If you’re looking for fountain pen friendly notebooks, the choices can be pretty overwhelming. I’m not just talking about options like lined versus grid paper. I’m talking about the sheer number of manufacturers who are making amazing notebooks these days. And it’s not just one per manufacturer! Some companies like Life have many different options available. How are you supposed …
Once again, I have found a new brand of notebook that I haven’t tried before. This is always something that excites me. I know most of the brands that are on the market and know which ones I like (and which ones I don’t), so finding something new is always a welcome surprise. I picked up a Kyokuto Expedient notebook …
While the world may have significantly changed for all of us over the past 6 months, there’s always room for something new. In this case, I hope you’re ready for some new paper! As you probably know, I have tried out many different types of paper and have quite a few that I love, but don’t have easy access to. …
I’m always a little excited to come across a notebook brand that is less common or that I’ve never heard of before. Years ago I came across this Figurare notebook in San Francisco’s Japantown and picked it up. Even though I’m not a huge fan of spiral-bound notebooks, the paper felt great, so I was hopeful that it would be …
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with John West for his new podcast, Stationery Orbit. This was my first time being interviewed for anything (other than a job), so it was definitely a memorable experience. We talked about paper, vintage ink, my favorite fountain pen, that time I was part of an event at the Smithsonian, …
A while back I read a post from UK Fountain Pens where he talked about his list of “forever inks”, which is inspired by a post on Fountain Pen Network asking “if you had to rebuild your ink collection from scratch, what would your initial selections be?”. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since reading his blog …
Paper is one of those thing that many people don’t find very exciting. In the world of fountain pens, pens and inks usually make the headlines and get all of the press. It takes a lot for a new paper to get people excited. Recently though, a paper that many people hadn’t heard of before started getting a lot of …
Writing letters can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ways to use a fountain pen. It gives you a chance to choose a pen, ink and paper that highlights your personal preferences and write something that someone else gets to enjoy. The first time you sit down to write to someone new can be a little daunting, though. …
If you’ve ever tried to photograph your fountain pen nib using a macro lens, you’re probably aware of how frustrating it can be trying to get everything in focus. It seems like no matter what you do, a small part of the nib is in focus, while a big part of the nib is out of focus. Unfortunately, due to …
One of the biggest questions many people who are somewhat new to fountain pens have is what is the difference between an expensive fountain pen and an inexpensive fountain pen? It is really worth spending hundreds or even thousands more on a pen? In this post I want to talk about some of the more significant differences between expensive and …