Classic Products are Classics for a Reason: Clairefontaine and J. Herbin

While we enjoy exploring new releases, limited editions, Kickstarters, and other experimental offerings, our main interest has always been the so-called tried-and-true “workhorses” of the stationery world. Think the type of products that just work whenever you need them, without having to think much about it. Often, the companies themselves have been around for hundreds of years.

Clairefontaine Paper: An Inexpensive, Rock-Solid Choice for Everyday Writing

Clairefontaine paper is what got me interested in fine writing in the first place, as a student in France, experiencing something other than cheap American student-grade writing paper for the first time. Clairefontaine paper handles pretty much any fountain pen ink available without feathering or bleed-through, and is available in multiple formats, ranging from the classic spiral bound notebooks to the “Triomphe” series of writing tablets to the composition-style “1951” series, now available in both cloth and staplebound versions. Sibling company Quo Vadis uses Clairefontaine paper in the dot grid version of their “Habana” journal, a product that in my opinion is grossly underappreciated by the broader community. If you haven’t yet used Clairefontaine paper, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try! Our shop stocks much of the Clairefontaine lineup, in addition to Quo Vadis Habana and a selection of Rhodia.

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J. Herbin Inks: Safe, Inexpensive Fountain Pen Ink Available in a Wide Array of Colors

Today’s fountain pen ink market is arguably oversaturated (pun intended) with so many brands and colors that it’s easy to get lost, not to mention caught up in testing and trying all the various shades and formulations in an effort to find that “perfect” ink that doesn’t really exist. I’ve always enjoyed the inks made by Herbin and Waterman because these inks tend to just work. They don’t clog, dry relatively quickly, are easy to clean, and available in interesting colors (both bright and muted). We’ve decided to stock the standard J. Herbin inks in both the 30ml bottle size as well as the 10ml “sample” size, to make it convenient for you to test as many different colors as you want without running into storage issues or accumulating ink you’ll never use. Our initial selection features personal favorites from the line, with more on the way!

Please visit the shop to view our full selection of pens, inks, paper, and assorted fine writing and desk accessories! The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Thursday Drops: Introducing Midori Kurashiki Canvas Cases, High-End Desk Accessories, Washi and More!

Even though it’s exciting to expand the shop, I could use a bit of a breather! As of right now, I’ve finished updating our new arrivals in the Inks & Refills shop, a slew of new Washi Tapes and Enamel Pins, and some excellent desk accessories, including new arrivals from Midori. Shown here are the Midori Kurashiki Canvas pen/pencil cases, which are import items from Japan that recently arrived. These are beautiful, and the neutral colored canvas will age differently depending on how you use it. We’ve also added more Midori desk tools such as scissors and more XS Stationery Kits, to help you create the perfect desk space for at home or on the go!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program, and is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Midori Kurashiki Canvas Pen Cases. We had these in the shop last year for a VERY brief period before they went out of stock. This waterproof canvas will soften and patina with age, as will the leather zipper pull. These are available in flat and gusseted formats, the latter of which will stand up on their own to form a pencil case. (Pictured above.)

2. TWSBI ECO-T Saffron Fountain Pens. In addition to the recently released (and absolutely gorgeous) ECO-T fountain pen, we now have nearly all of the standard ECO and Diamond 580 fountain pens available for purchase.

3. Midori MD Cotton Writing Pads. We just received a huge restock of Midori MD Cotton Writing Pads, along with fresh stock of MD Cotton Notebooks.

4. Midori Soft Color A5 Notebooks. As I wrote last week, I’ve been on a personal quest to locate some fountain pen friendly colored paper to use for written correspondence. During that search, I came across these Midori A5 “Soft Color” notebooks in grey, blue, green, and purple.

5. G. Lalo Laid Writing Paper. This fine writing correspondence paper is available in white, ivory, and pale blue tablets.

6. New Washi Tapes and Pins from iLootPaperie. Some of our favorite products currently in the shop are our array of washi tapes and enamel pins from the team at iLootPaperie (particularly the snail mail-themed pins and buttons).

7. Midori Portable Multi-Scissors. These portable multi-function scissors have a curved blade to cut paper, a serrated edge to help open boxes, and a notch to cut wire. If you always find yourself looking for a convenient cutting instrument, consider these. I personally carry a set in my car.

8. Midori XS Stationery Kit. I’ve taken to carrying one of these compact clamshell stationery kits in my briefcase, which basically allows you to bring a full desk setup with you wherever you go, whether that’s working remotely or otherwise.

9. Hightide Sandglass in Large “Slim” Format. Hightide has released the 15-minute version of their classic hourglass in a “Slim” format, which has a slightly taller, more modern silhouette than the version we’ve been carrying. It will be interesting to see whether this is a permanent change

10. J. Herbin “Shogun” Ink. We recently started carrying the J. Herbin writing inks, and so far have added a single “shimmer” ink to our offerings. Shogun is a grey/brown/black with subtle gold and red shimmer - reminiscent of Samurai armor - and it looks great!

New in the Shop: Design Your Own Desk Space, at Home or on the Road

Never underestimate the importance of quality everyday desk accessories! Personally, I see this every few days when I switch between my home office and “the office.” (I tend not to leave my good desk setup where it might get borrowed.) While everyone pays a lot of attention to things such as pens, pencils, ink, and paper; accessories such as scissors, rulers, tape, book stands, and desk trays can also make up a big part of your everyday work experience.

The Midori XS Stationery Kit has everything you need for a full day of work/journaling/creating, and it zips into a portable go-anywhere pouch. (Shown here my 70th Anniversary Edition version, but we stock the standard in both black and white!)

Slowly but surely, the Desk and Reading Accessories section of the T.G.S. Curated Shop is starting to take shape. We’ve recently added new items from Midori, including these multifunction scissors, wood-inlay rulers, and the ever practical XS Stationery Kit for when you want to carry an entire desk setup with you in your bag. In addition to accessories, be sure to keep checking the “New Arrivals” in Pens/Pencils, Ink and Refills, Paper and Notebook Systems, and our recently restocked selection of Washi Tape and Enamel Pins. More items are being added daily!

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

Thursday Drops: Midori Paper Restock, Life x Kleid Notebooks, and TWSBI Saffron!

While the big news this week was the expansion of our selection of bottled fountain pen inks and refills to include three new brands and a separate page in the shop, we still have boxes of new arrivals and restocks showing up on our proverbial doorstep daily! Notably, we now have the Saffron TWSBI ECO-T fountain pens in-stock and ready to ship, as well as a refresh on other ECO models and the TWSBI Swipe. Don’t forget - since we still have 10ml Anderillium sample bottles available, our Nahvalur promotion continues. All purchases of Nahvalur and Opus 88 fountain pens receive a complimentary bottle of Anderillium Ink, and purchases above $120 receive two! Happy Shopping!

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

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TWSBI Tuxedo, anyone?

1. TWSBI ECO-T Saffron. Of all the various colors that TWSBI has released over the years, the ones that have stuck in my collection - the pens that I simply can’t bear to part with - have been their yellow pens. This Saffron model in the subtly triangular ECO-T already has a spot in my pen case.

2. TWSBI ECO Black and White. Even the “basic” ECO lineup looks sharp. In addition to a restock of the classic clear TWSBI ECOs, we’ve added the standard black and white pens. Sort of a late oversight on our part!

3. TWSBI Swipe Restock. Most colors of the TWSBI Swipe are now back in stock, including this winter’s popular “Ice Blue” edition.

4. Nahvalur Nautilus Bronze Corydoras and Black Cephalopod Fountain Pens. While our stock of the Nautilus “Pen of the Year” has sold out and is gone, I’m still stuck on the classic black Nautilus, and can’t pick a trim. Bronze or Black? Bronze won our Instagram poll from a while back. (Note: Your purchase of an ebonite Nautilus will complimentary 10ml sample bottles of Anderillium Ink.)

5. Life x Kleid “Noble Note” Notebooks. In this Japanese stationery collaboration, Japanese stationery Life has paired with Kleid to incorporate the latter’s 2mm grid ruling into the “Noble Note” notebook series. these notebooks are available in both standard A5 and B6 formats, in four different cover and paper combinations.

6. Midori Soft Color A5 Notebooks. Looking for something different to refill your A5 notebook cover, or merely a new paper to give you that vintage “examination book” feel without losing fountain pen friendliness? These Midori notebooks are available in blue, grey, green, or purple.

7. Midori Multi-Year Diaries. It’s not too late to start journaling, even in February, and especially where you can use an undated multi-year journal that lets you pick up wherever! We stock three, five, and even ten-year versions!

8. Penco Pocket Drafting Pens and Pencils. Love the look of classic technical drafting pens and pencils but wish you could take them with you in a portable format? These pocket-sized versions come in either black or silver, in both a ballpoint pen and .5mm mechanical pencil version.

9. Midori MD Cotton Writing Pads. Our top-selling everyday writing pad is now the Midori MD Cotton pad, which features soft, ink-friendly paper that works well with pretty much every writing instrument. Now if only Midori would resume making the entire standard MD Notebook lineup in a cotton paper alternative! (Blank notebooks ARE available!)

10. Write Notepads Memo Pads. Baltimore-based Write Notepads makes some of the best everyday writing paper on the market - these memo pads are sold in packs of two and come in three different rulings: lined, dot grid, and “meeting.”

Personal Obsessions: My Quest for the Perfect Blue Writing Paper

Despite having access to about as wide a range of stationery products as humanly possible, there are still certain things I’ve been looking for over the years that remain elusive. Chief among these is a reliably fountain-pen-friendly blue writing paper. Smythson of Bond Street seems to be the gold standard for many, and their notebooks are indeed gorgeous, but I’ve had trouble locating reviews of their paper from the perspective of a fountain pen user, and in any event the price point makes the paper hard to justify for everyday writing outside of formal correspondence.

G. Lalo Paper comes in 50-sheet tablets. As shown from the picture at the top of the page, shading won’t look the same, but the blue doesn’t distort the ink color as much as I expected. In fact, it gives it a nice vintage look. G. Lalo paper has a laid texture (meaning that it’s not smooth), so if you prefer super-smooth paper you should be aware of this.

Since the past few years saw a steep drop off in my work travel, depriving me of regular opportunities to loot hotel rooms of “low cost” light blue stationery, I’ve been on the lookout for a replacement and have found two options that I enjoy. The first, G. Lalo Vergé de France writing paper, is typically recommended for written correspondence, but I’ve also enjoyed using it as a standard writing tablet, similar to the Midori MD Cotton Paper. While a touch darker than what I originally expected, I’ve been enjoying this as a solid general purpose writing paper, especially since the price point ($14 for a 50-sheet A5 tablet) is fairly reasonable for paper of this quality and the paper is easy to get a hold of, especially now that we stock G. Lalo Paper in our own shop.

The Midori Soft Color A5 Notebooks come in four shades (grey + three pastels) that aren’t so loud they overwhelm your writing. Some people match the notebook to their ink color, but I prefer a bit of contrast.

I discovered the second blue paper option when I was in New York City last week and found myself browsing the back wall at Kinokuniya bookstore off Bryant Park. (For those of you who haven’t visited Kinokuniya, it’s the NYC outpost of the Japanese bookstore that has a massive stationery section in the basement, and the back wall contains nothing but notebooks.) I noticed that they had a couple piles of Midori A5 “Soft Color” notebooks in blue, grey, green, and yellow, priced at $4 each. Seeing that they contained dot grid paper, I figured that was a no-brainer purchase at that price and grabbed one in blue and one in grey. I spent ten minutes jotting in these notebooks in a coffee shop, realized the paper lost none of the excellent qualities of the standard Midori MD Paper, and promptly contacted my distributor to stock all four colors for the shop.

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Midori Soft Color Notebook in blue, with dot grid paper. Testing inks are three of my favorite colors from the Laban Greek Mythology series.

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Midori Soft Color Notebook in Grey (shown with the blue notebook for contrast). These notebooks are standard A5 so they fit covers like the Lochby Field Journal.

Many people have requested recommendations for colored paper options in the past, but it’s a tricky thing to get right. Often, companies will apply a coating to give the paper its color, which works fine as long as you’re not trying to write with a fountain pen, rollerball, or other liquid ink, since most coated paper isn’t particularly absorbent and the ink tends to never dry. That’s not an issue with either of the two papers shown here. Both G. Lalo and Midori Soft Color dry fairly quickly, and behave essentially like standard white or ivory writing papers. There is a third option - Original Crown Mill - that makes a light blue laid paper I want to try, and yes, I probably will eventually splurge on some Smythson. (“For science.”)

For the time being, however, these two will work fine, and I no longer have to worry about exhausting my dwindling stash of blue notepads. If you’re interested in trying out some of this stationery for yourself, we currently have G. Lalo writing paper and envelopes available for sale in the shop in white, ivory and blue, along with the Midori Soft Color A5 notebooks in blue, grey, green, and yellow.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.