Thursday Drops: New Ink Arrivals from Diamine and Waterman, Plus More TRAVELER'S and MD Paper!

We’re busy getting the store stocked for the summer season here in Nashville, and for online! We recently received a restock of Diamine Ink, including coveted colors like Writer’s Blood, Oxblood, Red Dragon, and more, in addition to several bottles of past Inkvent series (with the Black Series being my favorite). We continue to have limited stock of TRAVELER’S Notebooks, with distributor availability remaining low, so if you’ve been looking for a Standard size don’t sleep on these as the timing of any restock is always unclear.

Finally, we are steadily building out our stock of Pilot pens, including not just the recently arrived Custom 845 Urushi in Prussian Blue, but also additional nib sizes in the Custom 912 line, and more stock of favorites like the Custom Heritage 92, Capless Decimo and the Custom 74.

Come see these and more in-store during normal hours this week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday.

1. Diamine Inks, including Writer’s Blood, Oxblood, and Red Dragon. Yes, we restocked on all of our favorite red inks, including these three that are perennial top sellers.

2. Diamine Inkvent Series Bottled Inks. Each year Diamine releases the colors from the previous year’s Inkvent calendar in 50ml bottles. We currently have a small selection of a handful of colors, including some of our favorite Inkvent shimmer inks and multi-shaders!

3. Waterman Bottled Ink. The Violet (now “Tender Purple”) was a favorite inks for a long time, and we’re glad to now offer it. We will be adding additional colors as they come in stock.

4. TRAVELER’S Notebook Standard Size. We have a small number of Standard TRAVELER’S Notebooks in Brown. Unfortunately these continue to be in short supply and we will list these covers as we have them.

5. Craft Design Technology Leather Cases and Sleeves. When we last restocked on Craft Design Technology products, we added a wide selection of leather goods that include pen cases, pen sleeves, and portfolios. I took several of these to Japan with me and they travel well.

6. Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Fountain Pen in Prussian Blue. Additional nib sizes are now available! Pilot’s latest Custom 845 release features a deep Prussian Blue lacquer in a more compact format than the larger Custom Urushi. This pen also has a wonderful 18k gold nib.

7. Lamy Safari Neon Pink and Neon Yellow Special Edition Pens and Pencils. The latest Safari release is here! This year’s release features two bright colors in all pen formats and the .5mm pencil. The Neon Yellow with black trim is the current favorite.

8. Pentel Tradio and Pulaman Plastic Tip Fountain Pens. One of the big hits of the latest TGS Curated Box, the Pentel Tradio is a fineliner designed to feel like a fountain pen. The Pulaman is a disposable/non-refillable version of the same. We also stock the CDT Dark Green signature Tradio.

9. Life “Airmail” Onionskin Writing Pads. While the envelopes continue to be in short supply, we have received a restock of the coveted Life Airmail writing pads. Life’s Onionskin paper is some of the lightest, thinnest fountain pen friendly paper out there.

10. Kobeha Graphilo Notebooks. One thing we noticed in Japan is the enduring popularity of the Square notebook format. Graphilo makes some of the most ink friendly paper available, and the notebooks are available in A5 and A5 Square sizes.

So happy to finally be able to add these after a bit of a wait!

Weekly Drops: Pilot Custom 845 in Prussian Blue, OnionBrand A5, and More Traveler's Notebooks!

This week’s new arrivals include our first Urushi lacquer fountain pen, the Pilot Custom 845 in the newly released Prussian Blue finish! We also have additional nib sizes of the Pilot Custom 912, including FM (fine medium) and SFM (soft fine medium), which might be my two favorite nib sizes in the Pilot lineup. Last but not least on the pen side, the new Paul Smith + Caran d’Ache collaboration has arrived, with two new 849 ballpoint pens that pair satin black and raw metal finishes with a more subtle take on Paul Smith’s signature stripes.

On the notebook side, we have additional stock of the OnionBrand A5 leather covers, as well as a small shipment of standard size Traveler’s notebooks in Brown, Camel, and Olive.

Come see these and more in-store during normal hours this week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday.

1. Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Fountain Pen. The Custom 845 Urushi in Prussian Blue is the latest addition to Pilot’s North American “Custom” lineup. We have a limited shipment with more on the way. I love to see an option other than red and black.

2. Caran d’Ache x Paul Smith 5th Edition Ballpoint. The fifth rendition of the Paul Smith 849 ballpoint is here, with two finishes: satin black and raw silver. These pens offer a more subtle take on Paul Smith’s signature stripes.

3. TRAVELER’S Company Standard TRAVELER’S Notebooks. Yes, we have a small shipment of TRAVELER’S standard size notebooks currently in stock. These have been in high demand and sold out for some time, though we are restocking as we can.

4. OnionBrand A5 Leather Notebook Covers. These handmade leather notebook covers use a cord-based binding system and are made by a local artisan in our hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. We have Tanner’s Claret and Olde Walnut finishes currently available.

5. MD Product Dot Grid A5 Notebooks. As MD Product completes its rebrand, more notebook sizes and rulings are becoming available. The A5 notebook is now available in dot grid once again (formerly the Midori Notebook Journal).

6. Pilot Custom 912 Fountain Pens. The Pilot Custom 912 series features a classic flat-top silhouette with a sword clip, and the best part is that you can choose from Pilot’s many specialty nib sizes. We recently received my personal favorite FM (fine medium) and SFM (soft fine medium) nibs, in addition to the Waverly and PO nibs.

7. Pilot Kakuno Madoromi Restock. Kakunos have been selling like crazy in-store and online, mainly because people have been discovering how great these pens are for beginners and experienced users alike. The Madoromi (“Drowsy series”) limited edition is once again available.

8. Pilot Kakuno Standard Restock. The standard Kakuno (clear finishes) are also once again available, in addition to the Madoromi editions.

9. Life Airmail Stationery Pads. While we do not have the matching envelopes at this time, we do have stock of the Life Airmail onionskin writing pads.

10. Life Noble Note Paper. We received a shipment of Life Noble Note notebooks, including now in B6. We also continue to have stock of the Life 6-ring binder refills.

OnionBrand A5 Notebook Cover in “Olde Walnut” finish.

Thursday Drops: Filling in the Gaps with Pilot and Kaweco, Plus a Major Lochby Restock and MYSTERY BOXES!

The theme from this month so far has been “filling in the gaps” with core offerings from brands like Pilot and Kaweco that we have been meaning to offer but due to availability and/or space issues, have not been able to stock until recently! This week, we received a large shipment of Pilot Metropolitan fountain pens and rollerballs/ballpoints, as well as Pilot Parallels and Kaweco Sport rollerballs, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils. You should now be able to complete fountain pen and ballpoint/pencil sets. We’ve also restocked on most of our Lochby cases - including the popular Field Sling - and have added all of the Lochby 6-ring Field Binders, which is an exciting addition to their lineup.

Last but not least, we’ve assembled a series of curated Mystery Boxes in our Clearance section! These were made available to T.G.S. Patreon Members yesterday, and we have several additional boxes left for the general readership. Please read the product description for what each box entails. It’s been a lot of fun to put these together over the past few days.

Come see these and more in person this weekend! We are open standard hours, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check our posted shop hours for any updates.

1. Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pens. We’ve added the excellent Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen to our general lineup. Available not just in fine and medium, but also in the unique medium stub/italic.

2. Pilot Metropolitan Ballpoints and Rollerballs. An often overlooked daily driver, the Metropolitan rollerball accepts Pilot G2 and other similarly sized refills, and the ballpoint uses the excellent Dr. Grip-style cartridge.

3. Pilot Custom 912. We now have the Pilot Custom 912 in all “soft” nib designations, including my favorite Soft Fine Medium! For an overview of Pilot’s “Custom” series and where the Custom 912 fits in, check out this post from a couple weeks ago.

4. Pilot Parallel Calligraphy Pens. One popular in-store request has been for the Pilot Parallel series of calligraphy pens, featuring Pilot’s “parallel plate” nibs in sizes ranging from 1.5mm all the way up to 6.0mm.

5. TWSBI Vac700R. We’ve restocked on TWSBI’s Vac700R, including the standard clear version as well as what looks like it may be the last run of Kyanite Blue, so don’t sleep on those if you want one.

6. Kaweco Classic Sport Ballpoints, Rollerballs, and Mechanical Pencils. Looking for a rollerball, ballpoint, or mechanical pencil to match your Kaweco fountain pen? The rollerball takes the universal Parker-style refill, and the ballpoint is a D1, so you can mix and match refill styles to create whatever type of pen you want, really.

7. Platinum Preppy Black Limited Editions. Platinum’s latest limited edition Preppy release is an all-Black version (with yellow, white, or orange writing). It’s a sharp looking update to the Preppy and I hope they make this a standard.

8. Lochby Field Binders (6-Ring). Lochby brings the popular 6-ring binder format to its line of waxed canvas covers. Available in A5, A6, and A7, you can also purchase 68g Tomoe River 6-ring refills.

9. Lochby Sidekick v.2. The Sidekick is back (in Charcoal, at least). Lochby’s A7 wallet/pocket notebook cover returns after a bit of a redesign, including the incorporation of RFID blocking technology.

10. Lochby Field Sling. Last but not least, the popular “Field Sling” A5 bag returns in all colors. We have these available to see in-person in store as well.

Our sample closet needs cleaning out!

Thursday Drops: New Inks from Tono & Lims, TV-Inspired Blackwings, and More Lamy Studios!

After an extended detour courtesy of Fedex, our most recent shipment of Tono & Lims Fountain pen inks has arrived! We’ve added additional inks from the Friendship line, including the entire “Bechorium” series, selections from the Remastered Limited Edition lines, and the new “Deep Field” inks that include some of the craziest multi-shading inks I’ve used. On the ink side, we’ve also restocked on Herbin 1670 Anniversary shimmer inks, the Colorverse Top 3 pen and ink sets, and Anderillium Inks!

The latest shimmer ink from the Tono & Lims Bechorium Series (part of the “Friendship” line).

Since graduation season already has started, we thought it might be helpful to spotlight a couple of gift ideas for graduation presents. The Lamy Studio and Lamy Swift are go-to recommendations, since they feature a modern design and and accessible price point. We recently added rollerball and ballpoint versions of the standard Studio to our lineup.

Come see these and more in person this weekend! We are open standard hours, 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and 10am-6pm on Saturday. Be sure to check our posted shop hours for any updates.

1. Tono & Lims “Deep Field” Fountain Pens Inks. Or “Deeep Field”, as they sometimes style it! These two inks, “Laniakea” and “Great Attractor”, might be my favorite from this most recent batch, showing some of the wildest multi-shading out there.

2. Tono & Lims Remastered Limited Edition Fountain Pen Inks. How did they come up with the hundreds of inks in their lines? Many of them are exclusives made for shops and pen shows around the world, but Tono & Lims recently has started to “remaster” and release certain of these show inks for the overseas market. We have eight or so currently in stock, many of which showcase lots of shading.

3. Tono & Lims “Friendship Line” Fountain Pen Inks. Our last batch of inks included “Bechorium Chloride,” a shading green with shimmer, and we’ve added three other inks from the Bechorium series that complement this one. You can see these (along with their swatches) in-store.

4. MD Product Cotton A5 Notebooks. We use MD Cotton paper to swatch all of our inks, as I love how this paper reproduces color. It’s also an excellent workhorse ink for everyday writing, as it’s more absorbent while remaining fountain pen friendly. Cotton paper has better dry times than coated papers like Tomoe River or Clairefontaine. Also available in writing pad format.

5. Colorverse Colorvent “Top 3” Pen & Ink Sets. Each year following the release of the annual “Colorvent” Calendar, Colorverse has released a selection of the Top 3 inks from that year’s calendar in larger bottles and an exclusive set. This year’s set finally arrived, and features three bottles of ink plus a fountain pen!

6. Blackwing Volume 343 (The TV Pencil). Anyone of a certain age (including my own) will recognize this color pattern! The latest Blackwing pencil release features extra-firm graphite in addition to the classic TV test pattern.

7. Herbin 1670 Anniversary Inks. This line of shimmer inks includes some classics like Emerald of Chivor and the more recently released Opale Nocturne. We now offer smaller 15ml bottles in addition to the larger 50ml.

8. Lamy Studio Pens. It’s graduation season, and we’ve restocked on one of the best all-around “gifting pens” out there - the Lamy Studio. Available not just in a fountain pen format but in an excellent rollerball and ballpoint, the Studio makes a reasonably priced, modern gift for graduates at any level. Special edition colors are also available.

9. Lamy Swift Capless Rollerball. Those looking for a capless pen should consider the Lamy Swift. An excellent workhorse, it likewise makes a great gift or just an everyday driver for yourself. Read more about why we like this pen here.

10. Nicolau Washi Tape. Our friend Nick Dominguez (who also designed our exclusive Rickshaw design) has released his first round of washi tapes! These look amazing, so be sure to pick one up while this first batch is still available.

Thursday Drops: New Arrivals from Craft Design Technology, EMOTT Fineliners, and 40+ Zebra Mildliners!

Is this week’s theme markers and highlighters? Maybe so. I teased that a bit with my Mildliner reference in Episode 8 of On The Paper Trail (released yesterday!). We have 40+ different colors of Zebra’s signature dual-tip highlighters, to complement the ultra-precise Pilot Kiri-Na and a recent shipment of Pilot Frixion highlighters that are a collaboration with Craft Design Technology.

Speaking of, we’ve received a full restock of Craft Design Technology products, including old favorites as well as new arrivals. All CDT multi pens are once again available, as well as the Frixion highlighters and the new NJK Pencil Sharpeners. Last but not least, the Platinum Preppy “Black Edition” is here!

See these and more in-person! Come visit us in our Nashville store this weekend from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday.

1. Zebra Mildliners (40+ Colors!). We now carry Zebra’s popular “Mildliner” highlighters in 40+ different colors. Mildliners are known for their soft color palette and dual tips, with both a traditional “chisel-tip” highlighter and a finer marker for fine highlighting and annotations.

2. Uni EMOTT .4mm Fineliners Sets. The “EMOTT” fineliners are designed to deliver consistent line widths and to minimize wear and breakage on the top. Available in dozens of colors, we’ve chosen 12 different five-marker sets, which come with a small stand that allows you to keep them at the ready on your desk or even when you travel.

3. Platinum Preppy Black Edition. This limited/special edition Platinum Preppy release was a bit of a sleeper. Platinum has released its popular Preppy fountain pen in black. Each nib size has a different color writing on the barrel.

4. Craft Design Technology x NJK Long-Point Pencil Sharpener. CDT partnered with one of my favorite stationery companies, NJK, to create a custom version of their classic long-point pencil sharpener.

5. Craft Design Technology x Camel Wood Pencil Set. Need something to sharpen with your new CDT/NJK sharpener? Camel pencils feature the integrated eraser that sits flush with the barrel, and their graphite features an excellent combination of darkness and point retention.

6. Craft Design Technology x Pilot Frixion Highlighters. Over the years, Pilot has added multiple product categories to its Frixion line, including highlighters. The three markers that CDT has chosen here (yellow, blue and grey) are quite visible, and are available either individually or as a set of three.

7. Craft Design Technology x Pilot Frixion3 Multi Pen. We get regular requests for a Frixion multi pen, so guess what? The CDT Frixion3 is back. This is a sharp looking pen with its dark green barrel, a CDT signature.

8. Craft Design Technology A5 and A6 Memo Pads. While the mint green is (obviously) the most popular, there’s always a cream-colored paper option for you purists. These notepads feature a very small grid, but not quite as fine as Kleid.

9. Craft Design Technology Memo Roll Sticky Notes. Count me a fan of these sticky notes that come in a roll format and which you can cut down to the exact size you need. They’re also movable at least a few times, meaning that they can be peeled up and moved around as necessary.

10. Updated Correspondence Cards and Letter Sets. We’ve refreshed our stock of notecards and letter sets to include new Belle & Union icons, Graphilo letter pads, and more!