Thursday Drops: Multi Pens, Mechanical Pencils, NJK Sharpeners, and More!

This week we have lots of new arrivals from old favorites such as Uni Mitsubishi and Maruman, with the arrival of the updated Jetstream Lite Touch 4+1 Multi Pens and the new Mnemosyne Hardcover Journals. Maruman has been teasing an update to the Mnemosyne line for a while now, with new cover options and different formats. These are the first of the new arrivals, featuring five different cover options (including a cool textured mint), 240 pages of heavier 90gsm paper, and a dot grid ruling that has markers in the page margins that allow you to easily divide the page into sections for planning and bullet journaling.

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The “Steel Blue” Jetstream Lite Touch 4+1 is a winner.

Finally, as noted in yesterday’s post, we are running a flash promotion on notebook systems through tomorrow (Friday, March 7). Take 10% off all notebook systems using the coupon code “TRAVEL” at checkout. And if you’re in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, be sure to visit the Baltimore Pen Show this weekend.

Due to my travel schedule, brick and mortar hours are slightly modified: we will be open Saturday and Sunday, and closed Thursday and Friday. We regularly update our hours page, Google listing, and Instagram stories with any developments.

1. Uni Jetstream Lite Touch 4+1 Multi Pens. The latest version of the Uni 4+1 multi pen not only incorporates the latest Uni ink formulation, but some new colors and a slightly more streamlined shape. The Jetstream Prime Lite Touch 3 Multi Pens (with no mechanical pencil) will also be restocked soon. We also have Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Multi Pen Refills in stock and ready to ship. These fit both the new Lite Touch 4+1 as well as the Prime Lite Touch 3.

2. Uni Jetstream 4+1 Multi Pen Limited Edition Colors. We have new stock of the standard-refill Jetstream Multi Pens, featuring a handful of limited edition muted pastel colors with bamboo sections that will wear nicely over time. We also have the limited edition Karimoku collaboration colors, with darker wood sections made from repurposed furniture scraps.

3. Maruman Mnemosyne Hardcover Journals. The new Maruman Mnemosyne dot grid hardcover journals have arrived! Available in five different covers, these journals feature a new 90gsm Mnemosyne paper and 240 pages for notetaking or journaling.

4. Nakabayashi Logical Air Grid Notebooks. While all of our Nakabayashi paper has been restocked, the biggest news has been the release of a new Logical Air format, which is available with grid paper in B5 and A5 sizing.

5. NJK Pencil Sharpeners. These excellent long-point pencil sharpeners are back in stock in multiple colors, along with additional replacement blades. If you’d like to see a video of this sharpener in action, check out this YouTube Short.

6. Allex Scissors. Fluorine-coated scissors (the black ones) are back in stock. The Fluorine-coated models are ideal for cutting through sticky substances such as tape or glue.

7. Platinum Preppy Fountain Pens. The Platinum Preppy is a classic inexpensive fountain pen that’s a favorite of both new and experienced users alike. We have fine and medium nibs available, and the pens ship with a color-matched ink cartridge.

8. Teranishi Guitar Fountain Pen Inks. Nearly all colors of Teranishi Inks are restocked, including favorite Gentle Green! The Teranishi inks are known for their excellent flow and offbeat shades that are visually interesting without being overly loud. Read about some of my favorites here.

9. Tombow Mono Graph Fine Mechanical Pencils. The “Mono Graph Fine” pencil line takes on a more professional look than the standard “Shaker” pencils, with either a matte black or matte silver body, a lead sleeve that offers exceptional visibility for precise writing, and a finer diameter eraser.

10. Common Modern "La Moitié" Dipped Pencils. These pencils from Common Modern are manufactured by Viarco and feature a combination of natural wood and lacquer in three different colors. Sold individually or in a pack of six.

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We’re very happy to have these gorgeous dipped pencils from Common Modern, produced by the Swiss brand in partnership with Viarco.

New Arrivals: Pre-D.C. Restock on Traveler's Notebooks, Maruman Mnemosyne, and Life Specialty Papers

The post-move restock has commenced! This morning we received 12 giant boxes containing a long-awaited restock of Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks and pads in most formats and rulings, as well as a restock of Life paper including Bank Paper writing pads and letter pads, Typewriter Paper, Airmail Paper and more. For those of you who have asked about the Midori MD and MD Cotton Letter Writing Paper, that arrived as well with a shipment of Traveler’s Notebook starter kits in all colors and sizes. Keep checking back, and I plan to post more progress photos of the shop as it comes together. Many thanks for all your support, and I hope to see many of you at this week’s upcoming D.C. Pen Show!

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Life Typewriting Paper always sells out quickly, so I bought a lot this time.

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The shop shelving and displays are starting to go in and we’re thrilled!

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

New Arrivals: Maruman Mnemosyne Portfolios and Notepads

Japanese paper company Maruman makes some of the most versatile and cost-effective fountain-pen friendly paper on the market, and we’re fortunate enough to be able to stock it in nearly all available formats. We’ve recently added new versions of the portfolio-style notepad holders in both A4 and A5 sizes, as well as several different sizes of notepads and spiral notebooks in several different rulings.

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Notable new additions include a wide range of A4 spiral notebooks in lined, dot-grid, and blank formats. The grid and blank spirals are landscape-style, perfect for orienting below your keyboard!

Just a reminder that if you are shopping for gifts and need delivery by December 25, you will likely want to get your orders in by Friday to give it the best possible chance of arriving on time.

The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold. For additional suggestions on fountain pen friendly paper, check our our “Guide to Fountain Pen Friendly Paper,” and be sure to read the comments for many additional suggestions.

Ink Review: Anderillium Michigan Avenue (2022 Chicago Pen Show Limited Edition)

So I’ve now picked up a total of three inks from Anderillium: Cuttlefish Brown from their “Celphalopod Series,” Shoebill Stork Grey from their “Avian Series,” and now the special “Michigan Avenue” ink that I picked up this past May at the 2022 Chicago Pen Show. All three inks are excellent. While Anderillium may have had some reported issues with the initial formulation of their inks when the company first launched, those are years in the past and I can vouch that every ink I have tried so far behaves quite well.

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The Michigan Avenue ink is a dark teal, formulated to reproduce the oxidized bronze color of the lions standing guard over the Art Institute of Chicago. I love this color - it’s dark enough to ensure legibility for everyday office work, while at the same time showing enough depth to remain interesting. While it might be a touch dark to qualify as a true reproduction of oxidized bronze - I’d compare the color more to Sailor Miruai - Michigan Avenue is an extraordinarily well-behaved ink that dries nearly instantaneously and doesn’t feather or bleed. I’ve run through two fills already!

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Following up on yesterday’s post, I did today’s writing sample on Maruman Mnemosyne paper, to give you all an idea of how this paper handles ink, and how the Anderillium ink behaves.

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Zero bleed with this paper/ink combination, even with a very wet ink swatch.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

Thus far, my experience with Anderillium Inks has been consistently good. While this ink was a pen show exclusive, and technically could only be purchased at the Chicago Pen Show, Chicago-based Atlas Stationers appears to still have some in stock. You can purchase other Anderillium inks directly from the T.G.S. Curated Shop, quite reasonably priced at $14.50 for a 1.5oz (approximately 45ml) bottle of ink. The Anderillium Ink bottles resemble jelly jars (in fact, they might be jelly jars), which means that for at least the first half of the bottle, you can easily refill larger-diameter pens with big nibs.

Anderillium mentions on their website that all of their inks are made in-house by their own resident chemist, without using animal products and with an eye to sustainability and environmental preservation. You can read more about the company, its practices, and even the artwork on the website and ink bottles here.

Just Landed: Maruman Mnemosyne Notepads, Notepad Covers, Label Stickers & More!

One of the more undersung fountain pen friendly paper lines, Maruman’s Mnemosyne notebooks and notepads are among the most versatile, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve expanded our selection of Mnemosyne products to include additional paper sizes and formats, as well as the Mnemosyne label stickers to help you further customize your notes! As of this morning, you can purchase the Mnemosyne spiral notebooks in sizes ranging from A4 to A6 to B5, and we have also added A5 Notepads, a handy A5 Notepad Cover that includes not just a classic padfolio but five pockets for organizing, and two different top-bound steno pads. Label stickers are available in “Tab,” “Task,” and “Flow” formats.

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You can view additional Mnemosyne photos and writing samples in the shop listings, or by visiting this past post. As I mentioned above, Maruman Mnemosyne paper unfortunately doesn’t get mentioned as often as brands such as Rhodia or Clairefontaine, though I find it handles fountain pen ink just as well. The perforated pages, durable covers, and attractive price point make this a paper worthy of your consideration.

If you’re interested in reading further on fountain pen friendly paper recommendations, we maintain a running list of fountain pen friendly brands, which also has an active comment section because we can’t test them all!