Review: HP LaserJet 24lb Paper

I’m always looking for a printer paper that works well in my printer and with fountain pens. The standard photocopy paper I can get feathers and bleeds with fountain pens or liquid ink pens and is now about $6 a ream. When did paper get so expensive? I decided to branch out and try out a new paper. I’d heard great things about HP’s laserjet papers on the fountain pen network, but the often recommended 32lb is simply too thick for me to bind into journals with ease and runs about $19.99 for 500 sheets. Also my printer has trouble with the thicker paper. I took a chance and picked up the HP LaserJet Paper that is 24lb and bright white. It was $11.99 for 500 sheets at my local Staples. Regular printer paper is about 1 cent a sheet. This is 2 cents a sheet. The HP 32lb paper is 4 cents a sheet.

It feels very smooth when I run my fingers over it’s surface. The paper is a crisp bright white color. At $12 a package it’s about double the cost of the lowest priced paper we usually use in our laser printer. The printer prints really nicely on this paper. The lowest priced paper from Staples tends to occasionally jam the machine when I print longer documents. Occasionally an entire ream won’t run through the printer well.

Testing out a few different pens I had no feathering or bleed through. I tested the following pen and ink combinations:

Pilot Prera M Iroshizuku Asa Gao

TSBI 530 M Iroshizuku Asa Gao

Rotring Esprit (non Retracting) EF Private Reserve Sonic Blue

Kaweco Sport M Noodler’s Eternal Brown

Zebra Sarasa 0.7 M Black

Noodler’s Ahab Flex Camlin Turquoise with a touch of my black junk ink blend

Not one of these inks had any bleed through or feathering on this paper. The pens didn’t quite skate across the paper. In my mind this paper has just the right amount of tooth for writing. It wasn’t as smooth as a Rhodia Webbie but it also wasn’t like writing on newsprint. It reminded me of Staples sugarcane paper. Smooth but not too smooth. The paper was dense enough that there was no show through, which means that both sides of the page can be used and you can read both sides. This makes me really happy. I plan on making some books with this as the filler.

Overall this paper is a great choice for people looking for budget fountain pen friendly paper that is not as heavy as the HP LaserJet 32lb paper. It fold well so it’s great for bookbinding.This paper will save the frustration of writing on paper that feathers and bleeds like crazy. To me that’s worth the additional penny a sheet.

You can get this paper through amazon here: HP LaserJet Paper

I am an Amazon affiliate, so be aware that if you purchase the paper through this link I will be paid a small fee based off the purchase price. Given that the price at Staples is $11.99 and the cheapest price on amazon including shipping is around $13 you are better off getting this at your local staples or other office store and saving a few $. If Amazon ever starts to carry this as part of their prime series of items I'd buy it through them...

I found that this is also available through Walmart for $9 a ream with 97 cent shipping per item. Which isn't bad considering each ream weighs around 5lb.