines, but it never hurts to have some help :) However, you can see the grid of textured lines across the page, which should help you write neater lines even without the guide sheet. It has lines as the Verge de France paper from G. Lalo. They're not quite as pronounced as the G. Lalo, but it's still quite evident.

The writing sample is done with a Serwex 362 and a fine nib, and the ink is Sailor Jentle Ultramarine. The Serwex is quite a wet writer, and combined with the absorbency of the paper the lines look like a medium --and without any feathering! The paper really is quite absorbent, but handles the ink quite well. You can see the sheen of the ink just on the edges of the letters, where the ink has pooled slightly - nice and crisp. The absorbency also means pretty good dry time - not that you would want to rush any of those letters. It might not fare so well with drier pens or EF nibs, as it just soaks up the ink. It's nice and thick 100 gsm paper, so no bleed through at all from this writing. The "vergeures" or lines are just slightly less than the lines from the G. Lalo Verge de France paper.

Perfect for a thank you or a note to brighten someone's day. In addition to the beautiful paper, the beautiful design of the Original Crown Mill name on the packaging makes me think that a set of paper and envelopes would make a great gift - mailed to a friend or family member, what a wonderful way to begin a correspondence across a distance.