Reviews of pens, paper, ink, and other assorted stationery products, with an eye towards practicality and effectively incorporating analog tools into today's digital word.
Why did I go to Japan? Well, in addition to the “fun” aspect of the trip, I had business reasons, and they arrived over the weekend! In addition to a massive restock of Yamamoto Paper and the arrival of the first part of our Wonderland222 shipment , I received a ton of multi pens, gel pens, and mechanical pencils direct from Japan. These include an expanded selection of Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical…
Do you ever feel that some fountain pen and ink combinations work especially well together? Have you found that switching inks can make a pen write better? Today we talk about how to pair fountain pens and inks to optimize your writing experience. We each go through three of our favorite pen and ink combinations, and discuss why we like specific inks in specific fountain pens. On The Paper Trail:…
We received a large shipment of restocked Japanese favorites on Saturday, including unique mechanical pencils from Uni and Pilot! Some of these, like the Uni Kuru Toga Wood and Kuru Toga Metal , have made periodic appearances but consistent sourcing has been difficult. In addition to these higher-end models, we continue to carry more budget-friendly Kuru Toga options like the Alpha Gel Switch and…
Five Years with TPA (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Congratulations on five years of pen blogging! Many people don’t understand how big of a commitment it is to put words on paper regularly for this length of time. Everything I Bought at the 2026 DC Pen Show (via dwrdnet). Or should it be “I Bought Everything at the 2026 DC Pen Show”? :) 2026 DC Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections). An excellent recap…
Four cases I’m currently using, in a mix of leather and fabric, clockwise from top left: Craft Design Technology Pen Pouch , Soolla Studio Pouch , Nagasawa Kip Leather 10-Pen Folio , and a Rickshaw Fillmore . Though it initially struck me as a somewhat odd question, I get asked from time to time what pen case material is “safer” for your pens. There are two main options in today’s market - leather…
We’re back from the DC Pen Show, fully loaded with new merchandise not just from the show but from recent summer trade shows and Japan! In addition to new Galen Leather items (including the Galen x Nock Co. Sinclair leather pen cases ), we have Lamy x Uni Kuru Toga Mechanical pencils , the recently arrived Lochby Field Sling Plus , and more Laurett’s Waka Ebonite ballpoints and mechanical pencils…
Schon DSGN of course brought creations this small business owner can’t afford anymore. :) The 2026 DC Pen Show is in the books! Unlike 2025 - when I had to miss Friday due to a weather delay and flight cancellation - I had the full four-day experience Thursday through Sunday, including a half day of walking around the show on Sunday. While nearly everything "rare" was sold out, I managed to snag…
Nakabayashi paper has taken off in recent years, with a lineup that includes multiple fountain pen friendly paper options in unique rulings at accessible price points. We’ve recently added Nakabayashi’s “T-Line” paper , which features a multi-lined ruling similar to Logical Prime, but with vertical guidelines that disappear in indirect light. The T-line layout offers much of the same functionality…
Yes, these will be coming to Nashville in October! Stay tuned for details. They will be at the On the Paper Trail Live event, and depending on when we get the machines and have to send them back, in the store. Pen Shows 101 (and Stationery Festivals Too) (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). If you’re attending a pen show this summer/fall, and especially if you’re attending one of the big ones, Kimberly…
Come see us in DC! It’s DC Pen Show Weekend! We’re looking forward to seeing many of you in person at one of the pen community’s premier 3-day events. We’ve brought Roterfaden , OnionBrand , Lochby , and of course select pens and paper with us to the show! We will of course remain open online and in-store in Nashville, with the new Blackwing Volume 458 Birding Pencil , more Lamy Meteorite and…
Yes, the Vanness tables will have the Kaweco DIY Machine once again! This coming weekend, we’ll be attending the 2026 D.C. Pen Show , one of the largest and longest-running pen shows in the world. In addition to the opportunity to shop with makers and retailers in person who you usually would only get to visit online, pen shows have increasingly become more like traditional conventions or “cons”,…
It’s a double new-release week, with the TWSBI Pink Lemonade pre-order opening up yesterday , and our allotment of the Blackwing Volume 458 Birding Pencil arriving yesterday afternoon. Since this has been one of the more heavily requested Blackwing releases, I thought it made sense to do a separate announcement. We’ve also restocked on many of the standard Blackwing items, including the Natural…
Update - Unfortunately the TWSBI Pink Lemonades sold out almost immediately due to unprecedented demand and relatively small initial shipments from TWSBI. We hope to have more pens in the coming weeks. We recently received a fresh shipment of the ECO Rootbeer + Bronze fountain pens , and continue to have stock of those and other ECO models available. The wait is over! TWSBI’S latest ECO release -…
Our free ink sample promotion runs through tonight at 11:59pm (8/2). Wanna Go to a Show? Pen Show Calendar Updated! (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana and here team maintain one of the most comprehensive pen show calendars available. Guess what was added for mid-October? 10 Pens, But Inks (via Dime Novel Raven). I’ve also wondered about the ink counterpart to the 10 pens challenge. What 10 inks would…
Pen and Stationery Shows are a great way to compare sizes and materials in person, and to learn how different systems work. Next week is the D.C. Pen Show , and while I’ll be sharing table space with our friends at Vanness Pens , as we do every year, I’ll also be downstairs in the pen lounge hanging out and teaching , including my usual class on notebook systems. By “notebook system”, I’m…
At long last, our shipment of the latest Kaweco Sport fountain pens has arrived! We have the new Kaweco “Collection” Marble Ocean , as well as the Lunar Shadow Blue and Lunar Light Blue - two new variations on the current Lunar Green pens . The Kaweco distributor has communicated that these pens will be in short supply for the next few months, so apologies to everyone if we run low quickly. The…
Our first fountain pen ink episode, where we discuss permanent inks! In this episode you'll learn about document inks, pigment inks, and iron gall inks, including relative waterproofness and lightfastness, pen care, and more. Fountain pen ink is a huge topic, so expect more ink-related episodes as we break things down into manageable chunks. On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast…
One category that’s been trending over the past few months is the mini pocket notebook (alternatively referred to as “card-sized,” or mini-A7). Smaller than a standard A7 notebook, these business card-sized notebooks are designed to be even more pocketable, and Lochby has now released a compatible canvas pocket folio, the “Mini Pocket Journal.” Pocket Journals feature a zippered closure with…
Platinum 3776 - Ranking the Nibs (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the Platinum 3776 pen body, but the nibs can be excellent. Kimberly walks through each of them. Opening the Japan-Inspired Curated Box from the Gentleman Stationer (via dwrdnet). Derek opens up our latest Patreon curated box, which featured items I brought back from Japan. Ink Review: Three Sailor…
Wonder how I manage this chaos at shows and meetups? Mostly I don’t, but here’s how I try! We’re gearing up for pen show and trade show season, and I’ve been fielding regular questions about bag and case options in advance of Stationery Fest in NYC, the D.C. Pen Show the following week , and the San Francisco Pen Show later that month . In between, I may also be attending NY Now and Shoppe Object…
We’ve been hard at work restocking most of our favorite fountain pen and ink lines in advance of the back-to-school and back-to-work rush, including nearly all Pilot fountain pens , the popular Diplomat Viper , and many different Lamys including the Lamy 2000. Both Lamy and Pilot are well-represented in my recently published “10 Fountain Pens list” , as they are long-time personal favorites that I…
“If you could only keep [___] fountain pens….” I try to avoid answering these questions because (1) the number ends up being somewhat arbitrary; and (2) I would never be able to limit myself. At the same time, as a thought experiment, it’s often helpful to engage in exercises like this one because it requires you to think about your likes and dislikes, what drives your collection/accumulation, and…
The Diplomat Viper remains one pen that is incredibly difficult to keep in stock, with both the fountain pens and rollerballs remaining popular as Diplomat expands the colors on offer. We currently have all five colors (Black, Blue, Brown, Green, and Silver) in stock in both formats, in-store and online! This hooded nib fountain pen comes in a single F/M (fine medium) nib size, and features an…
