Introducing the T.G.S. x Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter TGS_25: Available Now!

Over the years many have asked where I obtained my A5-slim Roterfaden, which has made an appearance both here on the blog and in YouTube videos. That particular release was a special edition, long-since discontinued, and Roterfaden was kind enough to agree to bring it back for us in what’s been dubbed the “Taschenbegleiter TGS_25”, with a soft olive green exterior leather and a dark grey suede interior! It’s a flexible size, with the cover not designed to fit any specific refill: It measures roughly 5” x 8.6”, and will accommodate any A5 Slim/Personal-sized notebooks up to 4.3” (wide) by 8.3” (tall) dimensions. While I typically cut down A5 notebooks to fit this size cover, I’ve also used notebooks from brands including Lochby (the Voyager is an excellent fit), Yamamoto Ro-Biki, and Traveler’s Company with success. The Roterfaden system operates with stainless steel clips, which conveniently slide up and down to accommodate variations in notebook height.

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There are two elastic options: The green elastic above and the grey elastic shown here. All cords are both removable and replaceable.

These are available now in the main T.G.S. shop, with Patreon supporters having their own listing with a special pricing opportunity via the Patreon Shop. (Patrons be sure to check the main feed and Discord for details.) We carry a wide range of notebooks and refills that could potentially fit this cover, and also recently procured a commercial paper cutter that allows us to trim notebooks to size. Please e-mail me or reach out via the “Contact” link if you are interested in this service and whether it is possible with a specific notebook. There will be no charge, but once a notebook is cut down any sales will be final.

While I can’t guarantee how many Taschenbegleiters will last through the weekend, our brick-and-mortar will be open this week so please do stop by! We are open Thursday and Friday from 1pm-6pm, and on Saturday from 10am-6pm, and otherwise by appointment. Hope to see you soon!

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If the A5 Slim size doesn’t work for you, we also have a restock of many A5 Taschenbegleiters and one B6 model.

New Arrivals: Ro-Biki Passport Size and A5/B6 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Restock!

We may be on vacation this week, but we still have a bunch of new arrivals that we continue to work to get listed. Right before we left, we received a restock of A5 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiters in A5. While the four-clip versions sold out almost immediately, we continue to have stock of several classic three-clip A5 Taschenbegleiters with both suede and felt interiors, as well as a B6 version of the Smoke Blue and Honey Suede that has been a favorite.

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In addition to the standard size Ro-Biki notebooks, we now have the Passport-sized Ro-Biki notebooks available for purchase, which are the same dimensions as the Traveler’s Company passport refills and feature wonderfully fountain pen friendly dot grid paper. Now available in 17 different cover designs!

Due to our travel schedule this week, please note that our brick-and-mortar shop is closed and will reopen the week of July 21. Online orders will continue to be processed and ship but may require an additional 1-2 business days beyond our normal time. Thank you for all your support!

Thursday Drops: Yamamoto Ro-Biki Notebooks, Shorthand Press, and Anecdote!

Paper, paper, and more paper! With the occasional waxed canvas cover thrown in! Those are the themes from this week, since we introduced the Yamamoto Paper Ro-Biki lineup, new notebooks and notepads from Shorthand Press, and a restock from Andecdote, among many other things! Of all the recent new arrivals, I’m probably most excited about the Ro-Biki and the new Lochby Voyager Journals, which are the latest addition to Lochby’s growing lineup of versatile cases.

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At the end of my most recent YouTube Video (which was a demonstration on how to setup the Ro-Biki cover with multiple refills), I added a special announcement about our latest collaboration release that should drop next week. Patreon members will get first refusal, though there will be plenty left over for a subsequent launch.

Please keep in mind that we are out of town on vacation next week, so the brick-and-mortar store will be closed during our normal Thursday-Saturday Hours on July 17-19. If you want to come see us and pick something up in person, come this weekend! Most online orders will continue to ship next week, though there may be a slight delay in fulfillment times. Thanks so much for continuing to support us!

1. Yamamoto Ro-Biki Note Notebooks. Known in some pen and planner circles as “the other” narrow format notebook, Yamamoto’s Ro-Biki notebook system features wonderfully fountain pen friendly cream-colored paper with a fairly wide variety of rulings and cover designs.

2. Yamamoto Ro-Biki Canvas Notebook Covers. These soft cotton canvas covers combine the concepts of a stationery wrap with a notebook cover, allowing you to carry up to three Ro-Biki notebooks as well as small items in the zippered pouch, plus pens and other accessories in the outside pockets.

3. Shorthand Press Standard Notebooks and Spiral Task Pads. These hand-assembled notebooks from Los Angeles based Shorthand Press are made in the U.S., and feature a range of vintage-style lined, grid, and dot grid rulings on cream paper. The fact that they have Mint and Mustard cover options won me over immediately. Standard Notebooks are side-bound and the Task Pads are top bound, both with double brass wire-o bindings.

4. Lochby Voyager Journals. Lochby recently released their “A5 Slim” notebook cover, which will fit Lochby’s own Voyager refills as well as Traveler’s Company and Yamamoto Ro-Biki paper refills. Fans of Lochby’s waxed canvas construction should enjoy having this option.

5. Shorthand Press Notepads. We always get requests to bring in more desk pads, and especially undated calendar pads like these from Shorthand, though I also like their task pads and simple lined notepads.

6. Notsu Weekly Planning Pad. Along with the Shorthand Calendar Pad, the Notsu Weekly Planning Pad is a good replacement for the now-discontinued Write Notepads undated weekly planner. This letter-sized pad allows you to easily view your entire week at a glance.

7. Anecdote Goods “The Journal” and “The Journal Pocket”. Anecdote notebooks feature a tactile buckram cover and either dot grid or lined paper. We recently added the "Mini” pocket journals as well.

8. Anecdote Goods Correspondence Cards. One of the most requested items for the shop has been folded correspondence cards to use for thank-you notes and letters. This simple series from Anecdote features 300g cardstock and a series of tasteful motifs.

9. Colorverse Nebula Note “Casual” Spiral Notebooks. Nebula note paper is both tactile and ink friendly, meaning it’s excellent for both ink and pencil. Perforated pages allow you to also remove individual sheets and file them away in your binder system or other means of storage/organization.

10. Stálogy 365-Day and Half-Year Special Colors. Stálogy recently dropped their 2025 special release colors, which are a dark Cacao Brown, Lake Blue, and a lighter Cloud Grey. All of these feature the grey rulings which can be used as an undated planner or a standard notebook!

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Oh, yes, and I forgot that we added the entire line of Kuru-Toga KS Mechanical Pencils, including some limited pastel releases!

New Arrivals: Notebooks and Classic Stationery from Shorthand Press and Anecdote!

Write Notepads’ decision to exit the retail market earlier this year left a gap in our lineup for quality U.S.-made stationery, which might become especially important in the immediate future given global trade conditions. I’m happy to announce that we’ve added items from Los Angeles-based Shorthand Press to our lineup, including their gorgeous “Standard Notebook” featuring letterpress covers, as well as printed notepads featuring weekly undated calendar layouts, task lists, and standard line formats.

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The Shorthand Calendar Pad comes with 26 sheets, each of which contains 5 undated weeks.

We’ve also restocked on the Anecdote Hardcover A5 Journals in dot grid, while adding the “Pocket Journal” Mini format, which is a 3.5” x 5.5” hardcover lined notebook that’s perfect for writing on the go. Finally, we’ve introduced an item that’s been requested by both our online and in-store customers: correspondence cards, featuring some simple designs that keep the emphasis on the writing. Be sure to check out these and more as we will be busy adding new items over the next several weeks!

Come see these and more in-shop! We are open regular hours this week, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday, before we take some time off for vacation July 13-20. Online orders will continue to be processed during this time.

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The Anecdote Pocket Mini Hardcover Journals are available in all the same colors, in Anecdote’s signature buckram cover.

New Arrivals: Classic Inks from Private Reserve (Bottles and Cartridges!)

I’m a fan of underappreciated brands, especially those that have been around for a long time, and so along those lines, for the past few months we’ve been working to bring in Private Reserve Inks. As of this weekend, they are available for purchase in both bottle and cartridge form! The 60ml Private Reserve bottle is something of an icon, because it holds a ton of ink and has a wide “jam jar” mouth that makes it easier to fill pens with larger nibs. Private Reserve cartridges use the short international format, which means that they will work with any brand that does not have its own proprietary cartridge (Pilot, Lamy, Sailor, etc.). The best thing about Private Reserve cartridges is that they are available in nearly every color, and we’ve instantly been able to nearly double the range of ink cartridges we carry.

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Private Reserve was originally a family-owned brand based in Indiana, and has passed through the hands of multiple owners during its 25 years in existence. The current owner is Yafa Brands, which also distributes Diplomat, Monteverde, and more, and the current version of the ink is very good. Private Reserve tends to be more saturated than other brands, and is known for it’s bold colors such as D.C. Supershow Blue - an attempted clone of the long-discontinued Parker Penman Sapphire that is so coveted by ink collectors. Other personal favorites from this line include Burgundy Mist (which was my first favorite burgundy ink), and “Avocado” (famous for years because the name was misspelled “Avacado” on the label). I’ve had some fun exploring some of these, especially the black-infused “Ebony” line of colors.

Private Reserve Ink is priced at $18 for a 60ml bottle, and $7 for a pack of 12 cartridges. Swatches of all the colors are available to browse online and in-store. Come see us this week, and note that we have special hours on July 3rd and 4th. Saturday hours of operation will be per the usual 10am-6pm.

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