I am a calligrapher and my favorite envelopes to write on are the Crane's Lettra Pearl white envelopes. Why is the paper on these so different to write on compaired to the sheets of paper I have purchased?

I have the Pearl white cover paper 110# and the one that is one size lighter that was supposed to be like the envelopes but I find the ink bleeds on it and it does not have the same tooth as the envelopes. Can you help?

Hi Renee,

The Cranes Lettra 120 gsm text weight sheets and envelopes are both manufactured from the same base paper. The paper is converted at the mill in rolls, sheeted and then made into the various envelopes sizes. I am not sure why you would experience an issue with the sheets and not the envelopes.

During the manufacturing process any paper can have slight variances from run to run; however they are usually very minimal. I‘ve looked at assorted Lettra envelope and sample sheets we have on hand and they both have the same texture, weight and color. Could you have possibly gotten a different Cranes sheet or envelope at some point that was not the Lettra finish? If you would like to send a sample of the sheets and envelopes you are having the issue with I will be happy to look into it further if needed.

The calligrapher we usually work with had trouble with Lettra at first--it would snag her nib and otherwise cause the ink to bleed as Renee describes. But she experimented with different nibs as well as ink formulations, and has since found a combination that writes smoothly and doesn't bleed. So maybe the ink you're using is an issue.