Clairefontaine Triomphe Pad: 90 g Letter Paper

The A5 pad, closed and open, drawn to scale; the cover artwork is simplified.

Product facts

Product: Clairefontaine Triomphe A5 Tablet, Blank, 90 g, 50 sheets (6120C)
Brand: Clairefontaine
Brand origin: France
Made in: France^*
Material: 90 g/m² acid-free, pH-neutral smooth white paper, glue bound
Price range: $$$5–20 per ream or pad

Notes on these facts

Made by Clairefontaine Rhodia (Exacompta Clairefontaine group); sold in the US by Exaclair. Made in France: The Gentleman Stationer, Goulet Pens and Hunter Paper Co. list the Triomphe pads as made in France. Clairefontaine's French site doesn't list the tablet (it sells Triomphe there as sewn notebooks), but says the Triomphe white Vélin Velouté 90 g paper is 'fabriqué en France par Clairefontaine'. Source. Price: example listing.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

Each Triomphe tablet holds 50 sheets of 90 g/m² acid-free, pH-neutral paper, per Goulet Pens.
Sizes: A5, 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in), and A4, 210 × 297 mm (8.3 × 11.7 in).
The lined versions have 8 mm ruling; the blank A5 (6120C) comes with a lined guide sheet to put under the page.
At 90 g/m² it is about 12% heavier than the 80 g/m² paper in a Rhodia pad.
Clairefontaine's French site says its Triomphe Vélin Velouté 90 g paper is made in France by Clairefontaine; Goulet Pens and The Gentleman Stationer list the pads as made in France.

What is the Clairefontaine Triomphe pad?

It is a glue-bound tablet of 50 sheets of smooth, bright white 90 g/m² paper, made in France for letter writing. The sheets tear cleanly off the glued head, so each page can be sent as a letter.

Fountain pen users have long treated Triomphe as a reference paper. The Pen Addict has reviewed it in 2016, 2020 and 2024, Goulet Pens calls it some of the smoothest paper in the world, and The Gentleman Stationer stocks it in its curated shop.

Clairefontaine Triomphe A5 pad specs

Spec	A5 blank tablet (this guide)
Paper	90 g/m², acid-free, pH-neutral, white
Sheets	50
Size	148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in)
Ruling	Blank, with a lined guide sheet (8 mm)
Binding	Glued at the head
Item number	6120C (Goulet: CF-6120C), EAN 3329680612004
Made in	France

Goulet Pens lists the paper, sheet count and an 8.3 × 5.8 in size; The Gentleman Stationer gives 5.75 × 8.25 in for the same A5 pad. A5 is 148 × 210 mm by definition.

What sizes and rulings can you buy?

Two sizes, A5 and A4, each blank or with 8 mm lines, all with 50 sheets.

Version	Size	Ruling	Item
A5 blank	148 × 210 mm	Blank + guide sheet	6120C
A5 lined	148 × 210 mm	8 mm lines	6124C
A4 blank	210 × 297 mm	Blank + guide sheet	Not stated
A4 lined	210 × 297 mm	8 mm lines	6174C

Item numbers come from Goulet Pens listings. Pick A5 for personal letters and journaling pages; A4 is the standard European letter size and close to US letter (216 × 279 mm).

How does the guide sheet work?

You slip the lined guide sheet under a blank page, and its 8 mm lines show through enough to keep your writing straight. The finished letter has no printed lines, which many people prefer for correspondence.

Yoseka Stationery says the guide sheet can be torn out and moved from page to page. Goulet’s listings mention it for the blank tablets only; the lined ones don’t need it.

How does Triomphe handle fountain pen ink?

Reviewers say it is very smooth and resists feathering and bleed-through, though wet or broad nibs can ghost a little. The Pen Addict called it a fantastic experience with fountain pens, rollerballs, gel pens, ballpoints and pencils.

There are caveats. One Pen Addict reviewer found plastic-tipped pens felt waxy, and Goulet customers report some ghosting with a medium nib or larger written slowly, and one found ink went down less easily than on Rhodia.

How does it compare to other fountain pen papers?

Triomphe is the heaviest of the well-known fountain pen papers, at 90 g/m².

Bar chart of paper weights to scale: Tomoe River S 52 g/m², Hammermill Copy Plus 75, Rhodia No. 16 80, Midori MD Paper about 80 and Clairefontaine Triomphe 90 g/m² — Triomphe's 90 g/m² against other writing papers.

	Triomphe	Rhodia No. 16	Tomoe River S	Midori MD Paper Pad
Weight	90 g/m²	80 g/m²	52 g/m²	About 80 g/m²
Color	Bright white	White	White or cream	Cream
Binding	Glued head	Stapled head	Loose sheets	Glued
Made in	France	France	Japan	Japan

Heavier paper shows less through, which suits letters written on both sides. If you want the same paper in a notebook, the Clairefontaine 1951 staplebound notebook uses Clairefontaine’s 90 g/m² paper too.

Where is Clairefontaine Triomphe made?

Retailers list the Triomphe pads as made in France, and Clairefontaine says the Triomphe paper is made in France by Clairefontaine. The Gentleman Stationer, Goulet Pens and Hunter Paper Co. all say made in France; Clairefontaine is part of the French Exacompta Clairefontaine group, which also makes Rhodia.

Clairefontaine’s French site doesn’t list the tablets; there, Triomphe is sold as thread-sewn notebooks (carnet piqué 14.5 × 21 cm, 48 sheets, and a larger cahier) with white bristol covers and gold or silver marking. The 50-sheet tablets are mainly sold through export distributors such as Exaclair in the US. Matching Triomphe envelopes are sold separately.

Frequently asked questions

Is Clairefontaine Triomphe good for fountain pens?

Yes. Reviewers at The Pen Addict and Goulet Pens describe it as very smooth paper that resists feathering and show-through with fountain pens. Very wet or broad nibs, written slowly, can still ghost a little.

What is the difference between Triomphe and regular Clairefontaine paper?

Triomphe is Clairefontaine's letter-writing line: loose-tearing tablets of 90 g/m² paper with matching envelopes, rather than bound notebooks. Clairefontaine's notebooks such as the 1951 use the same family of smooth 90 g/m² paper.

How many sheets are in a Triomphe pad?

50 sheets in both the A5 and A4 tablets, blank or lined.

What is the guide sheet in the blank Triomphe pad?

A lined sheet with 8 mm spacing that you slip under the blank page so its lines show through and keep your writing straight. Yoseka Stationery says you can tear it out and move it from page to page.

Does Triomphe paper come with envelopes?

The pads don't, but Clairefontaine sells matching Triomphe envelopes separately in small and large sizes, so you can write and send a letter on the same paper.

Is Triomphe paper smooth?

Very. Goulet Pens calls it some of the smoothest paper in the world. One reviewer found plastic-tipped pens felt waxy on it, and one Goulet customer said their fountain pens laid down ink less easily than on Rhodia.

Where is Clairefontaine Triomphe made?

In France. The Gentleman Stationer and Hunter Paper Co. list the pads as made in France; Clairefontaine is a French brand in the Exacompta Clairefontaine group.

Sources (13)

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