Ink On Onion Skin Paper

Childhood memories of cigar smoke, stout black fountain pens and a massive wooden desk stalked me last night as I tested ink on a sheet of old-fashioned, crinkly, onion skin paper. It isn’t the best paper for fountain pens, but it is one of the most unique. My fat nibs are quite taken with it. Even the Sharpie thinks it’s good stuff.

At a mere 9#, this is the most lightweight paper on the market and fun for those who like to play with their pens or compose very long letters.  You can write pages and pages without going into debt for postage, perfect for correspondence to far lands. Bleed-through and show-through are significant with all writing instruments, so expect one-sided use.

What it lacks in economy, onion skin makes up for with another characteristic, a soft, swooshing sound as the nib dances over the paper. A pause in that sound reminds me that I am either thinking too much or not writing enough. So get back to work, eh?

The discontinued Fidelity onion skin I used has a watermark and is made of 25% cotton fiber. The sample shows how well it handles good flow, but it can make stingy pens skip, something easily solved with a more free-flowing ink. That new trio of pen, ink, and paper might even find its way into your regular rotation.

Fastening the paper onto a clipboard with lined paper beneath as a guide, keeps me on the straight and narrow. Without it, my writing takes an upward slant. Supposedly, that’s the sign of an optimist, but I prefer things level.

Whatever your pen preference, this type of paper is a kick to use. Current brands of onion skin are available at The Paper Mill Store and Staples.