On the Paper Trail Episode 5: Are You a User or a Collector of Stationery?

Do you consider yourself a user or collector of stationery? Maybe a bit of both? In the fifth episode of On the Paper Trail, we talk about a topic that draws strong opinions and maybe even a little bit of judgment in the stationery world. Whether you use every pen, bottle of ink, or rare notebook that you own, or maintain pristine archives for posterity, how we view our stationery is intensely personal and will differ from person to person. We also discuss events at the upcoming Arkansas Pen Show and the San Francisco Stationery Fest!

Note: During the podcast, we discussed the sign-up link for the live-audience episode at the upcoming San Francisco Stationery Fest. Apparently that link is missing from the show website - if you’re interested in attending please sign up directly using this link.

Show Notes and Links

1. ⁠Nagasawa Exclusive Pens⁠ (Lisa's Pen)

2. ⁠Pilot Custom Urushi⁠ (Lisa's Pen)

3. ⁠Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog⁠ (Joe's Pen)

4. ⁠Uni Zento⁠ (Joe's Pen)

5. ⁠Pilot S20 Ballpoint⁠ (Joe's Pen)

6. ⁠Roterfaden TGS_25 A5 Slim⁠

7. ⁠Laurett's Pens⁠

8. ⁠Troublemaker Inks⁠

9. ⁠Wearingeul Paper⁠

10. ⁠Nagasawa 6-Ring Refills⁠

11. ⁠Episode 2: Matthew Chen Talks Kodachi Nibs⁠

12. ⁠Akkerman Standard Ink Bottle Example⁠

13. ⁠Akkerman Dutch Masters Ink Bottle Example⁠

14. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show⁠

15. ⁠San Francisco Stationery Fest

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the Paper Trail Episode 4: Recapping the 2026 California Pen Show!

In Episode 4 of On the Paper Trail, we discuss our visit to the 2026 California Pen Show, one of the larger pen and stationery events in the U.S., and recap everything we saw. This two-part episode includes a pre-show discussion of how vendors prep for a show and decide what to bring, while the post-show recap talks about impressions of the event and the different brands and vendors in attendance. The YouTube episode includes footage of the event itself and a short vendor tour that follows the podcast portion, including visits to Stationery Stack, Laurette's Japan, Bungubox, and more!

Show Notes and Links

1. ⁠California Pen Show Website⁠

2. ⁠List of Pen Show Classes and Seminars⁠

3. ⁠Nagasawa 6-Ring Binder Refills⁠

4. ⁠Brelio 6-Ring Binders⁠

5. ⁠Roterfaden TGS25 Pre-Order⁠ (Green Binders with both cord colors)

6. ⁠Musgrave Pencils⁠

7. ⁠Stationery Stack⁠

8. ⁠Nagasawa Stationery⁠

9. ⁠Nagasawa Kip Leather⁠

10. ⁠Notsu Index Cards⁠

11. ⁠Bungubox⁠

12. ⁠Laurette's Japan⁠

13. ⁠Galen Leather

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the Paper Trail Episode 3: We Visit Pilot Pens USA!

Joe and Lisa take a trip to visit Pilot USA headquarters and come back with a lot to report! In this third episode of On the Paper Trail, we not only discuss our Pilot Tour, but take on three questions from the "12 Pen Person" questions challenge, answer reader questions about appraising and selling pens, and talk about the upcoming California Pen Show and a live recording at the San Francisco Stationery Fest!

Show Notes and Links:

1. ⁠Pilot Grance (Lisa's Pen)⁠

2. ⁠Midori Stand Notebook (Lisa's Notebook)⁠

3. ⁠Uni Kuru-Toga Pencils (Joe's Pencil)⁠

4. ⁠NOLTY PAGEM Freelog (Joe's Notebook)⁠

5. ⁠New TWSBI Black Marble and Bronze⁠

6. ⁠Vinta Nandito Ako⁠

7. ⁠Yamamoto Canopus Paper⁠

8. ⁠T.G.S. Clouds Rickshaw Exclusive⁠

9. ⁠Post with Picture of Our Giant Pilot Markers⁠

10. ⁠Joe's Trip to NYNow and Shoppe Object

11. ⁠12 Pen Person Questions (via Olive Octopus)⁠

12. ⁠Recap of Lisa's SF Pen Show Panel⁠

13. ⁠Reddit r/WritingPrompts⁠

14. ⁠California Pen Show⁠

15. ⁠San Francisco Stationery Fest⁠

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail appear as an option once their review process is complete.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the Paper Trail, Episode 2: Snowed In With Matthew Chen!

Episode 2 of On the Paper Trail is now available! We originally had intended to record Episode 2 live from the shop, but obviously the weather didn’t cooperate. We ended up snowed/iced in with Matthew, who was kind enough to sit with us for a brief interview in which we discuss the ins and outs of nib customization. Topics include the difference between nib tuning and nib grinding, the most popular nib grinds and why you might want to get one, and Matthew's favorite creations.

Episode 2 Show Notes

1. ⁠Pilot Custom 912 with Waverly Nib (Joe's Pen)⁠

2. ⁠TWSBI ECO Rose Gold (Lisa's Pen)⁠

3. ⁠Matthew Chen (Matthew's Nibworks)⁠

4. ⁠Matthew's Grinds, including Specialty Grinds⁠

5. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show, Part II: Watch Matthew Grind a Nib⁠

⁠In addition to this weeks’ episode, we also did a bonus YouTube Live with Matthew⁠ in which he directly answered listener/viewer questions and went into more detail on his grinds and processes!

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail Appear as an option once their review process is complete.

Please note that our Nashville location is currently without power due to Winter Storm Fern and we will likely be unable to open the in-person shop on Thursday. Please check the shop hours before coming by, and online orders are greatly appreciated this week. While fulfillment may take a day or two longer than our normal shipping time, we continue to process orders.

Episode 1 of On The Paper Trail: Setting Up Our 2026 Notebooks, Is Live!

The first episode of our new podcast project, On the Paper Trail, is live! In our initial episode, Lisa and I introduce ourselves, and then dive into a thorough discussion of our 2026 notebooks and planners and how we plan to use each one. We also answer a common customer question on Lamy pens, and discuss where you can see us in person at upcoming pen shows and other stationery-related events. Many thanks to everyone who has helped us out with this project, as your feedback has been invaluable! We’ve added show notes, as well as a list of links to where you can currently watch or listen. We are in the process of populating additional listening services and podcast apps as they verify and approve the RSS feed.

⁠Show Notes and Links⁠

1. ⁠On The Paper Trail Episode 1 Video (Watch the Video on YouTube)⁠

2. ⁠Wonderland222 B6 Core Horizontal⁠

3. ⁠Wonderland222 A5 Core Stacked (Vertical) ⁠

4. ⁠Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder⁠

5. ⁠Roterfaden Recycled Leather A5⁠

6. ⁠Roterfaden TGS_25 A5-Slim⁠

7. ⁠Writing on in 2026 (Pen Addict - Kimberly)⁠

8. ⁠Matthew's Nib Works⁠

9. ⁠California Pen Show⁠

10. ⁠Arkansas Pen Show⁠

11. ⁠San Francisco Stationery Fest⁠

Both Lisa and I will continue to record complementary content for our own respective channels, like this overhead walkthrough of my own notebooks that I released yesterday to T.G.S. YouTube. I also wrote a detailed blog post last week.

On The Paper Trail: Where You Can Download the Podcast

As noted above, if you want to follow along and watch the video, On The Paper Trail has its own YouTube Channel. We have also uploaded the podcast to most popular podcast networks and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Overcast. We have submitted to additional services such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcasts, Audible, and others, and you should see On The Paper Trail Appear as an option once their review process is complete.

Note that you may have to click on one of the direct links above to listen (or subscribe!) as it takes some time for new podcasts to make their way into the search function. If you enjoy what we’re doing, we would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a positive review and subscribe, as it helps increase visibility. We are really enjoying this project, though audio/video production is something relatively new for both of us, so expect our skills to “evolve” as we record more episodes!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can always come talk pens in person at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee, open from 1-6pm Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am-6pm Saturdays.