Archive for March, 2010
Buying Rhodia Pads in Bulk
Several months ago we received a rash of email from people asking if they could buy Rhodia in bulk from us (Exaclair). Since Exaclair operates B-2-B, I tried to come up with a solution. I called some of our best Rhodia retailers including Alko Office Supply, Goulet Pens, and Vickerey, and asked if they would sell to consumers in bulk. They all said they would be delighted to do so! In fact, most if not all retailers will offer a discount in product price and/or shipping for bulk sales. Our best Rhodia customers online can be found here.
Some people are not shy about asking for a price break and assume everyone does as well. I haven’t…I’m shy. If I didn’t see this option indicated I assumed it didn’t exist. It would not occur to me to bring it up. Researching this issue I found most retailers are very happy to get bulk orders but don’t generally advertise them. 
So, if you want to buy a certain notepad in bulk, the first thing to do is call ahead on product availability: is it in stock or when can they have it for you. After that, ask what shipping and/or product discount the retailer is willing to provide.
“Bulk sales” means more than 2 or 3 pads. Several retailers already provide sales in multiples, including Jet Pens, Fahrney’s and Goulet Pens. “Bulk” means by case pack, which is how products are shipped from France. Case packs can be packed in five, 10 or even 20.
Anyway, bulk buying is available. It will save you money, and keep a steady supply of notebooks at hand.
Please let us know if you encounter any problems with bulk purchases; or, if there are retailer(s) you would like to single out for exception service.
How do you use your yellow inks?
Having had the opportunity to test Herbin’s Bouton D’Or fountain pen ink – a happy buttercup yellow, I have to say that I had a difficult time envisioning how I would use such an ink on a regular basis. Continue Readering »
NEW Rhodia Le Carre and dotPads are on their way to the US!
All four of the new Rhodia Le Carre pads, sizes 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 and 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in both black and orange are on their way to the US warehouse, having recently cleared Customs in Montreal. (As Karen sent me this information last week, they have most likely arrived by now and are ready to ship to retailers.) Continue Readering »
Southeastern Pen Collectors Group Samples Rhodia and J. Herbin
When I recently asked if anyone belonging to a fountain pen collectors group to try a sampling of Exaclair products at their next meeting, Mark Bacas, president of such a group in the southeast US said thay would love to give them a try. When testing the Rhodia products, Mark told me that everyone loved the paper and several commented on how they use Rhodia pads all the time. Continue Readering »
New 340th Anniversary J. Herbin Scarlet Ink : Rouge Hematite
Just got word that a sample of this new J. Herbin limited edition Scarlet ink (“Rouge Hematite” is its French name) is on its way to me. Rouge translates to red, and Hematite is an iron ore that when pulverized into a powder, can be used as red pigment. Continue Readering »
No. 6 Machine
Here’s some Rhodia trivia: Rhodia paper is printed on only one machine – the No. 6 in the Etival-Clairefontaine mill. This mill is located in the Vosges region in France.
We didn’t know that until one day when we started to get a few emails from Rhodia users saying the paper was different. That prompted some calls to France to find out what was going on. We got a few more emails saying the grid lines seemed different and the paper felt different. Since we take pride in the uniform quality of the paper, we really got alarmed. At that point the CEO of Clairefontaine stepped in and investigated. Since he is an engineer, he’s very familiar with all the machines, printing and paper-making equipment and so was able to give us an answer very quickly. 
Here’s what happened: for a few weeks, Rhodia paper had been printed on the No. 5 machine while the No. 6 was being cleaned and serviced.
To a non-engineer like myself, it didn’t make any sense–how could paper feel different from one machine to another? It was explained to me that machines, like people, have their own personalities and quirks. So does the No. 6. After years of service, tinkering, and individual adjustments, each machine “meets” or “kisses” the paper differently. So what people felt was the imprint of the No. 5 machine instead of the No. 6. The paper itself was exactly the same, but the printing and production transformed it (my words) differently.
At the end it was decided that Rhodia paper would only be printed on the No. 6.
Rhodia Responds! Logo to be removed from Webbie pages
After many of you had commented on the Rhodia logo being a distraction on the bottom of every page of the Webbie, Rhodia has responded by removing it. I believe this new version will be seen later this year, and I’ve also heard that there has been improvements made to make the book open flatter. (I’ll report back on that feature when I have a new copy to review.)
With Rhodia’s blog & Facebook presence, we always appreciate feedback both good and bad on our products. We appreciate hearing from you when you review our products on your own blogs and discuss them in open forums like on the Fountain Pen Network. Your comments can only help to improve what Rhodia has to offer.
Spring has arrived!
Here in the Northeast part of the US, spring-like weather seems to have arrived a little early to coincide with the actual change of seasons on the calendar. I think this is day 5 of sunny weather with temperatures in the mid to high 60′s.
I can remember a winter about 12-14 years ago where week after week we were slammed with one Nor’easter after another. More than five feet of snow piled up on the street corners in my neighborhood because they had nowhere to go with it once they plowed. Only one car could make it down the side streets at a time, and you had to creep up on each intersection because the snow was so high you couldn’t see if cars were coming the other way.
This year, while Philadelphia and areas to the south got hammered with a few giant storms, we managed to escape with only one really big one that brought us 14 inches. (I made snow angels and snow mandalas after that one…)
Now here it is, March 22nd, and I got a little color on my face this weekend while sitting on the porch writing & doodling away…. This might be the first time I can remember where it may be necessary to cut the grass before April. Which matters not- better mowing than shoveling I always say.
Happy Spring!
What’s your Favorite Pen?
Image © Biffybeans All Rights Reserved
I’m guessing that everyone has to have at least one… The one you go reaching for every single time that inspiration strikes. Someone recently asked me about my own favorite pen and I had to chuckle because it seems as though Continue Readering »
Does creating art in your journals help you to write better?
Image © Biffybeans All Rights Reserved
I tend to be a doodler in my journals but not a writer in my sketchbooks, and so when I’m writing and get stuck, I will often reach for the nearest art implement… Not only does it help me me to get the creative writing juices flowing, it makes for some pretty intense art that I can directly correlate to the words surrounding the “doodle.” I can look at a particular mandala (a circular geometrical design) I’ve drawn and think, “I was angry” or “I was frustrated” and I can physically see the emotion in my art much the same way I can read it in my words.
This is why I tend to prefer blank paper in my journals as the lines seem to get in the way of my art. :o) I’ll doodle with my fountain pens, gel ink pens, Pitt artist pens… I’ll grab a waterbrush and some paints – whatever works.
I’d love to hear if a similar process works for you.
Brause Advanced Calligraphy Set
Brause nibs are in the toolbox of many modern artists,
calligraphers and people who enjoy writing with a steel pen.
“Brause was founded in Iserlohn, Germany in 1850. It was a region famous for the quality of its steel and skill of its craftsmen. Brause manufactures a complete set of calligraphy nibs considered to be one of the best on the market by professionals. They are strong yet flexible, a balance seldom achieved by nibs of lesser quality.” Continue Readering »
How a love for writing led to a career as a food blogger
If you’ve ever wondered how someone starts blogging about food, I invite you to read my friend Anne Foster-Coleman’s story of wanting to leave a legacy for her children.
“My love for blogging came from, not surprisingly, my love of writing. I don’t mean writing in an artistic way, but the actual mechanics of putting pen to paper. For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite things has been a clean, smooth sheet of paper and a pen filled with flowing ink. Whether it was to doodle as I talked on the phone or to write the same sentence again and again, there was always something soothing and tranquil about guiding a pen across paper and creating whatever pleased me. Continue Readering »
Where you Buy Your Rhodia: Borders in Sandusky, Ohio
In response to our post “Show us where you buy your Rhodia,” Father Matthew Thurman’s wife spotted some Rhodia notebooks & pads in Borders Books while on a recent vacation in Sandusky, OH.
Will you show us where you buy your Rhodia?
Grammages
We recently received an email from someone who wanted to know if it was true that we made Rhodia paper in other weights besides 80 g. 
It was an interesting question, because even though we do and I’m quite aware of it, I always think of Rhodia as 80 g. I guess there is a need for some things in life to be simple and reliable.
All of the classic Rhodia notepads and notebooks staplebound or spiral are made with 80 g paper.
The large Weekly Notebooks are 90 g. Webnotebooks, or Webbies, are 90 g, too. Rhodia in France decided to make this the uniform weight thoroughout the world, so all Webnotebooks in 2010 will be made with Clairefontaine paper and 90 g.
The ePure books are 100 g. The pocket Weekly Notebooks are 64 g.
The two new Rhodia products coming this year – Le Carre and dotPads, are both 80 g.
Photo from Freshness Magazine.
Water Damaged
One day when I was searching Flickr for “Rhodia” I came across the following images.
Turns out that Sandy Chidester, a bookbinding hobbiest, created this book using Rhodia paper. Continue Readering »
