The Colorado pen show is one of a few pen shows that take place in a state that doesn’t touch an ocean. Chicago, Ohio, St. Louis, Detroit, and Colorado are all important shows to provide the experience to pen users in land locked states.

While the Colorado pen show is smaller than others, that doesn’t reflect the variety of items and events available at the event. I mean, look at the incredible variety of ink available at a single table! (Just to be transparent, I was the one selling this ink for the Dromgooles…)

The downside of working with a retailer at a show is that I have a limited amount of time to wander around and take great photos. But I’ve taken several photos from a single spot (my ink station) to try to give a feeling of the Colorado show.

One amazing point of the Colorado show is the help from the local pen club – the Colorado Pen Posse. In these photos, look for people in red shirts with white writing. They were always asking if they could help with anything, bring water, or if we had any issues. A hot lunch was delivered both Saturday and Sunday which helped us keep the table fully staffed through lunch.

Most of the tables in this show were in a single large conference room with surprisingly good lighting.

Pen Realm had specific show nibs that were only available during the show engraved with a great looking raven.

These photos were taken Friday evening before the busy time began.

This product — Bibliofile – was a new product sighting during the show – offered by Good Made Better. It’s an eye-catching way to carry all of your notebooks at once!

The Penwell is the other popular offer from Good Made Better.

Laughs were something that were never in short supply in Colorado!

Plenty of laughs!

My pen show purchases were not huge this time, but there was definitely a Traveler’s theme.

But the Color Changing Ink from Monteverde was the most exciting item in my opinion! I can’t wait to show these soon in a review!

I caught a few casual photos after the show was done on Saturday – good friends and plenty of drinks. The hotel offered a happy hour each evening, complete with free drinks, soda, juice, and snacks. It was a good time to relax for a few minutes and figure out what to do for dinner.

I’ve attended the Colorado pen show since it first started ten years ago and I do believe this was the best year I’ve seen so far. The show was well run, the hotel was helpful, the pen club was friendly, and the attendance was high.

Thank you to everyone who attended, sold, and purchased at the show this year.

I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store!

The post The Colorado Pen Show 2023 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Well, this won’t actually be a post analyzing a second year show. Not from the perspective of one who attended the first year, at least. I did not attend the first year Orlando Pen Show in 2022 but I did work at the Orlando Pen Show 2023 with the Dromgoole’s crew.

The show began Thursday evening for weekend pass holders – I know there was plenty of fun at the Thursday night pizza part and many items were raffled. However, Thursday night was set up night for our booth.

In my experience, the Dromgooles attempt to bring most of their store stock with them to a show. This is fabulous for individuals looking for items that are harder to find but can be tough on the backs of the people setting up the booth! But all tables were set up the evening before the show started.

I love the vast amount of ink on display at the Dromgooles table. And the display quality of these inks is incredible! Day 1 dawned with a nice volume of attendees looking for the wonders held within the showroom. The entrance room had tables for sitting and resting, a table full of donated ink for testing and playing, and a pen show exclusive ink for purchase. I do admire the pen show for their choice of theme colors – purple.

I wasn’t able to take many photos at the Orlando Pen Show this year, but those I did take have plenty of character. After a first day at the pen show, Marty and Kimberly (who help with Retro 51 and Rickshaw products) were happy to have time to sit down to a good meal and visit.

Christine and Michael Dromgoole were also happy to sit and eat. Michael loves his Dromgoole’s shirt enough to wear it even after hours!

My favorite Rickshaw fabric is this that I call Scruffy Kitty. I love his little pink toe beans! This pattern has been very popular in all styles of cases.

I was lucky enough to get a surprise visit from a famous pen star – Brad Dowdy. I asked if he would autograph a notebook but no one could find a pen…

The end of the second day of the show brought a large raffle to the show room floor with everyone gathered around. Pens created by independent pen makers were given away with the funds donated to the Reef Relief charity.

One downside of working at a vendor table is staring at a product all weekend. I was forced to purchase the Panda Hobonichi cover in the “Love It” pattern because I couldn’t bear to leave Panda behind. He now has a good home.

With a show so near Walt Disney World, there will be plenty of Disney products seen in the wild. My favorite siting was a Little Mermaid wallet disguised as a video tape cover!

The Orlando show was well-run from the point of view of a vendor. The presence of fast food nearby helped, cold water was always available, and attendance was managed well.

Did you go to the Orlando show as an attendee? What is your opinion on the show?

The post Show Recap: Orlando Pen Show appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Good News

First, in our Big Cartel shop, we have just relisted the Col-o-ring FOLIO ($40 each + $10 oversized shipping). We only make a small quantity of these pads at a time so place your order early to guarantee you get one from the new batch.

The Col-o-ring FOLIO is our biggest Col-o-ring product ever! It can double as a desk pad or drawing pad with 40 sheets of 12″ x 16″ original Col-o-ring paper (same 160gsm weight) and now with sturdier covers thanks to the fine work of Skylab Letterpress.

We ship the FOLIO out in large cardboard mailers and they weigh in at almost 4lbs so that’s why the shipping is high. We will be trying to bring these behemoths to some of the pen shows this year, so be sure to let me know what shows you’ll be attending and I’ll try to stuff a few extras in my suitcase.

We’ve also relisted our Ink Bottle Stamp Set ($40) on both Big Cartel and Etsy. These are miniature versions of the Ink Bottle (Short)  and Sample Vial plus the rare, discontinued Pedestal Bottle (if you know, you know) and the Classique Bottle ($10 on it’s own, if that’s how you roll).

We have also restock stickers, our Daily Grind and Compendium of Unfamiliars Nib Rubber Stamps and some of our postal-themed rubber stamps.

The Bad News

It’s a tale familiar to most of you that, in the current manufacturing climate, we have to announce that starting in March 2023, we will be raising the price on our Original Col-o-ring Ink Testing Books to $12. All other products are still the same price.

We have needed to do this for some time but we didn’t want to put undue pressure on our devoted customers. But we’ve hit a point where we feel the small bump will be acceptable to most everyone. Our paper distributor relocated to the other side of the country in 2020 and, on top of material costs, we have to pay shipping just to get our paper.

When we started the Col-o-ring project, our distributor was about two miles from the print shop and we could pick it up. During COVID, we figured that trying to keep people happy with our product was more important that trying to stay ahead of the curve.  What can we say? We both have art degrees, and not business degrees!

When we launched the Col-o-ring in 2017 (SIX YEARS AGO!!!), we had no idea it would be the success that it has become.

Thank you for being such a large part of this success.

The post Housekeeping: Shop Updates! appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

You may have recently heard rumors about Cosmo Air Light paper being discontinued and I am writing today to confirm that this is true – every type of Cosmo Air Light paper will no longer be manufactured as of… we don’t know. There is not yet information about the final date for this paper.

Daryl at Musubi broke the news earlier this week with an email that you can read on the Musubi website where you can also find a supply of Cosmo Air Light notebooks.

So what does this mean for paper in the fountain pen world? While Cosmo Air Light paper is being discontinued, it is not yet gone. Many small notebook manufacturers use Cosmo Air Light paper and loose paper is available.

I will still be reviewing inks on multiple types of paper including Cosmo Air Light, but these reviews will include new papers while I search for a good replacement. Please let us know if you find promising paper leads!

The post Newsflash: Cosmo Air Light appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

This week, The Desk is taking a little holiday to attend the Dallas Pen Show. If you are in the Dallas area, please come by the Dromgoole’s tables and say hello to Jesi and I. We will be your hostesses at the Dromgoole’s Ink Bar. The irony that we will be spending the whole weekend at “the bar” is not lost on us.

Come by. Say hello! Buy some ink!

We will back here in our digital home next week with Pen Show recaps, ink reviews and more.

The post The Desk is on Vacation This Week! appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

I’ve been working with the Dromgooles at shows this summer, setting up a rack with only ink (a LOT of it). This allows Michael and Larry Dromgoole to sell pens while I get to do one of my favorite things – talk about ink all day. It does give pen shows a different twist. I’m not able to wander around or shop during the show, I have to purchase items before the morning start or after we have closed for the day. It is, however, a great way to limit spending!

My pen show weekend started mid-Thursday. I flew into the San Francisco airport and posted briefly on Slack to see if anyone else was at the airport and looking to share a ride. Before long, this crazy sign was spotted!

I made sure to thank my driver. With coffee.

Kimberly was running between the airport and the pen show hotel. She was able to squeeze me into her very complex schedule, plus I got to see a friend first thing!

I checked into my room but I was called into the bar before I could put my suitcases away. More friends, with a cold beer waiting for me.

I’m never sure what color Jonathan Brooke’s hair will be at a show.

I haven’t been staying up late at pen shows this summer. With active kids at home, this is my chance to get more sleep.

7 am Friday I am setting up the ink shelves. So much ink.

At first, the show is quiet. A few early risers trickle in and I never have the correct inks out yet. But everyone is understanding and comes back an hour later. My current ink shelf setup takes 2-2.5 hours to get organized.

The show picks up speed quickly. By 10 am the show feels like it is full-swing, but it is only getting started.

People are everywhere. For the entire day, there are at least two customers looking for ink at the same time but typically four or five.

I fit in a few quick chats with other vendors. This is Sean from Pilot.

The first day passed in a blur. Suddenly I find myself in the bar again.

The Dromgoole’s group heads off campus to a swanky restaurant nearby. Parking seems to be an acquired skill in California!

A brief sleep and Saturday is overwhelming. There are so many people everywhere! The main ballroom is hot and stuffy, especially when you have the sun shining on your table all day. But it makes sparkly inks gorgeous.

I found my friend Greg roaming through the show with this sign – oddly he wasn’t actually buying pens. Every pen show brings a different mix of friends that I can only see at that show and Greg is one of them. The last time I was able to attend the SF show was 2019!

Other friends (like Kenro Cary) are at most pen shows throughout the year, but they are always a welcome sight as well.

On Sunday I was thrilled to see Kaoru at the Bungubox table along with her new husband! I snuck away from the ink table for a few minutes to make a quick purchase and steal a picture.

Before I know it, the pen show is done! The ink is packed up and on its way back to Houston with Larry Dromgoole. Just showing up at the bar, I find plenty of friends, pens, and paper. The food was excellent as well.

I love the shirt Angela wears to shows (inkyconverters).

I met the true love of my life at this show: Broccoli. She is the sweetest little puppy!

Unfortunately, my camera didn’t like the lighting at the bar. I took plenty of blurry photos, but I’m happy to have them. I’ve learned to appreciate every minute I get to see friends.

Even if they are goofy.

The big tables in the bar were all filled with pen people. The common themes wereexhaustion, laughter, and drinks.

And Leigh being mischievous.

Kimberly and Marty usually sell Retro 51 pens at shows but mixed it up in San Francisco with Rickshaw.

Franz and Daryl were spotted giggling at stupid text messages nearby.

And over in a corner, I spied someone trying to work on a post.

Angela nearly fell over trying to get photos of the group. Boxes in the background are a common site at the end of a show – I think I’ve seen the box at the bottom at half a dozen shows now.

I once again hitched a ride on the Pen Show Uber with Joe Crace and Jonathan Brooks. I’m not actually that much shorter – there was just no other space on the curb.

Safely on the plane, I watched checked luggage being handled with the utmost care.

This is why I hate checking bags.

Time to say goodbye to another San Francisco Pen Show. It is an amazing show with lots of work going on behind the scenes – thank you to everyone who made it such a success! My fingers are crossed that it won’t be another three years before I return – hopefully there are no more pandemics keeping us away!

The post Show Recap: 2022 San Francisco Pen Show appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Lots of praise for octopus, whales, dolphins, a whole school of fish, crabs, jellys and even a lot of praise for sea otters, walrus and penguins. Maybe Enigma Blanks will use these ideas for their next pen collab.

And now, for our winner:

Congrats, Jorge! I will be emailing you directly to arrange delivery!

Thanks again and we will have more giveaways in the future so stay tuned.

The post Giveaway Winner: Enigma Blanks Limited Edition Striped Jellyfish Fountain Pen appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Inside the world of fountain pens, there are several areas for people to focus. Some people concentrate on vintage pens, others love unique filling systems, and the list goes on. Personally, my favorite fountain pen focus is ink.

I first became interested in fountain pens when I saw the vast number of ink colors that are available. This interest soon became an obsession and I currently have too many inks (bottles, samples, cartridges) to keep track of without help. I fell back on a spreadsheet to keep track of my growing collection, but it wasn’t exactly useful other than a place I could look up ink to see if I already owned a sample before purchasing another!

Then the Fountain Pen Companion was created. Urban Hafner, a fountain pen person located in Germany, took on the challenge of ink tracking and created an online database where users can enter their inks, track them, and visualize their collections.

Over time, Urban has refined Fountain Pen Companion (or FPC) to include additional features including a friendlier ink entry screen, the ability to compare your ink collection to that of another user, an ink visualization tool, and plenty more.

The visuals don’t end with ink colors. Below is a chart of ink brands by volume.

I can’t talk about Fountain Pen Companion without also mentioning the Leader board. This is a board tracking the top 10 individuals in several areas like number of samples or total number of inks. This is a fun way to feel more in touch with fellow fountain pen people and ink collectors along with the community section and blog. Fountain pen ink reviews have recently been added to help with those new ink acquisitions.

Since this database came from the work of a single individual, I encourage people to think about supporting Urban’s work on his Patreon page. FPC lives on a server that Urban pays for, supports, and maintains.

One last feature I would like to point out – the Fountain Pen Companion has a mascot! The Fountain Pen Capybara was designed by Angela He (InkyConverters) and can be viewed on the FPC blog or on Angela’s Etsy shop (although it is temporarily closed until August).

As a side note, I am not affiliated with Fountain Pen Companion – I’m only a supporter and an avid user who thinks this is an amazing way to keep track of fountain pen ink. If you use FPC, leave a note or send a quick message of thanks to Urban!

The post Fountain Pen Companion appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Drum roll, please….

Clearly, I completely agree!

Winner will be contacted directly with the email provided. Thanks again and a big thanks to our Patrons who helped fund this giveaway and to Hinze Pens for making such awesome pens!

The post Winner: Hinze Pens Erste L12 Fountain Pen Gift Certificate appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Our good friend, Julia van der Wyk, is teaching Ink Wash Painting this August at the San Francisco Pen Show.

We all have way too many inks than we can use in a lifetime so thankfully, Julia will show you lots of painting techniques to allow you to use your fountain pen inks (and any ink really) to paint still life, from nature and much more.  Practice brush handling, experiment with water and paper, and create an art piece in her hands-on workshop.

Class is Sunday, August 28, 2022 from 1-3pm and tuition is $85 including materials. Class is limited to 15 students so you should probably register ASAP to ensure your place. Julia asks that you bring an object to use for your first still life. Check out her Instagram feed for some ideas.

Class fee is separate from pen show entry fee.

There are lots of other interesting classes on the docket for the SF Pen Show. I’ll be working at the show so I won’t be able to attend any classes but I’m looking forward to living vicariously through anyone who is attending the classes.

The post Shameless Plug: Julia van der Wyk’s Ink Wash Painting Class appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.