Thursday Drops: Only the Best (and Most Unique) Writing Paper!

Here on the retail side of T.G.S., we’re committed to selecting only what we consider to be the best paper products available for general purpose writing - whether that be for business or personal use. Unless it’s paper intended for a specific purpose and noted otherwise, you can assume that what we carry works with fountain pens. Read more about fountain pen friendly paper here.

Clockwise from top left: TWSBI ECO Glow Green (yes it does glow in the dark!); the Caran d’Ache Dark Violet Limited Edition; TWSBI Diamond 580 Iris; and Platinum Plaisir Aurora.

Also, we still have a handful of TWSBI ECO Glow Green fountain pens from the initial shipment, along with restocked nib sizes on most other TWSBI models, as well as the limited edition Platinum Plaisir Aurora (all of which look exceptionally good with the slightly color-tinged pearlescent white finish).

[UPDATE: As of midday Thursday, September 1, we are restocked on Penco Perfection Bullet Pens and Drafting Pens and Ballpoints, Hightide Folding Book Stands, and a VERY limited number of the large (30 minute and 15 minute) hourglasses.]

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands shown here.

1. Clairefontaine French-Ruled (Seyes) Paper. Probably my all-time favorite paper ruling, not only because the paper itself looks unique but because I love the versatility of the lines. We received a shipment of wire-bound and staple-bound French-ruled notebooks yesterday, and we still have the booklet-bound looseleaf sheets.

2. Clairefontaine Triomphe Writing Pads. A favorite for written correspondence and other general purpose writing, Clairefontaine’s “Triomphe” series comes in both letter and A5 size and features bright-white paper stock excellent for showcasing ink.

3. Quo Vadis Habana Fountain Pen Friendly Edition. I consider the Quo Vadis Habana to be among the best - if not the best - of the “A5 elastibound notebooks”. This particular model features the white dot grid Clairefontaine paper so it’s more fountain pen friendly than the ivory lined notebook.

4. Midori MD Cotton Paper Writing Pads. Another personal favorite, especially when I’m looking for an absorbent paper with quicker dry times. Midori writing pads - both the cotton and the standard MD - are bound both vertically and horizontally to prevent paper curling and to allow you to use the pad in portrait or landscape mode, such as beneath a keyboard. Standard Midori MD writing pads in grid and blank ruling are also available.

5. Midori MD Cotton Notebooks. Midori Cotton paper comes in notebook form too, in the F0, F2, and F3 sketchbook sizing. (Though they’re perfectly suitable for writing as well!) It can be difficult to keep these in stock so we bought a lot this time.

6. Midori MD Notebooks and Covers. While not a notebook system per se, Midori MD Notebooks come with a range of compatible accessories, including notebook covers in natural undyed goat leather, a very durable Japanese paper cover, and standard plastic PVC sleeves. The covers can hold not just the standard MD notebooks but also two of the slimmer MD Light notebooks.

7. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks (featuring MD Paper). In addition to the flagship Traveler’s Notebook, Traveler’s Company makes these excellent spiral ring notebooks in A5 slim, A6 slim, and a Landscape B6 layout that features blank white Midori MD paper for both writing and sketching.

8. Soumkine “Oh My 307” Agenda. We still have five of these to-be-discontinued Soumkine hardcover planners in rose, and I’m attempting to get some additional stock in other colors but I’m not sure of the availability. At some point, these undated, open-format planners will go away as Soumkine is changing their business model so if you enjoy them to use as either a planner or a notebook stock up!

9. Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks and Notepads. Japanese stationers Maruman were in attendance at the San Francisco show, and while I didn’t have a chance to visit with them on-site, I was excited to see that they did bring the A5 Notepad Folio/Holders, which hold an A5 pad and also features five folders for organizing your notes.

10. Life “Noble Note” Paper. An undersung stationery brand that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves, Life paper is excellent and comes in both pad and notebook format. There are also some specialty pads such as Bank Paper and Typewriter Paper that I am looking to restock soon.

Thursday Drops: Pre-San Francisco Restock on Midori and Traveler's (Plus TWSBI Glow Green)

Pen show long weekends are always popular shopping weekends (regardless of whether you’re attending the show!) so I took the opportunity to restock on favorites in our core lines, including TWSBI, Midori MD, and Traveler’s Company. Most nib sizes in the Diamond 580 line are now in stock, in all finishes, and we have fresh stock of all Midori MD leather covers, as well as Midori MD Cotton Paper! Finally, there are a handful of TWSBI ECO Glow Green preorders still available, with at least one pen in all nib sizes.

Happy shopping! Please note that any orders placed today (8/25) through the weekend will begin shipping Monday, upon my return from the San Francisco Pen Show.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. TWSBI ECO “Glow Green” Preorders Are Live. My shipment of Glow Green ECOs - yes, they glow in the dark this time! - is due to arrive late tonight or early tomorrow, and orders will start shipping Monday. These have sold fast, though I do have at least one remaining in each nib size.

2. TWSBI Diamond 580 “Iris” Restock. In addition to the “Glow Green” ECO, we have a full stock of the Diamond 580 and Vac700R pens available in the Iris finish, along with additional stock of many popular nib sizes in other finishes.

3. Midori MD Cotton Writing Pads. Midori MD Cotton writing paper is among my favorite, since it’s incredibly ink friendly and relatively quick-drying due to its absorbency. The MD Cotton Paper has been a longtime shop favorite, so we really stocked up this time.

4. Midori MD Cotton Notebooks. Similar to the MD Cotton Writing Pads, we have a hard time keeping these notebooks in stock. All sizes currently available.

5. Midori MD Writing Pads (Graph and Blank). In addition to the MD Cotton, we have standard Midori MD Paper in both graph ruling and blank format.

6. Midori MD Leather Notebook Covers. There has been a strong demand to bring back the Midori MD undyed leather goatskin covers, which are not only durable and made to last for many years, but will develop their own patina as they age. We have these in sizes ranging from A6 all the way up to A4. These are intended to hold one MD Notebook in their respective size, or two MD light notebooks.

7. Midori MD A7 Sticky Memo Pads. These useful paper pads combine larger memo pads with sticky notes in several different formats of fountain pen friendly paper. We now have the full line in stock, including dot grid.

8. Traveler’s Notebook 2022 Limited Edition Sets. We currently have a few of the “Traveler’s Airline” sets available, which contain a special standard-size blue cover plus airline-themed accessories that you aren’t able to get outside of the limited set. When these are gone, that’s it for 2022. (We also have one Traveler’s Records set and one Traveler’s Train in passport size.)

9. Traveler’s Notebook Standard Size Starter Kits. Not interested in the limited sets? As of yesterday, we are fully restocked on standard colors and most accessories.

10. Clairefontaine Looseleaf French-Ruled Paper. As I was reorganizing the other day, I realized that I still have a handful of the “double booklets” of Clairefontaine French-ruled paper!

Thursday Drops: Back to School Season (Already?!?)

We start school in our house today, and the 2022 D.C. Pen Show hasn’t even happened yet! Well, at least it was an excuse to go stationery shopping, and we ended up buying our first Trapper Keeper. (Apparently they still exist.) I’ve been receiving requests for recommendations from readers looking to purchase fountain pens, pencils, and high-quality paper and supplies for college, for their school-age children, and even for back-to-work as offices continue to reopen and require in-person attendance, so today’s post will pull those together into a list. Enjoy!

Fountain Pens

1. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen. I would consider the Swipe to be the perfect entry point for those looking at a work-friendly fountain pen, because it ships with two different converters and a cartridge included. TWSBI recently expanded the Swipe lineup to include two new colors, “Salmon” (Pink-Orange) and “Pear” (a light green).

2. TWSBI ECO Fountain Pen. If you’re not afraid of filling from a bottle (and you should’t be!), the TWSBI ECO represents tremendous value in the fountain pen world. The new “Transparent Yellow” demonstrator version just hit the shop yesterday and it’s a stunner.

3. TWSBI Diamond 580 and Diamond Mini Fountain Pens. The original TWSBI fountain pen remains my personal favorite, as does the mini version. The recently released Diamond 580 in the gorgeous “Iris” finish is now available for purchase in the shop.

4. TWSBI Vac Mini. The Vac Mini remains my go-to TWSBI pocket pen, as it makes for a perfect pocket “ink tank”. If you enjoy posting your fountain pens, TWSBI’s “mini” pens feature threading on the barrel-end, which allows you to secure the cap and turn the pocket pen into a full-size writing experience.

View fullsize

Pencils, Ballpoints, and Rollerballs

1. Tombow 2558 Pencils. Good pencils top my list of requested recommendations this time of year, and each time I always go back to this Tombow pencil, which sports a beautiful golden orange lacquer, an excellent eraser, and a dark graphite core available in both HB and B.

2. Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball. The Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball is a slightly larger version of the classic 849 hexagonal form factor. While it ships with an excellent CdA rollerball refill, it will also take any Parker-style refills, including ballpoints.

3. Caran d’Ache 849 Ballpoint. The ballpoint that’s been around forever remains one of our top-selling products. We’re fully stocked on the classic version, and also have several of last year’s limited edition “Claim Your Style” pens available, marked down to make room for the new season arriving soon.

Notebook Systems and Cases

1. Traveler’s Notebooks. My personal favorite of all planner and notebook systems out there, this simple folded leather cover-and-cord system is infinitely customizable with a full range of accessories. Each notebook comes in a starter kit, with everything you need to get writing, and for a limited time you can still pick up their 2022 limited releases in one of four themes: Hotel, Airline, Train, and Records!

2. Midori MD Paper System. If you’re looking for something perhaps even more flexible, with more available paper sizes yet which incorporates the same fountain pen friendly paper as the Traveler’s Notebook system, try out Midori, which also features a wide array of accessories.

3. Lochby Notebook Covers and Cases. The newest addition to our lineup, Lochby, is known for is simple-yet-durable notebook covers and cases, ranging from the A5 Field Journal to the Quattro Four-Pen Case to the versatile Tool Roll. I will have the full line of Lochby samples present at my table in D.C., so stop by and check them out!

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including those shown here. If you’re attending the D.C. Pen Show this weekend, please visit our table. We aren’t selling on-site, but we will have a special coupon that readers can use to access certain promotions. As always, U.S. orders over $75 ship free.

Thursday Drops: Gently Used and Pencil/Paper Inventory Reduction!

As you can tell from all the announcements I’ve been posting recently, I’ve been doing a lot of “summer cleaning” and pruning not only the site and shop but shop samples, review samples, and other gently used products that have accumulated over the years. There’s some great stuff in there, including some that’s uncommon! Check out the “Gently Used” Stationery Sale page, and remember that orders from T.G.S. Gently used can be combined with general shop orders to save on shipping.

Update on Inventory Reduction

As I mentioned yesterday, we will be running specials through the D.C. Pen Show early next month in an effort to reduce our general inventory further and allow us to focus on other projects with the T.G.S. website and Patreon Program. For this week, all Paper and Pencils are 10% off, no coupon code required. The discount will be automatically applied at checkout! To the extent something is on clearance pricing, the discount will be in addition to the sale price.

View fullsize

Lochby Tool Roll in Charcoal, anyone?

Lochby Restock - New Colors and Designs

Yesterday’s post highlighted the recently arrived Lochby Venture Pouch, but we also received a restock of Brown, Charcoal, and Navy options for the Lochby Field Journal and Lochby Tool Roll. Finally, there is a TON of Lochby paper in stock, and now would be a good time to stock up on 68 Tomoe River!

If you’d like to support T.G.S., consider visiting our Patreon Program! Going forward I plan to focus on growing that group as a primary means of supporting the site. We do meetups and more!

Thursday Drops: Restocking Old Favorites

We’re entering the “June lull” between new product releases, when everyone has finished up with school, work (hopefully) slows down, and people prepare to take vacation. Personally, it’s been a hectic past few weeks and I’m looking forward to some time off next week. Since I will be on vacation, orders placed between Saturday, June 11 and Saturday, June 18 will begin shipping the following week. What does this mean? If you want something delivered as a graduation or Father’s Day Gift, please get the order in during the next few days. I will do one last shipment the morning of Saturday, June 11.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, we recently received a huge restock of Midori MD products, and are also fully stocked on Caran d’Ache, Write Notepads, and many more favorites.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands stocked.

1. Midori MD 70th Anniversary Fountain Pen and Ink Sets. These literally sold out in a day last time, and we’re already running low once again on certain colors. For their 70th Anniversary Midori has paired a special color MD fountain pen with three inks that match their colored pencil set (grey, orange, and blue).

2. Caran d’Ache 849 Black Code, Original, Gold Bar, and Brut Rosé. The four “Pop Line” ballpoints were some of the first products I stocked in the shop, and I recently re-upped for the start of gift season. We also have Gold Bar and Brut Rosé mechanical pencils in stock - the Black Code version sold quickly but we will get more.

3. Caran d’Ache Fixpencil and Fixpencil 884 (Colors). Another “launch product” from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, these 2mm leadholders were the original “mechanical pencil,” developed in response to wartime materials shortages. We also carry replacement leads in HB, B, and 2B hardnesses.

4. Caran d’Ache x Nespresso Swiss Wood Pencils. While the Nespresso 849 pens are unfortunately out of stock (at least until the next collaboration), I managed to snag another shipment of the Swiss Wood Pencil Set.

5. Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Gift Sets. One of our most popular seasonal gift items, this pencil set contains three Swiss Wood pencils in different , a sharpener, and a high quality eraser.

6. Midori MD Journal A5 Dot Grid. This dot grid version of the classic Midori MD A5 notebook always sells out quickly, and we fortunately were able to get another shipment in quickly.

7. Midori MD A4 Notebook. The largest of the Midori MD notebooks, only available in plain/blank paper. We also stock the durable paper covers.

8. Write Notepads Memo Pads. These letter-size memo pads have easily become my favorite paper for everyday writing. I prefer dot grid, but the Cornell-style “Meeting Pads” and the lined versions are also incredibly popular.

9. Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook. If you’re looking for an exceptionally classy gift for graduation or Father’s Day, look no further than this hardbound notebook that features Write’s excellent lined or dot grid paper.

10. Revamped Washi Tape Page! Be sure to check out our revamped page of washi tape, pins, and more! We recently reworked the page to list each tape individually with better pictures, and also listed nearly a dozen new patterns.