First impressions

Scrolls 256 (right) and 257 (left) are done: painted and calligraphed. I'm not going to post a picture of the scrolls with the calligraphy on them, not even with a photoshop filter applied. I'm not good enough with photoshop to blur the text so that it is completely unreadable. In any case. This post is not about my work, per-se, but about the paper I used.

Scroll 257, the "H" on the left, was done on the last of my Arches paper. Scroll 256, on the right, was my first done on Fluid brand paper. Both are 100% cotton paper, 140# hot press. So, as I posted in my Pulitzer Prize winning blog article "I'm Trying Some New Paper" [1], I bought some new paper that was a fraction of the cost of the Arches paper I've been buying: $1.62 per sheet versus $2.75. My good friend Zosia recommended it; but it was only available at the downtown Hyatt's. Last month I found it at the Hyatt's that I frequent, so, I picked up a block.

I have posted, before, that I like big blocks and I can not lie. You other scribes can't deny that when a paper curls up with folds all over the place and anger on your face, you get pissed. Wanna give it up, 'cause you notice the crease was tough and deep in the paper that you were working on. [2] I think that the extra expense of the blocks more than pays for itself in terms of convenience. It is very nice to be able to carry around a dozen sheets of paper, all perfectly flat, in one package, such that no sheet will accidentally fall out. It is also nice to walk into Hyatt's and grab a block from the shelf, pay for it and leave. The people who work at the store are very nice people, but sometimes I hate people and don't want to deal with them. Particularly when I hand over a big sheet of paper and try to explain that I want it cut down into as many 9x12" sheets as possible. "No, I don't know how many that is off of the top of my head. Shouldn't you know that since you offer cutting service?" Cutting service sounds like something very rich emo girls would pay for so that they can "let the pain out" without getting their own hands dirty. [3] They would go in for a mani/pedi and some shallow cuts so that mommy and daddy will notice her. [4]

So, side by side how to they compare? Arches is the high bar and anything I switch to must as good.

Arches: made in France.
Fluid: made in USA.
I will always buy 'made in USA' if I have a choice. I have nothing, personally, against the French, and Arches has been making paper for years [5] and they certainly know what they are doing. Fluid has some big shoes to fill.

Arches: 20 sheets per block.
Fluid: 15 sheets per block.
The extra five sheets is more convenient; fewer trips to the store. But the cost difference means that I can buy two blocks of the Fluid (30 sheets) for less than one 20 sheet block of Arches.

Arches: waxed on all four sides.
Fluid: "waxed" on top and bottom.
With only two sides to cut through, it was easier to get the paper out. Plus, Fluid uses some kind of silicone glue that peels away from the paper better. Also, the wax that Arches has been using the last couple of years has been really difficult to cut.

The Fluid paper is slightly thinner than the Arches; enough of a difference so that I can feel it and see it when on the light box. It's not enough of a difference that the Fluid paper is not suitable for SCA scrolls: they still hold paint and stand up under their own weight. They might be easier to tear: I haven't used more than one sheet so I have not encountered this, potential, issue. [6]

The Fluid paper is also a slightly brighter white. As you can tell, the scroll on the right is whiter than the one on the left.

Both papers held onto the gouache without any bleeding, pooling or curling. And both papers held onto the ink from my pen without any smudging or bleeding. It was a tad easier to erase the pencil lines from the Fluid paper, after the ink had dried. I have not tried it with all of the ink I have at my disposal, but the Fluid does appear to like my favorite calligraphy pen and ink. [7]

So. after one sheet of Fluid paper, I will have to say it appears to be as good as Arches for my purposes and a better value. I recommend to any and all scribes who are looking for a cotton paper for scrolls.

[1] Editor's note: The author has never won a Pulitzer Prize, let alone ever been nominated for one.
[2] Editor's note: We wish to apologize to Sir Mix-a-Lot.
[3] Editor's note: The author does not condone the act of emo cutting.
[4] Editor's note: Please don't listen to Caleb.
[5] Since 1492.
[6] Editor's note: It is something that we don't need to test.
[7] Caleb doesn't have an editor; we really don't know who is responsible for these end notes.