In The Shop: Welcome Anderillium Inks

Please join me in welcoming Anderillium Inks to the Curated Shop! Based in Tampa, Florida, Anderillium makes sixteen different inks inspired by nature. The inks themselves are divided into two different “series”: the octopus and squid-inspired “Cephalopod” series, and the bird-inspired “Avian” series. If you’re a fan of darker, more muted colors, you’ll want to check out the Cephalopod series, while the Avian series leans a bit brighter.

You can see the slight color shift as the Cuttlefish brown dries to a grey-toned sepia.

So far, my favorite Anderillium inks include Cuttlefish Brown (a sepia-toned ink that has some color shifting properties, which I picked up at last year’s Chicago Pen Show and previously reviewed), as well as the recently discovered “Colossal Squid Dark” - both from the Cephalopod series. Anderillium ships their ink in 1.5oz, wide-mouth glass bottles for ease of filling. The inks are currently available for purchase in the T.G.S. Curated Shop, and are priced at $14.50 for individual bottles, or alternatively $50 for an eight-ink “Series Set” (currently only in stock for the Cephalopod series), which contains one .5oz bottle of each ink in the series.

Remember that through the end of this week (September 30, 2022), we are running a promotion in which any purchase of a Nahvalur (formerly Narwhal) fountain pen ships with a 4ml sample of Anderillium ink, so you can get to writing immediately! Also, be sure to check out T.G.S. “Gently Used,” a place to pick up a good deal on pre-loved fountain pens and more, as items were recently added.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of Anderillium Inks.

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“Colossal Squid Dark” is a rich teal-black.

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These .5oz bottles are only available in the Anderillium “Series Sets,” but are a convenient size for both sampling and travel.

Sunday Reading for September 25, 2022

1. The True Value of Indie Pens (via Rachel’s Reflections). I did not have the chance to take Rachel and Jim’s Indie Pen class at either D.C. or Baltimore, but it looks like it’s on the list for next year. I also get frustrated with people complaining about the “value proposition” of handmade fountain pens that I consider - at their essence - pieces of art.

2. Meet Your Maker - Shawn Newton of Newton Pens (via Pen Addict - Caroline). I had the pleasure/honor of having a table next to Shawn at this year’s D.C. Pen Show, and in terms of Indie penmakers, I consider his work to be among the best out there.

3. Pen Collection Thoughts: Niche or Narrow? (via Pete Denison). Pete’s posts on this hobby are always great, and I’m fully in agreement with his observations that just when you think you’ve fully explored every aspect of this hobby, there are always new niches and rabbit holes to run down.

4. The Commonwealth Pen Show 2022 Recap (via Gourmet Pens). Azizah recaps the 2022 Commonwealth Pen Show, which is now a 2-day show in the Boston area. I’m glad to see this show growing and may consider visiting in the future.

5. Lamy Ideos Fountain Pen Review (via Blake’s Broadcast). The Lamy Ideos has a unique shape that makes it stand out, and those who purchased one have been happy with it, finding it comfortable to write with.

6. Golden Leaves: Inkebara Deer Brown & Earth (via a fleeting ripple). This autumnal ink from Inkebara (a brand I have not tried) appears to have some nice dark brown shades to it.

7. Early Thoughts on the Jinhao 80 Fountain Pen (via Fountain Pen Blog). Look’s like Jinhao is at it again, going after Lamy. Why bother to create your own section while knocking off the cap? Why not just create your own Makrolon pen?

8. More Bits, Bobs & Bullet Journals: Lesson Plan Outlines (via mnmlscholar). I always love collecting posts about how people actually use their pens and stationery.

9. Pennonia Méregzöld: Seafoam or Poison? (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I love a dark teal fountain pen ink that leans blue moreso than green, so this one is right up my alley. Plus it has a fun family story behind it.

10. Limited Pens Korea x Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Magico Pink Salt (via Gourmet Pens). Leonardo always manages to find the best materials, and this latest special release is gorgeous.

In Case You Missed It…

This week on the blog I published Installment No. 2 of my series on Notebook Systems, taking a relatively in-depth look at Plotter, the Japanese ring-based system techo that’s received much attention lately. If you missed Part I, you can check that out here, in which I offer some background on the ideas behind the series and preliminary discussions on the various types of Notebook Systems out there. I also revisited a favorite workhorse fountain pen, the Waterman Carène, and published a short post on how people (myself included) use the desktop hourglasses we sell in the shop.

One reason I brought Anderillium into the store is my appreciation for inks that not only have a consistent theme but interesting muted color palettes. “Colossal Squid Dark” is a great blue-green-teal-black.

New In the Shop: Anderillium Inks, Traveler’s Refills and an Expiring Promotion!

Friday and Saturday saw LOTS of new arrivals in the Curated Shop, including one I’m most excited about: The arrival of Anderillium Inks. Based in Tampa, Florida, Anderillium’s line of sixteen different inks is inspired by nature. The “Cephalopod” series draws its inspiration from squids and octopuses, while the “Avian” series is bird-themed. I’ve previously reviewed “Cuttlefish Brown,” which mimics vintage cuttlefish sepia ink in that it goes on brown but when it dries takes on a grey tone. I’ve also reviewed Anderillium’s Chicago Pen Show “Michigan Avenue” special release ink, which I love. Be sure to check out the Anderillium dark greens and blue-greens, including Colossal Squid Dark, Green Kingfisher Green, and Flying Squid Blue, among others. Also, note that our current Nahvalur promotion will expire at the end of the week - all Nahvalur pen purchases ship with a generous 4ml ink sample, and it will be a sample of Anderillium this week!

I have to confess that I’ve also been a bad shop owner - I found a rather large stash of Traveler’s Notebook refills and inserts that had not been listed in the shop. (No wonder they weren’t selling!) Many of the undated diary refills and specialty papers are now restocked in both Passport and Standard size.

Anderillium

Traveler's Company

Nahvalur (Narwhal)

Gently Used

Many Thanks for Your Shop Support, and Please Consider T.G.S. Patreon!

We’ve been surprised at the level of enthusiasm and support for our curated retail strategy over the past couple of months, and after careful consideration are beginning to build out our inventory with more brands and product categories. I love managing this aspect of T.G.S., as it offers me the opportunity to directly put great stationery - including brands I feel are underappreciated and underemphasized - into your hands. For those who want to support T.G.S. without necessarily adding to their accumulation, the Patreon Program offers two options for tiers of support: $3 and $5, and plan on making monthly meetups, pen show events, and periodic exclusive content the primary benefits. Of course, Patreon members will continue to get first access to periodic sample sales, with right of first refusal on gently used pens. (Reminder that those pens which made it through Patreon are now available to the general readership!)

Guide to Notebook Systems, Part II: Plotter is NOT a Planner!

Last week’s post, “Guide to Notebook Systems/System Techo, Part I”, offered a brief introduction to different types of notebook systems on the market. One of those categories was the “System Techo,” a Japanese term for a notebook system built around a ringed binder. “System Techo” is not as popular or pervasive in the U.S. as it is in Japan. At one point, Filofax was extremely popular, yet most consider it to be a planner/calendar as opposed to a broader notebook or information management system, and dismiss it as something outdated that they’ll never use. The reality is that ring-based systems can be extremely powerful tools for creativity and organization, especially for those of us who enjoy working on looseleaf paper and notepads but lack a convenient way to organize and archive our ideas. The advantages to a system like this is that you can move around and group together individual pages of notes, as opposed to more modular systems that limit you to bound refills.

With a hole punch, a ring binder can become a powerful tool for collecting and organizing all the ideas many of us collect on random scraps of paper.

What Is Plotter? (Hint: Don’t Write It Off as “Just a Planner System”)

The star of this year’s San Francisco Pen Show was Plotter, a Japanese notebook system that can be used as a planner or organizer, but is actually designed to be something much more open-ended. Since I own three Plotter binders/notebooks, all in different sizes and with different use cases, I plan to walk you through the design of the system, give a brief overview of how it’s intended to be used, and talk a bit about how I’ve been using it in my own life. Whether Plotter is something that could work for you, well, that’s up to you!

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Plotter refills and notepads are well designed, and I especially love the bound notepads that can be used as stand-alone notebooks with removable sheets.

The Plotter system is organized around three main components. First, you have the excellent paper, which is DesignPhil’s own proprietary formula, and which I would compare to a slightly thinner version of Midori MD. While certain refills ship in packages of looseleaf sheets, Plotter refills also come bound in pads or notebooks. This convenient design allows you to use the refill as a stand-alone notebook that you can carry with you, tearing out individual sheets to incorporate into your binder as needed. Yes, there is also a diary refill, so you can use your Plotter as a traditional six-ring planner, but that’s not necessarily how the Plotter system was conceived. (More on that below.)

Plotter paper comes in a variety of rulings (dot, lined, grid, and blank), so that you can assemble a notebook with multiple types of paper to use whenever different needs arise.

The second component of the Plotter system is the binder (i.e.,the leather notebook cover). Currently, Plotter users in the U.S. can select from five different sizes: A5, Bible, Narrow, Mini, and Mini 5. The Plotter binder itself is a fairly simple six-ring organizer sold by itself. To build out your Plotter into something that you can personally use everyday, you will use the paper refills and “Accessory Refills” to customize the system. As you can imagine, this is both a blessing and a curse: A blessing because you aren’t necessarily forced into purchasing an overly complex notebook system if all you want is a nice leather binder that holds looseleaf sheets; a curse because if you do want to take advantage of all the (excellent) Plotter components and accessories, you can spend money quickly. For that reason, I would recommend starting simply, purchasing your binder, maybe a set of dividers, and an elastic cord and/or penholder. You can always add more functionality as you go. (Note: Plotter ring spacing is NOT proprietary, so if you have, for example, Filofax refills, dividers, rulers, etc. in the correct size, they should fit your Plotter. Similarly, if you have a Filofax binder and merely want to test out the Plotter accessories and organizational system, everything should fit your existing cover, though no guarantees.)

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All Plotter binders feature six rings and a metal bar on the spine. It’s a minimalist design that I find quite attractive.

Finally, the third Plotter component is the “archiving” aspect of the system. Because the Plotter binder is, by design, not necessarily all that capacious, you may need a larger notebook or refill binder to hold spare refills and older notes and other materials that are no longer immediately relevant but that you still want to keep. Plotter does sell a refill binder for archiving, but you can easily use something like a spare six-ring planner with the same ring size. (I have an older Filofax that I’ve been using to hold A5 Plotter sheets and spare refills that don’t currently live in my binder.)

Adding a hole punch (like the inexpensive Rapesco version shown here) will allow you to use paper that you already have on hand. I’m a huge fan of Midori MD Cotton, and I’ve been punching holes in sheets from a standard A5 pad and using it in my Plotter. Also pictured here is the A5 Filofax I use for archiving and refill storage.

How the Plotter System Is Designed to Be Used

To start, there is no “correct” way to use Plotter, or any notebook system or stationery item for that matter. You should incorporate your stationery into your life in a way that works for you, and which will give you maximum utility and enjoyment. That said, there is a specific philosophy informing the design of the system, and when I was at the San Francisco Pen Show last month, I had the opportunity to sit in on a Plotter seminar in which April from DesignPhil (and Penguin’s Creative and Stationery Cafe!) explained the general principles behind Plotter:

• Facilitating idea capture and note taking

• Refining your notes and ideas, with a focus on identifying the most essential ideas and/or information to keep on you at all time

• Providing a flexible, customizable platform that allows you to work creatively in a format that works specifically for you

In other words, the Plotter system was built to make it easy to (1) capture notes and ideas on paper, (2) organize (or at least retain) those ideas in the binder while you develop them, (3) periodically review and revisit your ideas, archiving what you need while disposing of what you don’t. The slim binder design is therefore intentional, encouraging a minimalist approach to notetaking and workflow. This can be a lifesaver for work projects that have a tendency to spiral out of control. How many of you (like me) have notebooks stuffed with months’ or years’ worth of research and meeting notes, of which a dozen or so pages are actually useful to keep long-term?

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My three Plotter notebooks: Mini 5 (top); Narrow (center), and A5 (bottom).

How I Use My Three Plotter Notebooks

So who do I think Plotter is for? For someone involved in too many different things (like me) who tends to be kind of scatterbrained (like me) and who works primarily on pads of paper and notepads for the majority of their writing (like me). I’m both an organized and, at the same time, an extremely disorganized person. While I’m generally “organized” in the sense that I do make a regular effort to collect my thoughts related to different projects I’m working on and group them together in some way, I feel disorganized in the sense that I’m seemingly always working on too many things at the same time, often in the same notebook or notepad, and sometimes I’m not sure where the ideas and concepts I’m working on at the time will go, or even whether they ultimately will amount to anything at all. It can feel like I’m carrying around a chaotic mess of paper and it stresses me out. Enter the Plotter as a “creative inbox”, providing just enough structure to keep me sane. I heard someone describe Plotter as “the place to loosely you organize thoughts and ideas until you figure out where they will live long-term,” and that’s an excellent way to describe the system. I have three Plotters:

• Plotter A5 (My main “inbox,” containing notes for T.G.S. content and other personal research and writing projects)

• Plotter Narrow (Notes, lists, and ideas relating to T.G.S. business operations)

• Plotter Mini 5 (I use as a wallet and a pocket notebook/jotter that I carry around at all times)

Each of my Plotters includes a handful of “Project Manager” folders, which allows you to organize sheets by topic. The folders themselves are hole-punched, so if you want to devote a folder to a specific project and move it in and out of your binder as you work on it, you can just pull the entire folder and stick it in your archiving system.

Using my own workflow as an example, I typically think of a half-dozen or so ideas for T.G.S content over the course of any given day. I might sketch out the idea on a sheet of A5 paper, stick it in the “TGS Articles” section of my A5 Plotter (grouped with other similar ideas if applicable), and either build the idea out in the Plotter or transfer it to a dedicated notebook or to the computer if it’s something I actually want to publish or incorporate into one of my longer-form writing projects. Every so often, I’ll review the notes in the Plotter and decide whether they warrant archiving or recycling, if they don’t seem like something I’ll be working on in the near future.

My Plotter Mini 5 goes everywhere with me. This particular notebook is used less for content management than for lists and reference notes that I want to have on me at all times (lists of books to check out from the library, pens I’m looking for at shows, etc.), as well as just a general purpose jotter with removable pages.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Plotter offers flexibility in a convenient and elegant format, and I personally enjoy using this system more than other ringed organizer systems I have tried. I own three different Plotters, and have been using one of them for well over a year, so for me it has staying power. Over the past month, I’ve seen my Mini 5 notebook in particular become a core piece of my everyday carry, and my A5 Plotter also sees daily use. While Plotter is not an inexpensive system to buy into, as long as I actually continue to use the Plotter regularly over a multi-year period, it will be well worth the money spent. The refills themselves are not actually that expensive, and priced commensurately with other paper products of similar quality, so any expense is mainly associated with the initial setup.

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If I had to recommend that new Plotter users purchase one accessory, it would be one of the “lifters” with either a pen loop or an elastic band. The “Lifters” can be placed anywhere in the notebook to serve as either a divider, or as a pencil board or firm surface for writing. For a discussion of which pens fit the Plotter, see this post.

Currently, Plotter can only be purchased through the Plotter USA store, which recently restocked after selling out in the wake of the post-San Francisco Pen Show hype. Binders range anywhere from $96 to $250, depending on the size and the type of leather you select. Looseleaf refills are generally priced in the $6 to $8 range, and Plotter-branded stand-alone notebooks and A4 writing pads are priced at $18. (Tip: you can punch an A4 sheet across the top and fold it in half to include in an A5 binder.) Accessories such as the penholder and elastic “lifters,” project manager dividers, etc. range from $6 to $15, approximately.

Again, the Plotter system is not inexpensive, but these prices are comparable both to other binder systems (like Filofax) and high-end Japanese leather notebook covers such as those from Midori. Moreover, the cost of a $250 notebook setup that you wind up using all-day, every day for years vanishes into the background pretty quickly. That said, anything can - and should - be considered “too expensive” if you never use it.

System Techo can be a powerful tool for those who like to work on multiple projects within a single binder, and value the flexibility to move around individual sheets of paper. In the coming weeks, we’ll be looking at other notebook systems that use different refill options and are built around different philosophies.

Disclaimer: I purchased the A5 and Mini 5 Plotters with my own funds at full price, though I was gifted the Narrow version a year ago as part of Plotter’s U.S. market testing. I was not compensated for this review and this post does not contain any affiliate links.

Thursday Drops: Parting with Some Gently Used Favorites, Lochby Restock and More!

As we expand the shop and (as always) look for more items to review and write about, I periodically need to clear out pens and other items that I’ve acquired over the years, either for review purposes or personal use. Those pens sometimes make an appearance on the T.G.S. “Gently Used” page, where they are not technically part of the official Curated Shop, but can nonetheless be combined with orders of new products for shipping and checkout. This week I listed a bunch of pens, including some rare limited editions, and a few remain available. All of these will automatically qualify for free shipping.

The Nahvalur “Original Plus” in Gold Ocellatus

In addition to the Gently Used update, we have restocked on most of our Lochby cases after the August/September pen show rush, including the Quattro four-pen cases and the Lochby Venture pouches in all colors. Also, remember that for the month of September, to welcome Nahvalur to the shop, all purchases of Nahvalur fountain pens include a complimentary ink sample chosen to match the color of your pen! We’ve had a lot of fun selecting and shipping these out already!

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

1. Leonardo Officina Italiana Momento Zero Grande Primary Manipulation Series 1 (Gently Used). After much consideration, I’ve decided to let go of most of my Momento Zero Grande collection, and will be selling them off in the coming months. That particular model, while excellent and comfortable to use, doesn’t receive as much regular use as my standard Momento Zero fountain pens. I currently have the “Vesuvio” from the original run remaining for sale.

2. Cross Peerless 125 (featuring an 18k Sailor Nib) (Gently Used). Love Sailor nibs but wish the pens had a touch more heft and a higher-capacity converter? Consider the Cross Peerless 125, which I don’t believe is made anymore.

3. Visconti Van Gogh “Vincent’s Chair” Fountain Pen (Gently Used). The Visconti Van Gogh is perhaps my personal favorite of all the Visconti fountain pen options, and this one in particular was a bit hard to let go. It features a stainless steel fine nib tuned by Mark Bacas.

4. Nahvalur Nautilus in “Stylophora Berry” Ebonite. I’ve long admired ebonite pens, and wished that manufacturers would do more with this material in their standard lines. Nahvalur (formerly “Narwhal Pens”) has steadily released new versions of the Nautilus in different ebonites, including this gorgeous striated aubergine material that I’m happy to offer in the shop.

5. Nahvalur “Original Plus” Vacuum Filler. Nahvalur re-released the Narwhal “Original” with a catch - in addition to reworking the signature swirled acrylic, they switched the filling mechanism from a piston to a vacuum-filler. What has really surprised me about this pen, however, is how smooth the nibs are.

6. TWSBI Diamond 580 Iris Fountain Pen. TWSBI’s latest entry in the Diamond 580 series is arguably my favorite to date, pairing the iridescent “Iris” finish with the classic design and reliable, high-capacity piston.

7. Platinum Plaisir Aura Fountain Pen 2022 Special Edition. I’m glad to see these start to catch on, as the Plaisir is a spectacular everyday fountain pen with one of the best low-cost nibs on the market. The pearlescent finish on this special edition contains a slight hint of color to match the different sections.

8. Lochby Quattro Four-Pen Case. One of my favorite finds of the past year, the Lochby Quattro holds four pens in offset slots, so that they pens and clips don’t make contact when the case is zippered shut. Built from durable waxed canvas, the Quattro should protect your pens for years to come.

9. Lochby Venture Pouch. A combination pouch and zippered pen case, the Venture Pouch can be used as both a carry all for ballpoint/gel pens, document flags, clips, etc. in the top “pouch” compartment, while also offering several individual slots in a second, zippered compartment that can be used for larger pens or cables.

10. Hightide Hourglasses. The other day I wrote a short piece about the advantages of using an analog timer where you might otherwise use a cell phone. We have a stock of these Hightide Hourglasses in 30, 15, 5, and 3-minute intervals.

Review Revisited: The Waterman Carène "L'Essence du Bleu" Edition

As Waterman has revamped and updated its lineup of fountain pens over the past several years, the company has focused on five core models: the high-end Exception and Carène, the mid-tier Expert and Hémisphère, and the more entry-level Emblème. The yacht-inspired Carène, to me, remains an all-time classic, and it’s encouraging, in terms of the future of both Waterman as a brand and this particular model, to see the Carène receiving the special edition treatment. The pen shown here is the Carène “L’Essence du Bleu” special edition fountain pen, featuring an engraved palladium cap atop a dark navy blue lacquered barrel.

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The “L’Essence du Bleu” special edition Carène, right, pictured next to the standard “Black Sea” finish with silver trim. The latter pen remains in my collection five years later.

I first reviewed the Waterman Carène in the standard “Black Sea” finish a bit less than five years ago. I’ve owned multiple Carènes over the years, and I can’t recall a time when I haven’t had at least one in my collection. (I’m a huge fan of Waterman pens in general: check out my review of other models by visiting the T.G.S. Fountain Pen Review Archive.) The reasons why I enjoy the Carène are, in many ways, identical to why I enjoy the Lamy 2000: the comfortable, streamlined shape; a subtle integrated nib that’s not overly ostentatious if you want to use it at work, and a consistent writing experience, especially if paired with one of Waterman’s excellent fountain pen inks.

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I love the engraving on this cap - it definitely complement’s the Carène’s nautical theme.

This specific pen represents something you don’t see very often: a Waterman special edition. While Waterman has released other models, like the Expert, in the “L’Essence du Bleu” series, the Carène seems particularly well-suited to this design scheme, given the pen’s maritime inspiration. The metal cap features an engraved “wave” pattern, which looks great paired with the dark navy lacquer on the barrel.

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While you can certainly use the Carène unposted, I prefer the balance and overall feel of the pen posted.

I’ve always found Carène nibs slightly wet and stubbish, and this 18k medium nib is no exception. This particular Carène lays down a consistent line of ink, even using thicker, non-Waterman inks like the Scribo Blue Cosmico shown here. Waterman quality remains on display in the Carène lineup, and this pen certainly isn’t going anywhere in terms of my own personal collection.

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Writing sample showing a stubbish medium Carène nib on Midori MD Cotton Paper. (Lined Plotter version is an experimental release not yet generally available for purchase.)

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The Carène is slim enough to fit most planner loops, such as the A5 Plotter shown here.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

The Waterman Carène is a beautiful fountain pen that manages to remain eminently practical. With a comfortable shape that’s neither too wide nor too narrow (allowing it to fit many planner and notebook pen loops), an excellent nib, and a subtle design that doesn’t scream “look at my flashy fountain pen,” the Carène has always been a highly recommended daily workhorse here at T.G.S. As I noted above, the particular model pictured here is the “L’Essence du Bleu” special edition, which retails for around $290. This price point is excellent for a special edition with an 18k gold nib, and the “Black Sea” version with silver trim can be found priced as low as $215, with oblique broad and stub nib options available. That’s serious value in today’s market. Many thanks to our friends at Pen Heaven in the UK for providing this particular pen for review! They are full-service Waterman retailers who carry the full line of Waterman fountain pens and ink, in addition to many other brands.

Disclaimer: The Waterman Carène pictured here was provided by Pen Heaven for review purposes, free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and this post does not contain affiliate links.