2026 California Pen Show Recap Episode 4

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

February 25, 2026

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

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.

Thursday Drops: California Pen Show Edition! And A Weekend Special!

February 19, 2026

I’m attending the California Pen Show this weekend (Friday-Sunday), so if you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to visit our table, please come by! We’ve brought an array of goods from brands such as Lochby, Rickshaw Bagworks, some limited Roterfadens, Craft Design Technology, Notsu, Musgrave, and more. We typically do a pen show special promotion whenever we’re away, and this weekend is no exception. If you’ll miss out on seeing what we have in person at this weekend’s show, take 10% off Lochby, Notsu, and all Pencils through 11:59CT Sunday using the code “CAPENSHOW26” at checkout.

For those who can’t attend in person, pretty much everything we’ve brought to the California Pen Show is available in our online shop, and our Nashville store will remain open with modified hours from 1-5pm on Friday and 11-4pm on Saturday. Online orders will continue to be processed but may take and extra 1-2 days to ship beyond our usual timeframe.

Lamy AL-Stars in Pine and Flamingo. We continue to have stock of Lamy’s latest AL-Star release in Pine and Flamingo, in all of the various formats. These are great-looking AL-Stars, with monochromatic clips and sections.
TWSBI ECO Black and Marble Bronze Fountain Pens. TWSBI’s latest release continues a hot streak of bronze-trimmed fountain pens with the swirled acrylic. We have stock of most nib-sizes both in-store and online.
Life Noble Note 6-Ring Refills. Life’s Noble Note looseleaf paper now comes in 6-ring binder format, in A5, Bible, and Mini (6 hole) sizes and graph, lined, and blank variations.
Yamamoto Select A4 Looseleaf Sheets. We have a wide variety of Yamamoto looseleaf papers in stock, including the much-in-demand Canopus paper.
Graphilo A5 Slim Notebooks. Customers have been asking for a thicker A5-slim notebook that will fit the TGS_25 Taschenbegleiter. One of the best I have found has been this Graphilo notebook that has incredibly ink-friendly paper plus a high page count.
Rickshaw Bags “Cloud” Series. We recently expanded our exclusive collaboration with Rickshaw Bagworks and local artist Nick Dominguez, introducing pen rolls in addition to the zippered cases. If you’re at the California Show, come by this weekend and check out yet another piece that we’re introducing to the lineup (especially if you’ll be needing more storage to carry around your purchases).
Craft Design Technology Desk Note Notebooks. Speaking of unique ink-friendly notebooks from Japan, these CDT notebooks feature bagasse paper (made from a sugarcane processing byproduct), and are bound in a landscape-style layout designed to sit underneath a keyboard while you work.
Notsu Dot Grid Sticky Notes. Though known for their notecards, Notsu also makes an array of excellent functional paper products. These thicker sticky notes hold up well with most inks.
Notsu Dot Grid Notecards and Accessories. We have a restock of Notsu dot grid notecards with the rounded corners in the most-popular 3x5 size, as well as most Notsu card boxes and accessories.
Notsu Vertical “To Do” Notecards. Notsu recently introduced a larger-format vertical “To Do” notecard with 4x6 dimensions, for those who need a larger canvas to plan their day.

California Pen Show Workshop Recap: Paper for Everyday Writing

February 20, 2024

Many thanks to everyone who came out to see me at the 2024 California Pen Show! We had a great turnout at the “Stationery for Everyday Writing” Workshops on Friday and Saturday, and since I’ve had a couple requests for the names of the paper samples we discussed, I thought I would post them. Just a reminder that the promotional code distributed to workshop attendees (and Patreon members) is valid through February 29, 2024 (end of the month). If you attended the seminar and lost the code or need the details of the promotional offer, please contact me and I will send them to you.

Four of My Favorite Papers for Everyday Writing

Write Notepads Paper. Relatively inexpensive, absorbent, and available in a wide variety of formats and rulings, Write Notepads paper is among my favorite for everyday writing and notetaking.
Midori MD Paper. Another excellent Japanese paper that’s cost-effective enough to be used everyday. I especially enjoy their writing pads, which can be used vertically and horizontally (“landscape mode”). MD Paper is used in standard Traveler’s Company refills, and if you’re looking for something slightly more absorbent, you should try the MD Cotton version.
Clairefontaine French-Ruled Looseleaf Paper. The multi-lined paper handed out at the workshop was Clairefontaine French-ruled (or “Seyes-ruled”) looseleaf paper in the A4 format. Clairefontaine is often most people’s first experience with fountain-pen friendly paper, and while it’s slower to dry than the other options listed here, it’s also less expensive and more widely available.
Tomoe River 68gsm Paper. While the long-term availability of this paper is subject to debate, given recent manufacturing changes, it continues to be available from some sources (including the Lochby refills that we sell). 68gsm Tomoe River Paper is still quite thin, though a bit thicker and slightly more absorbent than the lighter-weight 52gsm version so it dries quicker.

For additional fountain pen friendly paper recommendations, check out our post titled “Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper,” which will walk you through these options and more.

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

It's Live! Check Out Our New Curated Pencils Page in the Shop!

February 17, 2024

I’m really not sure how I found the time to do this at the California Pen Show, but you can now shop all pencils and pencil accessories on their own dedicated shop page. This will allow us to better organize our pencil offerings (both wood and mechanical) by category, and also gives us the space to expand one of my favorite categories of stationery. We recently added several different variations on the Uni Kuru-Toga mechanical pencil, Uni 4B and 6B Penmanship Pencils, and the excellent Uni KH-20 Long-Point Pencil Sharpener. Stay tuned as there will be more arriving soon.

A Panoramic Shot of the Main Ballroom on Friday (Plus some weird guy on the right who tried to ruin the picture.) :)

As for now, I’m off to Saturday at the the California Pen Show! I’ll be helping out behind the Schon DSGN and Hinze Pens Tables, so be sure to come and say hello!

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