Introducing the T.G.S. Fountain Pen Ink Review Archive!

Last year, I compiled and launched an archive containing all of the T.G.S. fountain pen reviews organized by brand. This morning, I finished updating an addition: a full archive of ink reviews, organized by color family and brand. I was surprised to learn that the current total is 114 ink reviews going back to 2014! There are also some editorial “best inks for ____ purpose” posts which are organized elsewhere in the informational resources section.

A note on this archive: One of the fun things about fountain pen inks is that some of them defy categorization. An ink that might appear green to me might lean more brown or grey to others, so please don’t take any of my “labels” as definitive. I hope you enjoy, and this will be regularly updated as more reviews are completed!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. We greatly appreciate your support!

Strategic Paper Replacement: Adventures in E-Ink, Part I (The Physical Writing Experience)

I have a love-hate relationship with so-called “digital paper”, both the idea and the reality. I've owned some version of Apple's iPad Pro for years, but stopped upgrading it after a while due to general disuse. While it occasionally comes in handy when I need to sign something electronically, mark up a longer document for my day job, or where a hand markup needs to be easily distributed to a wider group via e-mail, I otherwise find the writing experience on the iPad to be (1) far less satisfying than writing on real paper due to the lack of a tactile experience; and (2) subject to the same distractions as a computer, to the point where it's much harder to lose yourself in the work than with a notebook and a pen.

But I'm a reader, researcher, and notetaker by nature, so I’ve continued to experiment. I accumulate a LOT of paper, and the idea behind a digital writing device still intrigues me. I'm not opposed to digital tools where they are the best option and solve a real need, such as minimizing the volume of "junk paper" I generate, and anything that streamlines the process of organizing and archiving handwritten notes is a plus.

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To that end, I acquired two e-ink devices last year, Amazon's Kindle Scribe and the Remarkable 2 e-ink tablet. While I can't say that I've fully bought in to either system, both devices pleasantly surprised me with the extent to which they duplicate, physically and mentally, the experience of writing on paper. While I originally sought to write a single comprehensive post discussing my thoughts on e-ink and these devices as a whole, I quickly realized that such a piece would quickly get too long and unwieldy, so I'm going to break it out into multiple installments. First up: my thoughts on the physical writing experience, including available pen options.

1. Writing on both the Kindle and Remarkable 2 feels more like actual paper than the iPad. The matte screens simply feel better than writing on glass. While the friction requires you to periodically replace the tip of the stylus as it wears down, replacements are generally inexpensive. (As an aside, I have tried the Paperlike screen protector for the iPad, and still prefer the feel of both e-ink tablets.)

2. The pens/styli I have used are more comfortable to use for longer writing sessions than the Apple Pencil. Of the two "stock" options available, I actually prefer the Kindle Scribe Premium Pen ($59.99) over the much more expensive Remarkable Marker Plus ($129). Recently, I've been using aftermarket options, including the Lamy EMR AL-Star and the Lamy Safari "Twin Pen" (a multi pen that also includes a D1 ballpoint refill for when you want to switch writing modes). All of these options use Wacom's EMR (Electromagnetic Resonance) technology - no batteries are involved, so you don't have the battery anxiety that can be an issue with the Apple Pencil during a long working session or if you forget to charge it.

3. I find the writing experience nearly as distraction-free as physical paper. Personal experience may vary, but I can "lose myself" in reading and writing with an e-ink tablet in a way that I've never experienced with an iPad. Whether it's due to digital distraction always being a click away, blue light, or something else, I don't know, but that's the reality.

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The Remarkable 2 allows you to choose from a variety of line options, and vary both style and width. EMR technology is responsive to pressure, creating line variation that corresponds to light/heavy writing pressure. You will also see the “color option” I discuss below.

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EMR pens feature different nib sizes - this is the round tip on the Lamy AL-Star.

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For those who want to write a finer line (or who want to write on “glossy surfaces”, such as a Samsung device), Lamy makes a pointier nib. It will likely wear down quicker on matte surfaces.

The standard Remarkable and Kindle styli both feel very much like a pencil. I prefer their weight and balance to that of the Apple Pencil.

Potential Drawbacks To Consider

1. While there is very little latency ("lag") in the current generation of e-ink tablets, it's still there. I've not found it to interfere with my enjoyment of the overall experience, and I would describe it as “minimal” with both the Scribe and the Remarkable 2.

2. The lack of a color display limits the ability to highlight and annotate documents in different colors. While the settings do allow you to change colors, you'll only be able to view color in exported documents, not on the device. (I know you can change colors with the Remarkable 2 - I've not tried on the Kindle Scribe as Amazon's software makes it fairly difficult/inconvenient to import and organize PDFs and other documents for annotation purposes so I generally don’t use it that way. More on that in a later installment.) Other companies have recently released tablets with color e-ink screens, but they are expensive (i.e., approaching $700).

3. Some might find the technology expensive for a single use device. That said, with as much as I read and write (hours per day), $300 for the tablet doesn't strike me as outrageous. Remarkable-branded accessories can be pricey and raise the price of the device to around $600 if you opt for the most expensive pen and folio, but if all you want is a simple no-keyboard folio cover and a Wacom-compatible pen, there are much less expensive generic options out there that don’t compromise the experience.

So What's Still to Come?

In addition to recommitting to a journaling habit, one of my goals for 2024 is to be a bit more systematic in how I use paper, and especially in how I organize notes so that I'm able to locate them for reference later. I've been using the Remarkable 2 as both a digital notebook and e-reader (mainly for articles that I want to highlight and annotate in pdf form), with the Kindle Scribe as my primary reading device for longer books that I can annotate yet don't want to carry with me when I'm traveling. Both devices allow me to export markups to my computer for archiving.

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The Remarkable 2 software syncs your handwritten notes with the desktop app, and has functions that include handwriting conversion and the ability to type annotations directly into the document from your computer. I’ll go into the functionality in more depth at a later date, but you can export the documents in PDF form to save elsewhere or distribute to others as necessary.

At some point I will do more in-depth installments on the ins and outs of each tablet, including my thoughts on the software and any friction points encountered while integrating these devices into a workflow. To that end, if you're considering purchasing an e-ink tablet, I would carefully consider how you want to use it before making a decision. If you're essentially looking for an e-reader with a large screen that you can use to make handwritten notes and highlights, and use occasionally as a digital notebook, the Kindle Scribe gives you access to Amazon's large library (including Kindle book you already own) with basic e-ink notebook functionality. On most Kindle books the handwriting function is generally limited to "sticky notes" (picture below), but this is already changing as Amazon tweaks their software, and “write anywhere” books are being made available in the Kindle Store. At the moment, the Remarkable 2 has more out-of-the-box functionality and a more intuitive interface, allowing you to read (and annotate) DRM-free e-books, PDFs, and online articles sent to the Remarkable via a Chrome extension. If you spring for the (pricey) keyboard cover, you even can turn the Remarkable 2 into an e-ink typwriter similar to a Freewrite. For those whose primary goal is notetaking and handwriting, I would recommend starting with the Remarkable or something like it.*

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As with standard Kindle highlights and typed notes, Amazon allows you to export a pdf of your notes and annotations.

*Note: I recognize other options are available. I know many people who enjoy their Supernote and Boox tablets, but I'm not currently interested in the ability to add Android apps and I otherwise don't see enough of a difference in the handwriting functionality to convince me to buy another device.

This post does not contain affiliate links. TGS is supported via purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoyed this content, please consider supporting us!

Back to Hobonichi: My Daily Journaling Setup for 2024

I spent a lot of time over the past four months thinking about how I wanted to approach journaling in 2024. Over the past year, I definitely became more consistent in terms of how often I sit down to write (always by hand, never on the computer), but until my work sabbatical in October didn’t spend much time thinking through a coherent journaling strategy and how I wanted to use journaling to support my personal and professional goals. After some experimentation, I decided to divide my journaling between three different books: (1) a professional “journal” that I use to track how I spent my time each day, mainly on work and more structured personal projects; (2) a “observations” journal that’s in a smaller format I can carry with me; and (3) a more traditional “reflections” journal that I write in each morning.

*Note: I don’t use a traditional paper “planner” (i.e., a calendar to track dates and appointments) for professional reasons. My schedule is too complex and deadline-dependent to rely on manual updates and edits, especially since due dates and meetings constantly change (often without my knowledge). I mention this up front because I know that I’m going to get the question: why does someone need three planners? The answer is that even though the Hobonichi Techo - and other similar “planners” such as those from Stalogy and the Midori Codex - are marketed as traditional calendar/diaries, the layouts are extremely flexible and can easily be used as journals or dated notebooks, which is how I’ve always viewed them.

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Journal No. 1: Hobonichi Cousin A5

My primary everyday professional notebook/journal is going to be the Hobonichi Cousin A5. For the last quarter of 2023, I experimented with “time blocking” as part of an effort to improve my concentration and focus, which is a time-management technique that can be helpful for those of us who work more than one job and/or whose profession involves managing multiple complex projects. A full discussion of this technique (and how I’ve adapted it to my needs) is beyond the scope of this simple blog post, but the general idea is that you sit down each morning for 15-20 minutes and plan out your day in blocks of time dedicated to a specific task or project, to the exclusion of anything else that may distract you. You intersperse your day with “admin” blocks to keep up with more routine things such as e-mail, phone calls, paying bills, etc. It might seem rigid at first, but two things happen: (1) the “a time and place for everything” philosophy underlying the structure creates space for better concentration, and eventually you’re more easily able to resist things such as checking e-mail that pull you out of the work your doing because you know you’ve set aside time for them later; and (2) you’re able to finish tasks quicker because you’re giving yourself the space to concentrate on a single thing rather than multi-tasking.

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Yes, the Cousin fits in the Roterfaden, but you will need to embrace the “one notebook” Roterfaden strategy (unless you go with the Cousin Avec).

For those interested in learning more, I’d recommend picking up a copy of the “Time Block Planner” (the most recent version of which contains decent paper). I found that the layout didn’t work perfectly for me - I think it’s actually intended more as a “workbook” to help you learn the technique for the first time - but the experience of working through the planner for eight weeks or so was invaluable.

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A sample time block plan. Obviously I had to redact details.

I draw my time blocks on the left-hand side of the Hobonichi Techo, and use the remainder of the daily page for my “catch-all” notes and administrative task lists. If you’re in the middle of a time block and an unrelated thought/task/observation pops into your head, you jot it down in the free space on your planner or notebook. In addition to being useful for organizing my work and thoughts, I enjoy having a fairly detailed record of exactly how I spend my time. The page layout of the Hobonichi Cousin A5 is well-suited to how I time-block.

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I use the monthly calendar as a way to experiment with content plans. (Most of this is a draft which then gets imported into my computer as I decide what I’m going to publish/write about.)

I currently have the Hobonichi Cousin in my A5 Roterfaden binder. Because the Cousin is a thick notebook, I attached it to the Roterfaden using the center clip, use the front clip as a bookmark for the “weekly” view, and plan to use the third clip to hold loose papers, etc. (For those who are interested, we currently have A6 Roterfadens in stock with another shipment of A4 and A5 binders on the way from Germany as we speak.)

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On Sunday afternoon I try to sketch out a “weekly time block plan” which is intended to be rough. I then flesh it out either in the morning before the workday starts or the night before.

Journal No. 2: Hobonichi Weeks Mega

Less a journal and more of an “observations” notebook without any strict format requirements. This year I’m making a conscious effort to be more present, to read more, and generally to engage in activities that necessarily require a longer attention span, such as tackling more difficult books and watching longer films. I constantly collect book and movie recommendations, and always maintain a running annual list of books read/movies watched for the year, which is probably how I will use the blank pages at the back of the Weeks. I also enjoy having a “week on a page” layout, which I’ve used so far to jot down just one or two memorable things I did/observed on each day. My Hobonichi Weeks had a start date of November 27, 2023, so I already have about six weeks under my belt.

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Journal No. 3: Hobonichi A6

Finally, my third journal is my reflections journal. I’ve managed to keep up my morning journaling routine to the point where I reliably write most mornings, reflecting on the prior day. For this journal I chose the standard Hobonichi A6, which contains just enough space to allow me to write a meaningful entry in 30 minutes or less.

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I don’t have a cover for this third journal yet. As discussed below, I’m waiting for a new shipment of Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter covers, so I may choose an A6 size for this one, but since this journal typically stays on my desk at home the best choice might be a slimmer Gfeller undyed leather cover or one of the Galen Leather “Crazy Horse” varieties.

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Stay tuned, because throughout the year, I plan to share more about both journaling strategies and my likes/dislikes of the various Hobonichi editions. Currently, they’re all pretty much exactly what I was suspecting, with no surprises other than how effortless it’s been to enjoy them. Happy New Year, everyone!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can read more about T.G.S. Patreon in yesterday’s post.

Closing Out 2023 and Starting 2024: Five Ways I'm Getting Ready for the New Year

It’s New Year’s weekend already! I had a great 2023 and look forward to 2024, but I still feel as though I have a lot to do before I can dive into next year with as clean a slate as possible. I typically don’t make really rigid plans or resolutions, but most years I do take some basic steps to start the New Year “clean”, such as straightening up my house and office, emptying out my various bags, flushing pens, and taking donations to charity drop-off. For those who are curious about what exactly I’m doing this weekend, here are five things I’m currently focused on.

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**Note that I’ve omitted most of the business-specific things such as starting to pull together tax documents, counting inventory, etc. because they probably aren’t of interest or relevant to other people. If I disappear for a few days around the New Year, it’s likely because I’m working on one of these.

1. Cleaning Out My Pens. By the time December 31 rolls around, my office is in thorough need of a cleaning (including at least three or four pens that I’ve forgotten I had inked). As a general matter, at the end of the year I flush all of the pens currently in rotation and pick five to re-ink (with new inks!) to start January 1. Even though I generally dislike flushing pens with ink still in them - especially if it’s a combination that I enjoy - I can be kind of superstitious and equate starting the new year with the previous year’s pens still inked to waking up on New Year’s Day with the Christmas tree still set up. (People have strong feelings on this, but for me it always comes down 12/31.)

2. Setting Up My Planners/Journals. More out of necessity than anything else, I’ll spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day setting up my planners and journals. I’ll write a bit more about this next week, after I truly finalize the setup: I’m currently planning on reintroducing the Hobonichi planners but perhaps using them in a different format than intended. I don’t keep a paper planner and manage my calendar digitally, but I do keep several running journals where I track how I spend my time.

3. Writing Out My Analogue System. Relatedly, I picked up a tip from a book or a podcast (I can’t remember exactly where) that recommended you write out exactly how you intend to use a specific “system”, laminate it, and either carry it with you and/or post it at your desk. It helps ensure you’ll stick to your “plan.” While some might find this rigid and restrictive, I like this idea (especially for the first several weeks of the year) because I’m trying to make some significant changes to how I’ve traditionally done things in the past, and I need to build some new writing and journaling habits.

4. Scripting a Month of Reviews/Content. I use the term “scripting” loosely, but the first few months of the year can be light on both pen shows and new releases, and combined with post-holiday exhaustion/chaos, the time can get away from you. I like to hit January 1 knowing what my first month will look like in terms of the reviews I plan to work on and pieces I want to begin drafting. Towards the beginning of February, I get a better sense of what the upcoming year is going to look like, including months where I’ll be traveling heavily, and then can start building out the full annual content plan.

5. Making My Pen Show Travel Arrangements. As I mentioned in my personal reflections on 2023, I want to rethink my travel strategy for 2024, including spreading out the travel a bit so it doesn’t feel as though I’m spending weeks on the road at a time. There are certain shows I would never miss - both D.C. and especially San Francisco - but what about all those shows in-between? And then there’s the issue of attending at least one international show. This all will take at least an afternoon to think through, both in terms of travel logistics and funding.

Looking for something to help you kick off the New Year? Be sure to check out our ongoing New Year’s shop promotion, where you can snag 10% off all notebook systems (including covers, refills, and related accessories) using the code “NEWYEAR24” at checkout. There’s also several products with clearance pricing throughout the shop! Check the link for details. Several of us will also be discussing our plans for 2024 on tonight’s Patreon Meetup! Patreon members should check the Patreon feed for details.

Intentions for 2024: Personal Reflections and Goals For the New Year

“Read more, write more, and drink more coffee.”

I’d say that I accomplished all three of my (simplified) intentions for 2023. I really nailed that third one. In all seriousness, you can distill my goals for the past year into a single sentence: Be more intentional in what I spend my time on, use my pens and paper to actually write and create, and keep in mind that everything I do here is with the goal of being helpful and fostering a sense of community around our shared interests. Because my intentions for 2024 haven’t changed much from 2022 and 2023, I get the feeling that I might be approaching a general “mission statement” for the site going forward.

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One of our most popular post is “Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper.” It - and other resources - could use a refresh.

Intention No. 1: Continue to Organize and Optimize the Back-Catalog of T.G.S. Content

T.G.S. will celebrate its 10th birthday in April, which means that there’s nearly 10 years worth of content available on the site. That’s a lot of writing, considering that I post at least four times a week (4 x 52 x 10 = 2080 posts). In recent years, I’ve made attempts to reduce the amount of obviously dated and/or irrelevant content, such as sale posts and new release announcements for products that no longer exist. However, even with periodic pruning, that still leaves a LOT of reviews, editorials pen show recaps, and how-to guides that can be difficult to navigate, especially for new users. Part of being intentional with my content is knowing when to take a step back from expanding and writing about “all the new stuff”, and when to devote time to making what already exists better. In 2024, for the 10th Anniversary, I’m planning some additional review archives (similar to the Fountain Pen Review Archive), as well as expanded and updated resource pages. Certain new content that I have on tap will look to fill the gaps in what currently exists.

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This year’s acquisitions reflect a mix of new and vintage pens - my personal acquisitions were just that - personal - and they are fewer in number than in recent years.

Intention No. 2: Minimize Personal Acquisitions

Much of the early Gentleman Stationer chronicled my own explorations and efforts to build a personal collection and develop my own base of knowledge about the stationery world. While there are always new products to explore and the learning never stops, after 10 years you definitely reach a point where each new addition to the collection seems less novel and less of an improvement over what you already own, and from a writing perspective, the focus shifts from learning yourself to sharing the knowledge you’ve already acquired with others. In 2023 I dramatically scaled back acquisitions for my personal collection to probably less than ten pens. I sold off or traded away many more, consolidated a large portion of my ink accumulation, and dramatically reduced my paper stash by … actually using it. I’m happier with less stuff, and it’s allowed me to focus funds on growing and improving TGS as a business rather than acquiring more that I don’t need personally.

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Eventually the travel will slow down, right?

Intention No. 3: Balance Pen Show Travel with Building a Presence in My Community

I traveled a LOT in 2023. I attended seven different pen shows, and to that you have to tack on at least five family excursions and multiple trips for my day job. Between all this travel and navigating a job change, I’m bone-tired. While my schedule unfortunately won’t slow down much this year, given my decision to focus more on T.G.S. from a business perspective, I do want to balance pen show travel with expanding my local presence in my community, including continuing to work towards opening a physical location that people can easily visit and browse goods in person. That might mean foregoing one or two U.S. pen shows in favor of holding local events in the Nashville-area. It certainly will mean working on additional content and opportunities for interaction with my online Patreon community. And of course (somewhat incongrously) I still want to make it to at least one international show….

Another year finished, on to the next!

At the end of each year, I publish a series of recaps that include Part I: Five Favorite Acquisitions of 2023; Part II: Five Favorite Products Reviewed in 2023; Part III: Best Sellers from the T.G.S. Curated Shop; and Part IV: Series and Editorials. Today’s post concludes that series with my thoughts looking forward to 2024!