Staples Filler Paper – Will It Work For You?

Ruled filler paper that plays well with fountain pens can be a challenge to find. Bagasse or pineapple paper has been the best inexpensive product on the market for the last few years but it is in short supply. Last night at Staples I could only find the ringed notebooks and the wide-ruled composition books. The filler paper is long gone and not expected to return. So what’s a fountain pen aficionado to do?

A recent discussion at Fountain Pen Network piqued my interest in Staples College Ruled Filler Paper so I bought a packet and put it to the test. The results were a little mixed but for most people it should work well enough. The only less than perfect ink was Diamine Ultra Green but I’ve seen it feather on Apica with the same free-flowing pen. It is a small amount of feathering but to a perfectionist, it might be annoying.

The paper is smooth and light weight. All inks displayed show-through on the reverse but not so much that I couldn’t write legibly. Again Diamine Ultra Green was the exception and bled through too much to write on the back. I love the swathe of green but have concluded this ink is not the best for general purposes. Noodler’s Ottoman Azure and Diamine Mediterranean Blue suit the red margin and blue lines nicely. Other inks had no issues but I like those two blue inks best for this paper.

At 75¢ for 120 sheets, it is easy to put this paper through your own test. Note that the packet I purchased is marked ©2012 to the left of the bar code and was made in Brazil. Product from other regions may not perform similarly.

Don’t take the scan as a good representation of ink color. It is unadjusted, unfiltered, and served without prejudice so you can reach your own conclusions about Staples filler paper.

Staples Ruled Filler Paper