Paper
Rhodia paper
Orange covers, coated paper, and one of the very few makers in this category that publishes a number you can check.
How this page is funded. Buying through a link here earns us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend or the order we recommend it in, and we have not hands-on tested these products — see how we choose and the full disclosure.
Rhodia and Clairefontaine belong to the same group and share a paper tradition, and Rhodia's Goalbook is one of the few notebooks in this whole category whose maker states a weight on its own listing: 90 gsm, described as fountain pen friendly with no bleedthrough and minimal ghosting.
We record that as the maker's claim rather than as our finding, because we have not written on it. But it is a claim attached to a number, which is more than most of the field offers.
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Rhodia Goalbook A5, dotted 90 gsm paper, numbered pages and an index, built specifically for the bullet-journal method. | Bullet journaling with a fountain pen | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image Rhodia Webnotebook A5, dot Clairefontaine paper in a hardcover book, which is the shortest route to a journal that a wet nib cannot ruin. | A hardcover journal that holds wet ink | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, A5 A stapled pad of the same paper as the notebooks, cheap enough that ruining a page costs nothing. | Drafting, testing inks and throwing pages away | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. Bullet journaling with a fountain pen
Rhodia Goalbook A5, dotted
90 gsm paper, numbered pages and an index, built specifically for the bullet-journal method.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
The Goalbook is the one Rhodia book that publishes its paper weight, which is why it anchors our GSM guide. 90 gsm coated is comfortably enough for a wet fountain pen.
Numbered pages and a blank index are the structural half of the bullet-journal method, and having them printed saves an hour of setup.
It is a large, heavy book. That is fine on a desk and less fine in a jacket pocket.
| Paper weight | 90 gsmSource: Rhodia Goalbook A5 (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Maker's claim | Fountain pen friendly, with no bleed-through and minimal ghostingThe maker's own wording on its listing. We have not tested it.Source: Rhodia Goalbook A5 (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Size and ruling | A5, dottedSource: Rhodia Goalbook A5 (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Designed for | Bullet-style journalingSource: Rhodia Goalbook A5 (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Weight is published, and it is enough for a wet nib
- Numbered pages and index printed in
- Coated Clairefontaine-group paper
What it does not
- Heavy
- Slow drying
- Costs more than an unbranded dotted notebook
Skip this if you do not use a page-numbered system — you are paying for structure you will not use.
2. A hardcover journal that holds wet ink
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, dot
Clairefontaine paper in a hardcover book, which is the shortest route to a journal that a wet nib cannot ruin.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Rhodia and Clairefontaine are the same group, and the paper is the reason to buy either. It is coated and hard-sized, so ink sits on the surface rather than soaking in — which is what stops feathering before it starts.
A wet ink in a broad nib is the hardest test a notebook faces. This is the book that passes it.
The trade is drying time. Ink that sits on the surface takes noticeably longer to dry, which matters if you are left-handed or in a hurry.
| Size | A5Source: Rhodia Webnotebook A5, dot (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Ruling | Dot gridSource: Rhodia Webnotebook A5, dot (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Paper weight | Not publishedThe listing does not state a weight for this book. Rhodia's own Goalbook listing states 90 gsm for its paper, and Clairefontaine states 90 g/m2 for the vellum used across the group. |
| Cover | HardcoverSource: Rhodia Webnotebook A5, dot (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Coated paper that resists feathering and bleed-through
- Hardcover, so it survives a bag
- Dot grid is the most flexible ruling
What it does not
- Slow drying, which punishes left-handers
- Expensive per page next to a plain notebook
- The listing does not publish a paper weight
Skip this if you write left-handed and smudge — coated paper is the worst case for drying time.
3. Drafting, testing inks and throwing pages away
Rhodia No. 16 dot pad, A5
A stapled pad of the same paper as the notebooks, cheap enough that ruining a page costs nothing.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
A pad is the right first purchase for testing. You can write the same sentence with four inks, compare the show-through on the back, and bin the page without guilt.
It is the same paper family as the hardcover books, so what you learn on the pad transfers.
Perforated pages tear out cleanly, which makes it the natural notepad for anything you intend to hand to somebody.
| Size | A5, 6" x 8 1/4"Source: Rhodia No16 A5 dot pad (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Ruling | Dot gridSource: Rhodia No16 A5 dot pad (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Paper weight | Not published |
| Binding | Head-stapled pad with a micro-perforated tear lineSource: Rhodia No16 A5 dot pad, black (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Cheapest way to try good paper
- Micro-perforated for clean tear-out
- Same coated paper family as the books
What it does not
- Not a permanent record — pages come loose
- No published paper weight
- The orange cover is not to everyone's taste
Skip this if you want a journal you will keep — a stapled pad is a working surface, not an archive.
What coated paper does
A coated sheet has a sealed layer over the fibers. Ink lands on that layer instead of soaking into the paper, which produces two effects: the line stays exactly where the nib put it, with no sideways spread at all, and the ink takes noticeably longer to dry because it has nowhere to go.
For a right-handed writer with a wet ink, that is close to ideal. For a left-handed writer who smudges, it is the worst combination available.
Which Rhodia to buy
| Product | Format | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|
| Goalbook | A5 hardcover, dotted, numbered pages | A structured journal on published 90 gsm. |
| Webnotebook | A5 hardcover, dot or lined | A plain hardcover journal in the same paper family. |
| No. 16 pad | A5 stapled pad, perforated | Drafting, ink testing, anything you tear out. |
The pad is the underrated one. It is the cheapest way to get this paper, and being able to throw a page away changes how willing you are to experiment.
Rhodia or Clairefontaine?
Same group, same paper tradition, different presentation. Rhodia leans toward pads, dot grids and a working aesthetic; Clairefontaine toward bound books and lined pages. The head-to-head compares them directly.
What is not published
The Webnotebook's listing does not state a weight, which is worth being explicit about on a page recommending it. The Goalbook's does, and the group's Clairefontaine listings state 90 g/m2 for the vellum used across the range — but we are not going to transfer a figure from one product to another and call it a specification.
Questions people actually ask
Is Rhodia paper good for fountain pens?
The Goalbook publishes 90 gsm and the maker claims no bleedthrough with minimal ghosting. Coated paper of that weight handles wet nibs comfortably; the trade is slower drying.
What GSM is Rhodia paper?
The Goalbook's listing states 90 gsm. Rhodia does not state a weight on the Webnotebook or the No. 16 pad listings, so we record those as not published rather than assume they match.
Is Rhodia the same as Clairefontaine?
They belong to the same group and share a paper tradition. Rhodia leans toward pads and dot grids, Clairefontaine toward bound books — see the direct comparison.
Does Rhodia paper dry slowly?
Yes, and that is inherent to coated paper. Ink sits on the surface rather than soaking in, which keeps the line sharp and extends the drying time. It is the wrong paper for a left-hander who smudges.