Sunday Reading for August 30, 2026

1. The Best Thing About Pen Shows (and My DC Haul!) (via Inky.Rocks). Totally agree that interacting with the community is the best part of attending the pen shows!

2. Analog Defaults 2026 Updates (via Pen Addict). Do you have “default” analog products that you reset to? An interesting concept that I think we all consider, consciously or subconsciously.

3. $.25 to $100!? Mechanical Pencil Roundup (via Inkdependence). You can have a lot of fun with the mechanical pencil stationery segment, across a wide range of price points.

4. How to Create a Handwriting Style That’s Actually Yours (via Doodlebud). Do you have your own unique handwriting style? I bet you do - even if you start with a traditional script, it will eventually be yours.

5. Summer Reading (via Philofaxy). Do you track your summer reading in analog or digital format? This post contains links to more printable.

6. Update: On Falling Sick, a Holiday and the Tools I Brought With Me (via Incredible Colours). Sometimes plans have to change, and you adapt your travel kit to your circumstances.

7. Mark’s Edit: My Big Book of Lists (via Well-Appointed Desk). Does anyone else take notes in list format? This is one of my own core note taking techniques.

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In Case You Missed It….

We’re attending the San Francisco Pen Show this weekend! I will be teaching my notebook systems class for one more day on Sunday, and helping out at the Vanness Pens table. Be sure to check out this quick post on flying with fountain pens, which is a topic that I update every year when I hit the pen show busy season.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Things have not let up despite extensive travel, with new papers from NOLTY, new Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils, Colorverse Colorvent Calendars, and more all pouring into the shop while we are away. We’ve also added Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Series gel pens, most Uni Zento Standard pens, and Uni Zento Flow pens. These are all being added and updated as we go. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

The Nashville Shop will be open normal hours this coming week. Note that online orders placed Wednesday through Friday of last week have a 3-5 business day fulfillment time as opposed to our typical 2-3 business days due to pen show travel. As always, orders placed while we are away get a little something “extra” in them. Many thanks for your support!

NOLTY

TRAVELER'S Company

OnionBrand

Pilot

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Thursday Drops: Full Uni Kuru Toga Restock, NOLTY Paper, Colorvent Calendars and More!

Even though we are in San Francisco this weekend attending what I consider one of the best pen events in the world, T.G.S. remains open for business online and in Nashville! We have new papers from NOLTY, new Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils, a limited stock of Colorverse Colorvent Calendars and more.

Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Writing Samples

We’re continuing to build out our selection of Japanese gel pens. In addition to the recently added Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Series, we’ve restocked on most Uni Zento Standard and Uni Zento Flow pens. Unfortunately, the small shipment of Zento Signatures we received sold out quickly and we do not know when we will get more. Stay tuned!

The Nashville Shop is open Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturday from 10am-4pm (Slightly reduced hours due to SF Pen Show Travel). Online orders will continue to be processed but shipping time for orders placed after Wednesday at noon will have a 3-5 business day fulfillment time as opposed to our typical 2-3 business days. As always, orders placed while we are away get a little something “extra” in them. Many thanks for your support!

1. NOLTY Log-Type Notebooks. These slim A5 notebooks are excellent options to use in modular notebook systems, and include two different layouts. My personal favorite is the Asymmetry ruling, which alternates lined and dot pages.

2. NOLTY A5 Notebooks. We also have standard NOLTY lined and grid notebooks, featuring their excellent fountain pen friendly paper. These make good journals or work notebooks, with light formatting to allow for page headers and numbers.

3. NOLTY Pagem B6 Journals. The first NOLTY notebook we carried, in a compact size with a flexible dot grid format and a large header perfect for journaling.

4. Midori Kirei Letter Pad for Fountain Pens. These letter pads are split evenly between white and off-white paper, and feature fountain pen friendly Midori paper.

5. Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition Notebooks. These A5 notebooks feature Leuchtturm’s heavier 120g paper and are loosely formatted to make setting up your bullet journal easier.

6. Leuchtturm1917 A4+ “Master Classic” Hardcover Notebooks. Did I ever tell you that I wrote a novel in one of these? Well, part of a draft and it will never see the light of day. I love these oversized Leuchtturm notebooks and was thrilled to see them widely available once again.

7. Uni Kuru Toga Wood Mechanical Pencil. I brought two mechanical pencils with me to San Francisco - both colors of the Kuru Toga Wood! I love the shape of the grip on this pencil and it’s easily become my favorite high-end version of the Kuru Toga.

8. Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencil. If you don’t prefer the wood grip section, the Kuru Toga metal features a slightly textured anodized metal barrel and grip. Available in .5mm and .3mm lead size.

9. Uni Kuru Toga Roulette. A classic is back in stock! The “Roulette” version of the Kuru Toga features a knurled metal grip section. The black version was the first “upscale” Kuru-Toga I ever purchased.

10. Uni x Lamy Safari Mechanical Pencil “Kuru Toga Inside”. Yes, we have more of these pencils in stock, in all colors! For the Japanese market, Lamy has made these Safari Mechanical pencils featuring the Kuru Toga engine, which rotates the lead as you write and negating any discomfort some people feel from the triangular grip.

We also have new Pilot 4+1 Wood Multi Pens!

Do I Fly With Fountain Pens? Yes, I Do! (2026 San Francisco Pen Show Edition)

I’m on my way to the San Francisco Pen Show, where I’ll be co-hosting a maker’s panel tomorrow night, helping out at the Vanness Pens table through the weekend, and teaching two workshops on notebook systems: one on Saturday and one on Sunday! If you’re attending and want to sign up (space permitting), check out the events page on the show website. There is no charge to attend any of the events I’m associated with, but due to space constraints sign-up is required.

Flying with Fountain Pens: Do’s and Don’ts

Given that I have a four-plus hour flight ahead of me, I thought it made sense to discuss another topic of discussion that comes up weekly, both online and in the shop: Do I fly with fountain pens? The answer is absolutely, yes. I’ve successfully flown with fountain pens for years, mainly as a result of two pieces of advice I received early on.

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Tip One: Fly with the Fountain Pen Full or Half Empty

Most “inkcidents” on airplanes occur as the result of air in the ink reservoir expanding due to pressure changes, which pushes ink into the cap and causes a mess when you uncap the pen to write on the plane or after you land. The solution is to (1) fill the pen completely before departure or (2) empty the pen and take ink with you to fill upon arrival. Personally, I follow the first approach, but I also take a secondary precaution by limiting the types of pens that I fly with.

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Opus 88 is the most accessible maker of Japanese-style eyedropper fountain pens, featuring JoWo nibs and, of course, the stopper shown here.

Tip Two: Consider Flying with Vacuum-Fillers or Japanese-Style Eyedroppers

These days, if I’m flying with fountain pens, it typically will be a Japanese-style eyedropper (like an Opus 88) or a vacuum-filler (like the Pilot Custom 823 or the TWSBI Vac700R). In the past, I’ve had plenty of success flying with standard piston fillers and cartridge/converter pens using the “full or empty” trick discussed above, but both the Japanese eyedropper and vacuum-filler pens feature a valve system that allows you to seal the ink reservoir and prevent the bulk of the ink from leaking into the cap. (Occasionally you will still get a few drops from whatever ink is left in the feed or section.) Not only does this minimize the mess factor, but these pens also hold a ton of ink so you almost certainly won’t have to refill on the road.

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If you want to write for a more extended session, and allow the ink to flow freely, simply loosen the blind copy to open the valve. You can still write with the pen with the valve shut - the section and feed usually will hold enough ink for a page or two, depending on nib size.

Bonus Tip: Keep It Simple

Don’t overdo it and pack a dozen inked fountain pens for a plane trip. The more pens you take with you, the greater the chance one leaks. I’m road testing several new eyedroppers from Opus this weekend, but I could easily see myself packing just one or two of these pens for more extended travel in the future. Stay tuned!

While we are away, the Nashville Shop will remain open Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturday from 10am-4pm (Slightly reduced hours). Online orders will continue to be processed but shipping time for orders placed after Wednesday at noon will have a 3-5 business day fulfillment time as opposed to our typical 2-3 business days. As always, orders placed while we are away get a little something “extra” in them. Many thanks for your support!

New Arrivals: Colorverse Colorvent Calendars Are Here! Plus NOLTY Notebooks

The Colorvent Calendar is Colorverse’s own take on an advent calendar, with 24 unique 15ml bottles. These sets are available now and limited, so be sure to order yours to ensure that you have it for the beginning of “Inkvent”/”Colorvent” season. After each year, Colorverse selects three inks to add to the regular lineup. Check out the 2024 Set and 2025 Set to get a sense of what’s inside. We were personally huge fans of the three choices from 2025, especially “Follow the Water” and “Erebus Crater”.

We are also happy to add to our lineup a wide array of notebooks from NOLTY, a Japanese brand known for their planners and other everyday tools. In addition to standard notebooks, we’ve also added the Log-Type Notebooks featuring their unique “Asymmetry” ruling, with alternating lined and dot pages.

The “Top 3” Selection from 2025.

Some of us will be attending the San Francisco Pen Show this weekend. The Nashville Shop will remain open Thursday and Friday from 1-6pm, and Saturday from 10am-4pm (Slightly reduced hours). Online orders will continue to be processed but shipping time for orders placed after Wednesday at noon will have a 3-5 business day fulfillment time as opposed to our typical 2-3 business days. As always, orders placed while we are away get a little something “extra” in them. Many thanks for your support!

Sunday Reading for August 23, 2026

1. 2026 Washington DC Fountain Pen Supershow (via Olive Octopus Ink). Many thanks to Lisa for helping out at the show (and of course with everything else around here)! A great DC Supershow recap.

2. DC Show Recap…and a remembrance (via Figboot on Pens). David has his recap of the D.C. Pen Show, with a sad note.

3. Ink of The Week: Ferris Wheel Press Scarlett Studio (via Dime Novel Raven). I’ve not tried this particular ink, but I relate to those of us who love to write with red ink, despite taking a lot of flak for it!

4. An Octopus Medusa? Good Name, Great Ink! (via Inkdependence). Octopus Fluids is a relatively new ink brand from Germany, known for their sheeners as well as their permanent document inks.

5. When Best Intentions Are Not Enough (via Well-Appointed Desk). The prevalence of AI everywhere is scary, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid, even when you try. For those navigating business services, it’s increasingly being included as a “feature” of services and software many of us have used for years, with little disclosure and no ability to opt out.

6. The Best Pen Show Bag (via Rachel’s Reflections). Pen Show bags are big topic of interest for me, and I fully agree that the default pen show bag should be getting smaller, given how crowded many of these shows are these days.

7. Platinum 3776 Century Travia - A Quick Look (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Platinum has been making changes to it’s product lineup (as well as it’s price points). While I like the Ruthenium trim, I’m not sure the design of this particular model appeals to me personally as I post my pens and don’t love a heavily back-weighted feel.

8. The Sunday Letter Project (via From the Pen Cup). Mary always finds interesting challenges and projects that require you to use your stationery and tools!

9. Meet Your Maker: Darrell Davis, D Squared Arts (via Pen Addict - Caroline). Darrell makes some of the most unique fountain pens in the independent maker world. Be sure to check them out next time he’s at a show.

10. Burning Through to Stop Burning Out (via Line Variation). A reminder that regularly revisiting and using all the pens in your collection can help you figure out your likes and dislikes, and how they may have changed over time.

In Case You Missed It….

This week we released Episode 14 of On The Paper Trail, in which we discussed our Favorite Fountain Pen and Ink Pairings, including how to combine dry inks with overly wet pens, and vice versa, to improve the writing experience. I also published a follow up to my 10 Fountain Pens Post, in which I discussed choosing inks for some of my favorite pens.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

We had lots of new arrivals this week in the shop, including new mechanical pencils from Uni, including a small shipment of Kuru Toga Dive pencils with the auto-advance lead mechanism! We also have new multi pens and gel pens from Pilot, Wonderland222 Notebooks, and some fun new desk accessories from Fred & Friends (a new brand I discovered this summer). Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

We will be traveling to the San Francisco Pen Show later this week, so orders placed after noon on Wednesday (8/26) will have a 3-5 business day shipping window. Our Nashville store will remain open, but will close one hour early on Saturday (10am-4pm).

NOLTY

Pilot

Colorvent

Soolla

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.