Cosmo Air Snow Paper : My Favorite For Fountain Pens?

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I've been using Cosmo Air Light for a couple of years while wishing for a pure white version... and it is now available. It's called "Cosmo Air Snow", and it's exactly like the Cosmo Air Light that we all know and love, with the same soft, smooth surface, but it's neutral white instead of warm white.
Both papers (Cosmo Air Light and Snow) are wonderful for fountain pens, and I don't mean to say that one is better than the other. Both have their purposes. In the video, I compare them to other popular fountain-pen friendly papers for feathering, bleed-through, and sheen. Other papers tested include Tomoe River 68gsm, Clairefontaine Triomphe, Rhodia, Graphilo, and Yamamoto Bank.
MUSIC
"Rain" by Meydan
"One Last Time" by South London HiFi
"Barbara" by the US Army Blues Band
freemusicarchi...
"Surrender" by Asher Fulero
"There's Probably No Time" by Chris Zabriskie

[@ciannacoleman5125]

I really wanted to love CAL (I haven't tried Snow), but it reacts so extremely to skin oils that I have to baby the paper. I am currently using it as my notebook/journal and while it is definitely a good paper, if I'm not VERY careful I will have a bunch of random spots with majorly beading ink (and fingerprints defined enough to imitate crime scene dust) just because I happened to touch the paper. Maybe I just produce more skin oil than most, but I will not be using this as a regular notebook once I finish my current one.

[@xerxiusmaximus]

You content… its wonder is so refreshing… love this… thank you.

[@JayEatonArt]

Tried out cosmo air paper based on your recommendation, very pleasantly surprised with how well it writes. It's a lot less fussy with pen contact than Rhodia and Tomoe River, so I've not had any issues with hard stops and ink missing from the beginning of a stroke. It works very nicely with multishading blue/purple inks as well.

[@thewetpen]

Yes! That's one of the things that I really like about the soft surface of the paper... great contact with the nib tip.

[@jamesaritchie1]

I don't have any hard starts or stops, missing ink from the beginning of a stroke on Rhodia. I never have. It just performs flawlessly. I wonder what the difference is? I hate Tomoe River, but I have to use it sometimes for clients. I don't have any hard starts or missing ink on it, either. I do have inks that absolutely refuse to dry on TR, and I hate the ghosting. And just about everything else about TR. But no trouble with missing ink or hard starts, etc. I honestly don't have those problems with any paper.

[@fossilimprint2954]

Great comparisons with different inks and papers, thank you.

[@dr.d723]

Thank you for taking time to do this video and finding the CA Snow. I just ordered some. I am one of those who really does not care for the "draggy" feel of CA paper, but I love the way it sheens and shades almost better than TR paper.

[@thewetpen]

Glad the video was useful! I love the was Cosmo shades, especially, but I just like it all around :-)

[@ilikepens]

Another good one Mathew.

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Dustin :-)

[@AverageZoeBlogs]

I always enjoy your videos, they are so informative. I’m new to fountain pens and I’ve learnt a lot from you. Thank you so much 🙏🏽

[@websmink]

I just had to see the pebble stationery notebook once to go online and order one or two. Thank you for sharing. I like the covers and wish they aren’t all mostly sold out. I will check often.

[@thewetpen]

They're really gorgeous... they fall into that category of Notebook for me that are so pretty that I almost don't want to write in them. But only almost 😀

[@baebaebaebae6340]

Hope you could include how inks behave over pages with hand oil. It’s always my problem and I don’t even have sweaty hands. The bottom part of the page usually feathers and only Midori didn’t give me that trouble so far. I’m curios about how Cosmo handles it after the final test you did

[@thewetpen]

That's something that I mentioned in passing at the end of the video (9:30), but it is a general annoyance with Cosmo papers. Cosmo does pick up the oils from my skin pretty easily, and then I get spots that won't take ink... and I'm the same, I generally have dry hands.

[@baebaebaebae6340]

Can you tell if it doesn't cause feathering?

[@thewetpen]

@@baebaebaebae6340 it doesn't cause feathering, the ink just doesn't adhere in those areas.

[@jamesaritchie1]

You can write with a piece of tissue under your hand, or you can buy a writer/artist glove that fits over your little finger and the heel of your hand. I use one for graphite drawing, pastel, etc., and when using a fountain pen.

[@xerxiusmaximus]

Supernova is my “jam”… love that blue within blue…

[@thewetpen]

Its one of my all-time favorite bright blues, though when I want something more waterproof I still prefer Baystate Blue or Baltimore Canyon Blue

[@manuelespinosa724]

Very informative...thank you!

[@ErinDeCoste]

Paper peddler 😂 Oddly I wasn’t aware that I had a preference in paper color until I saw the side by side comparison. Thanks for that! I love when the pen slides across the page like a knife through buttah. As always, an amazingly informational and thorough video filled with gorgeous inky goodness👏🏻

[@thewetpen]

Thanks Erin. So... do you prefer the white, or do you prefer the cream? I actually love both for different things... I just prefer the white with the blue inks.

[@ErinDeCoste]

@@thewetpen I have to say that I noticed a significant (to Me) difference between the two blue inks on the papers and I was like oh wow.. I’m definitely all about the white paper with the blue inks.

[@jamesaritchie1]

Most I've talked to don't find Cosmo Air than smooth. I don't. But it probably depends on the ink and the nib. I'm not really a fan of pure white paper. I like some tone, cream, ivory, off-white, even very light gray.

[@davecharvella4854]

Excellent! Truly enjoy, and appreciate you putting these comparison videos together. I haven't tried any Cosmo paper yet, but I'll definitely give it a try now!

[@thewetpen]

Hey Dave, glad you're finding these things useful! Cosmo is definitely worth a try... maybe not for people who don't like the soft surface, but it's pretty perfect otherwise.

[@TheDormousesDesk]

I really enjoy CAL, wasn’t aware of CAS until I visited the Paper Penguin site last week or so. I love white paper. Disappointing to see how poorly Graphillo handled that Noodlers ink. I really enjoy the writing experience with Graphillo and think it shows inks nicely.

[@thewetpen]

Same here. I did a video about Graphilo a year or so ago and I had a lot of trouble with feathering with it, so I've sorta written it off... though I know its a great paper for more typical inks.

[@TheDormousesDesk]

@@thewetpen I wonder if you got a bad batch? I have yet to see anything feather on mine, but I’ve not done any extensive testing either.

[@thewetpen]

@@TheDormousesDesk I wondered the same thing at first, but when I posted my results around the internet, I had a slew of people responding with things like "I don't know why people like that paper so much, it feathers too much for me too." If it were less expensive, I'd just buy a few more notebooks or some loose leaf and give it another try, but for now, I guess I'll have to be happy with Cosmo Air Snow 🙂

[@carolanne3017]

Wonderful video. What type of tool or brush did you use for the sheen samples???

[@thewetpen]

Thanks! I use these foam swabs : amzn.to/3birVtw They're handy because of the size, but also because they're re-usable. Most inks will wash off pretty cleanly (with a little staining at the seams that doesn't affect anything).

[@carolanne3017]

@@thewetpen thank you. I just ordered some. They look better to use than a tips!

[@remyvegamedia]

Got myself a TWSBI and Noodler's Red-Black... then I discovered Moleskine is atrocious for fountain pens... Haha. I'm an amateur, but now I'm overwhelmed with choices to replace my notebooks. The whole traveler's setup seems like it's the most cost effective in the long term, since refills with good paper are much more reasonable in price. But I do like the Moleskine style leather/faux leather with elastic enclosure. I've been reluctant to try to Endless and found my old Leuchtturm doesn't bleed much at all with my medium nib. I can handle ghosting, just don't want bleeding/feathering.

[@thewetpen]

Moleskine paper is not terribly fountain pen friendly, you're right... but some Noodler's inks can make the job more difficult :-) Traveler's notebooks are great, especially if you buy refills from shops on Etsy that sell your favorite papers in them. I love the Travelers/Midori paper, too, but I don't want to use ivory colored paper all the time. Another good option is to get an A5 sized leather cover from Galen Leather (or Midori makes a nice one) and then you can use it with any of the excellent A5 Japanese notebooks. You can still find Cosmo Air Light and Tomoe River, if you like them, or the CD Premium or Yu-Sari notebooks or LIFE or Apica, etc.

[@remyvegamedia]

@@thewetpen Great recommendations. I'm definitely ready to go down a comprehensive deep dive for this stuff now haha. Gotta do it right. BY THE WAY, I saw your Birmingham Ink review and was totally surprised to hear you mention the neighborhood I live in (North Hills) haha.

[@thewetpen]

@@remyvegamedia Oh, nice! It's been years... almost 20 years... since I've visited Pittsburgh, but my old roommate lived up there, somewhere off of McKnight road, I think. That's the only name I remember, and only because at first, I thought he was saying "Midnight Road", which I thought would be a super cool name for a street.

[@santauxia]

Please recommend me some vibrant blue inks!!! I do love a sharp blue ink. Also high sheening inks will be appreciated. Thanks in advance...

[@wifeoflurch3572]

Iroshizuku Kon- Peki is a beautiful blue ink as is Noodler's Baystate Blue.

[@thewetpen]

Yes, Noodler's Baystate Blue is probably the top of the list, but also Pennonia Blue of Blues, Monteverde Horizon and also Capri, Krishna Peacock and Krishna Kolkata, Birmingham Angelfish. Diamine Thunderbolt, Polar Glow, Sapphire. J. Herbin Sapphire. There are so many... I need to make a list!

[@thewetpen]

Oh, and Colorverse Supernova (and Quasar) are good ones.

[@santauxia]

@@thewetpen I have Baystate Blue and I love it. I will definitely try those, again Thank You.

[@saafranstudioportugal9838]

New to commenting. One question. Now that it seems Cosmo Air papers are being discontinued, what are your goto’s in the future? Happy 2024. Congrats for the videos and the site.

[@thewetpen]

I'm still searching for the "perfect" fountain pen friendly paper, but recently I've been using "Iroful" paper, which is very similar to Cosmo Air Light, and Regalia paper from Endless. Both have problems: Iroful is warm-toned like Cosmo Air Light, and Regalia has had inconsistent quality, and is not available in a full range of sizes and formats. For warm toned papers, I love Midori. I still need to find something similar that's pure white.

[@saafranstudioportugal9838]

@@thewetpen Thank you for your reply. I will keep watching your videos and writings.

[@hemkeshyeole4630]

Please compare quality of rhodia to other paper ?

[@Volkmannx]

Interesting, thank you! Snow sadly is hard to get (Germany), though.

[@thewetpen]

Yes, it's unfortunately hard to get here, too... and Cosmo is being discontinued, now. Endless Regalia paper is very similar, though.

[@Volkmannx]

@@thewetpen Oh noo, another discontinued paper?!

[@lamarrharding4776]

Have you been able to try Kiwi inks?

[@thewetpen]

I have two of their inks... one of them was a charity ink called "Quite a Rough Customer" and the other is a blue-green ink with chroma-shading, though I'm not sure what it's actually called... it doesn't say on the bottle, so I'd have to look up the order... but I think it's called something like Bottled Rainbow. Beyond swatching them, though, I haven't actually used them much. The shading ink is too pale for daily use, and the orange stuff is too... orange.

[@lamarrharding4776]

@@thewetpen I've been to the website and placed an order months ago but haven't received anything yet, witches potion, liquid gold, tricolor in both green and gold were ordered. In KWZ ink I have Sheen Machine, Warsaw Dreaming and a gold dip pen ink, no gold that I can use for addressing invitations.

[@thewetpen]

@@lamarrharding4776 Understood. I recall that shipping was on the slow side when I ordered, too. Maybe shooting them a quick email would help. I don't have any inks that I think of as golden, but Pelikan Golden Beryl is another that is popular and might be easier to get ahold of. Good luck!

[@lamarrharding4776]

@@thewetpen I have Diamine gold star. & Golden Sands, as well as Pelican Gold Beryl.. like the rainbow ink. They don't have enough contrast for addresses for post.

[@wifeoflurch3572]

I ordered this and must have received a "lemon" batch. Mine is feathering to the point of being illegible. Very disappointing.

[@thewetpen]

That's pretty amazing... I've been using Cosmo for years, and can't even make it feather with the worst of my worst inks, and with standard inks (or even mildly feathering inks like Baystate Blue), it's always been perfect. Is it possible that they sent you a batch of Graphilo by mistake? Does the surface feel soft and draggy?

[@jakubrys4652]

Hi . I saw your video about chinese inks order . Can you get me a contant to this sellers?

[@thewetpen]

I posted all of the details of that Chinese order here: www.thewetpen.com/videos/importing-fountain-pen-inks-from-china/ Good luck!

[@jamesaritchie1]

It's very, very difficult to tell what an ink will do out of a fountain pen when you test it with a glass dip pen. The average glass dip puts down a lot more ink than a fountain pen. Certainly more than the nibs I prefer. Even at that my results are very different than yours with other inks. Don't hate me, but I truly hate almost all blue inks. I like a true turquoise, but that's it. I also hate much shading at all. I know we're all supposed to like it, but to me it just looks like a sloppy mess that would come from a one-dollar pen found on a Walmart clearance isle. Maybe worse. Fortunately, I can usually control any ink other than the very worst offenders by nib and paper choice. I also hate ghosting. It's just not something I want to write over. I prefer high saturated inks, and I do like most sheen. These inks ghost like crazy on any thin paper. In other words, I hate Tomoe River paper. Cosmo Air is better than Tomoe River in some ways, but it still ghosts too heavily for my taste, it makes "shading" look really sloppy, and I don't like the way a nib feels on it. But it is better with a fountain pen than with a glass dip pen. Still not good enough for me, but I can see why many like it. There are just so many papers out there that I like far more. Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and Apica are perhaps the most common ones. But I'd rather have Oxford Optik paper more than any of these for most things. Though I don't mind ghosting when I'm writing letters, as long as it isn't terrible because I seldom use both sides of a sheet when writing letter. So I tend to use Clairefontaine loose leaf for letters, or sometimes premium 90gsm coated Rhodia. There are several other papers, but the one I'm interested in is the proprietary Regalia paper than Endless Recorder journals now come with. For me, anything is better than Tomoe River, and I've read several reviews that compared Regalia to Tomoe River, but without the ghosting. I plan to order one after Christmas.