Original Crown Mill Correspondence Set Review
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When I first started getting into fountain pens, I wanted a nice set of stationery to write letters. I found the Original Crown Mill A5 Correspondence Set in Cream and Navy, at Goulet Pens.
It is important to note that this stationery is expensive, at $1.12 per letter.
The paper is 5.75" x 8.25", A5 size, the set includes 25 pages. The envelopes are 4.50" x 6.25", 25 are included. The paper is cream, with a navy blue border around the paper, and the envelopes are lined with matching navy blue tissue.
Since I was a fountain pen newbie when I purchased this set, I didn't know that I prefer white paper over cream. This set does come in white as well. If I were to re-purchase, I would pick the white paper. I do love the navy though.
The paper is 100gsm, laid blank paper. Laid paper has a ribbed texture, running vertically through the page.
To start testing the paper, I used a Pilot 912 FA inked with Robert Oster Orange. I noticed a lot of railroading, and the pen seemed to get dryer the longer I wrote with it.
I switched to a broad nib Vanishing Point, with the same Robert Oster Orange ink. As it did with the flex nib, the longer I wrote the drier the pen seemed to get. I thought it might just be a fluke with the ink, so I tried another color.
I tried Organics Studio Potassium Lavender in the broad Vanishing Point and it still seemed to get dry toward the end of the page.
I wanted to see if the paper would show sheen, so I heaped some Sailor Jentle Grenade on it, and it shows the green sheen beautifully. I didn't see any bleeding or feathering with this paper.
The laid texture does take some getting used to. Since it seems to be an ink sucker, I would only use this stationery with very wet nibs. The paper handled any ink I threw at it, and did very well except for the ink flow issue.
Overall, I don't think the laid texture is for me. I prefer smoother paper, and I also prefer white paper over cream. I do love that it comes as a set, and the navy color is gorgeous.
Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself, and all photos and opinions are my own. There are no affiliate links on this page.