View this post on Instagram

A post shared by May Day Paper & Post (@maydaypaperandpost)

This past Friday while Ana was at the St. Louis Pen Show, I drove up to check it out! The store is super cute, set in midtown Kansas City. It has a fun, curated collection of greeting cards, notebooks and notecards, journals, stickers, mugs, wrapping paper and other giftables. To be clear, this isn’t a pen store. They did have a fun selection of Gelly Roll pens and a few roller balls and ball points, but it’s primarily about the paper. It’s whimsical, and the owner definitely has a sense of humor.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by May Day Paper & Post (@maydaypaperandpost)

I was restrained but found a few cute cards on the long wall. My selections were from Black and White and Red All Over and A Zillion Dollars. Both cards are printed nicely, and use recycled content for both the cards and envelopes.

I saw many of the familiar notebooks (Maruman, Kleid, Leuchtturm, and more), plus some from companies I hadn’t heard from. I did pick up one notebook – I’ll share my thoughts on it next week!

Overall it’s a cute shop, and if you’re in the Kansas City area, you won’t be disappointed if you stop by! And if you’re looking for a fun new shop to support, you can also shop online!

P.S. If you stop by, make sure you give shop dog Lucy lots of pets!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by May Day Paper & Post (@maydaypaperandpost)

The post A new stationery store: May Day Paper & Post appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Greer Chicago – Ana gave this one a thumbs up as she has shopped there both in person and online and loves it. Greeting cards, stationery, notebooks, planners and more!

Cloth and Paper– In addition to gorgeous planning supplies with a modern aesthetic, I really love the idea of Cloth and Paper’s subscription boxes full of planning and stationery products.

Arrivista – It’s no secret that I love bright color and lots of it. I was taken with these notebooks that go along with the Arrivista planners.

Aya Paper Co. – Do you like to shop sustainable? These greeting cards look gorgeous and are made from recycled paper produced locally with on eco-friendly packaging. I love their page on sustainability.

But seriously, check out the rest of the list!

The post Black Owned Planner and Stationery Companies appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

At the end of the year Ana and I thought we could feature what stationery gifts we enjoyed over the holidays. The only problem, I told her, was that I didn’t think I was getting any such gifts. But I was wrong! My boss spent most of December in Italy and she returned with presents for everyone.

I was tickled because she brought me a wax sealing stamp with my initials, and some gorgeous stationery from Florence. Part of the reason I was tickled is because I STILL have a package of stationery that I bought in Florence when I was there over 25 years ago. Regardless, the gifts are thoughtful and were just the kind of high note to end the year on.

Yesterday morning I rolled out of bed and into my office totally unprepared for another year. However, at least I had my planner needs covered. This year I ordered another Year of the Calendar planner. This year’s version, 2022, is the Year of the Snoop.

Last year I purchased and reviewed 2021: The Year of the Optimist. Despite the fact that last year didn’t turn out as planned, I did use the crap out of that planner. It proved to be the perfect planner to organize my work life. Daily boxes allowed me to keep a running to do list for each day, as well as note deadlines and appointments. I admittedly didn’t use a lot of the other features that much, but the cardstock pages handle any of my inks (fountain pen, gel, rollerball and more) beautifully and I never ran out of space. So I got this year’s model, which even comes with invisible ink! I may not be ready for 2022, but my planner is!

Wishing you a wonderful week of starts to the year. Next week I’ll give you more of a proper review!

The post A little old… a little new. appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The biggest distinction between Announcements envelopes and Baronial was that announcement envelopes originally had square flaps and baronial had pointed, triangle flaps. At some point though, envelope converters and paper companies made it possible to get envelopes with either square or pointed flaps. 

There are several other envelope categories like business envelopes (the Classic no. 10 envelope holds a sheet of US letter paper folded in thirds), catalog envelopes, remittance, coin, etc. and, depending on the source you use, these envelopes can have square flaps or pointed flaps. Of course, you can have custom envelopes produced with different flap shapes and a different size but that just muddies the waters when talking about the standard options and the arcane naming systems. 

The European “A” size is based on the paper size and the original uncut sheet of paper that was used. A-size paper starts with a full sheet at 841 x 1189mm (33.1 x 46.8 inches). When cut in half on the long edge those two sheets are considered A1, an A1 cut in half becomes two sheets of A2. Once an A2 sheet is cut in half to become A3 (297 x 420mm or 11.7 x 16.5 inches), the sheets become more manageable sizes and comparable to US ledger sized paper (11×17”). Then that sheet is cut to create the European A4 or standard letter-sized sheet (210x297mm or 8.3×11.7”). The sheet is continually cut in halves to the A10 measurement which creates tiny pieces of paper just 26x37mm or 1×1.5”. I can’t imagine that paper companies or mills find that size needed very often. I seldom see mention of stationery paper smaller than A6 or A7.

So, if you ever find yourself wondering who in the world would be selling A2-sized cards and envelopes and thinking “that sounds enormous!” Consider the likelihood that it is an American vendor referencing the A-size based on Announcement envelopes and not the A-size based in European paper sizes. 

The post What’s Up With “A” sizing? appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

La Paper Lover is an Etsy shop that produces a line of Snail Mail Kits as well as a variety of other paper products. The Snail Mail Kits all feature foil stamping and/or screenprinting for vibrant looks.  There are  three designs available: Pansies, Air Mail and Telegram. Each style comes in a variety of color choices though the owner of the shop recommends the lighter paper stock colors for use with fountain pens. The darker paper colors work better with gel pens or other tools.

The Not Your Granny’s Air Mail Stationery Kits are available in a dizzying array of colors. The owner of LA Paper Lover, Esmeralda sent me a few sheets of paper and an envelope for the colors she thought would most appeal to the fountain pen community: white paper with pink & blue foil, yellow paper with blue & white foil, pale pink with white and gold foil and the classic white with red & blue foil (white or kraft envelope options).  The Air Mail Stationery Kits feature three A6 envelopes (US A6 envelope size which does not relate to European paper sizes AT ALL. It measures 4 3/4″ x 6 1/2″) and nine sheets of 6″ x 8.5″ paper that can be folded in half to fit into the envelopes. Each set is $15 each and shipping is free in the US.

The Pansies set features three, large A7 (US A7 envelope sized — not EU A7  5 1/4″ x 7 1/4″. I know, it’s all so confusing!) envelope with 12 flat sheets of writing paper. The Pansies Set is $14.50 with free shipping in the US too.

The Telegram sets also feature all feature three, large A7 (US A7 envelope sized — not EU A7  5 1/4″ x 7 1/4″. I know, it’s all so confusing!) envelope with 12 flat sheets of writing paper. The paper in all the Telegram sets is white but shoppers can choose envelope colors from the available inventory. Current colors listed are lavender, red, and turquoise. Each set sells for $14.50 and includes free shipping in the US.

All sets use paper that is 70# text weight.  Esmeralda sent along some gorgeous writing samples — far nicer than anything I could do.

There was ZERO show through or bleed through on the reverse of the samples that Esmeralda sent.

Esmeralda’s penmanship is top notch! I wonder if she does a lot of work for weddings?

I just think the LA Paper Lover Snail Mail Kits are excellent — the packaging, the foil stamping, the typography— and I am a TYPE SNOB so that’s saying something. These are worth the investment and will make your correspondence extra special! I can’t wait to send these to my favorite pen pals.

Prices for envelope sets start at $5 and Snail Mail letter kits start as $14.50.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by LA Paper Lover for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Stationery Overview: LA Paper Lover Snail Mail Kits appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Otherwise grab a cup of your favorite beverage, a project (knitting anyone?) and give these a listen!

(In alphabetical order.)

1857: Join Stuart and TJ, two guys talking about analogue pursuits in a digital world – and a fair amount of nonsense too. Make the Past, the Present in the Future, this is 1857.

The Bent Tines: Hosted by Kat and Matthew and focuses on fountain pens and ephemera, the people in the pen community community, and other topics like food and drink, home ownership, art, and life.

Erasable: Join Andy, Johnny and Tim as they explore their love of pencils and, more recently in the pandemic, their newfound love of pens!

Fountain Pen Companion: Urban, Ana, and Daniel podcast about fountain pens and related stationery items with a European perspective.

The Nib Section: This podcast features rotating hosts in a roundtable discussion podcast about fountain pens, ink and the people who go crazy for them, from Fountain Pens Oceania.

The Pen Addict: Brad & Myke host a long-running podcast that’s your weekly fix for all things stationery. They love pens, pencils and Sailors with an unholy devotion. You’ll find the latest pen industry news here, as well as links to Kickstarters, new releases and more.

The Pentertainment Podcast: Join PenBoyRoy for all things fountain pens (yammer and more!)

RSVP: Dade, Less and Lenore chat about all things stationery! I love their discussions of journaling, gameplaying and other analog hobbies that make use of the items we love.

Tinterías: A podcast in Spanish about all things fountain pen related! (Un podcast sobre la estilográfica y los materiales de papeler.)

Tokyo Inklings: Join CY and Jacob as they share two Tokyoites’ insider views on the Japanese fountain pen world. Japan has a HUGE stationery market, much of it hard to find for Westerners – get the inside scoop from these two!

There are also a few folks that host streams that are not quite podcasts. We’ve added those here in case you want to give them a try!

Inkdependence: Mike and his wife Audrey (the Nib Doctor at Franklin Christoph) host a weekly Friday “happy hour” live on YouTube which is my “don’t miss” at the end of the week.

The Pen Addict: Brad from the Pen Addict streams on Twitch several times a week. From unboxings to what’s on his desk on any given day, he’s got more pen content and live chats for you!

Again, if we’ve missed anyone please let us know in the comments below!

9/21/20 Edited to add a few recommendations from our readers!

The Stationery Cafe: Enjoy candid conversations between the co-hosts April and Phyllis, or journaling-related topics with artists and stationery enthusiasts.

Stationery Orbit: Do you love fountain pens, ink, wax seals, and stationery as much as John does?

The post Inky Ears: Stationery Podcast Roundup appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Write a love letter or a haiku or anecdote or a promise of something you’ll do together once our forced separation/isolation is over.

Pop them in the mail or tuck them into a drawer or cupboard, stick them to the fridge or hide them under a pillow.

The paper is a little toothy but handled my fountain pen just fine as well as my typewriter.

For whatever reason, the little envelopes don’t fit sideways in the box. You would think they should but they are a little too wide. I suppose since the paper fits in the bottom and the envelopes are wider than the paper it makes sense but it annoys me.

The only downside I see with these notes is a lack of space on the front to write an address. I made due with some label stickers I had floating around.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Princeton Architectural Press for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

The post Eye Candy: Princeton Architectural Press Little Notes appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Recently I received a gift from a penpal that included a pad of Life Airmail paper ($6.50 for 50 sheets at JetPens) and the corresponding Airmail envelopes ($4.50 for 10 envelopes at Jet Pens).  Immediately I had flashbacks to days in elementary school when I had an international penpal and used airmail paper. I wasn’t a great penpal back then.  But I did love the stationery! Airmail as a service was actually discontinued in 1975 when it was brought under the United States Postal Service, but fans of the stationery can still find it today.

Airmail paper and envelopes were specifically designed to be as lightweight as possible, and the paper was often referred to as onion skin paper (just for the resemblance.  It was not made from onions). Weight was an essential feature when using an airmail service for delivering mail more quickly, either within the US or overseas.  Every portion of an ounce counted – paper is heavy!

As for Airmail or onion skin paper, this material typically weighs around 25-40 gsm (grams per square meter).  Compare that to the typical Rhodia paper (80 gsm) or even Tomoe River paper (52 or 68 gsm). The paper is wonderfully crinkly and crisp and also transparent.  Some may be turned off by this translucence, thinking that it makes text difficult to read, but I have not found it to be an issue.  In fact, if a piece of dark paper is placed under the sheet, you can even write on both sides. You can see in the photo below – the paper is barely there. This also makes it the best paper to use with a template (thoughtfully provided with the pad, one side for horizontal and the other for vertical lines) while writing; your writing looks neat and straight without the lines.

To test how the paper stands up to ink, I used plenty of varieties.  Bungubox Sapphire produced a stunning sheen, more than I usually see on Tomoe paper.  the Pilot Precise V5 pens both had a slight issue with feathering. There was no feathering with either of the fountain pen inks; Robert Oster Blue-Black showed wonderful shading as well. The Sharpie was what shocked me.  I don’t think I’ve found a type of paper that can take Sharpie marker without bleed-through.  I have now found the first.  Even though it is the brightest writing that can be seen on the back side of the sheet, the Sharpie never bled through the paper.

Later, I tried a light watercolor wash. The paper took the paint well, it dried quickly and the color stayed true.  Show-through was present but not terrible.  However, the paper did wrinkle significantly.

The texture of Life Airmail paper is wonderful in my opinion.  It isn’t the type of paper you would want to have in a library — it is loud when handled!  Imagine thin wrapping paper or thick tissue paper used for gifts.  Writing on the paper, however, does not make noise.  I found every writing instrument easy to use, the paper has a slight tooth to it, ink dries quickly and doesn’t smear.  When using the entire page, you may want to use another piece of paper to protect the sheet beneath your hand from oils; by the end of the letter, your pen could start skipping if your hand has left anything behind.

The Life Airmail envelopes are also quite lightweight and are lined with a safety layer to prevent wandering eyes from reading your mail.  I use a Pilot Address Pen ($2.50 from Jet Pens) that is waterproof and loved by Post Office machines everywhere. The envelopes took the ink without bleed-through. One thing to be careful with, however: do not lick the envelope to seal it.  Instead, remove the piece of paper protecting the ready-to-go adhesive.  If you lick this paper, you will feel quite silly and hope no one was watching.

I did learn that international envelopes were not only made of very thin paper, but the red and blue stripes on the edges signaled to those sorting the mail that this was a letter from the US (or England – they used the same colors) and was to be sorted into the international mail pile.

Overall, I highly recommend this paper pad and envelopes.  The texture and tactile feel of the paper gives a little extra specialness to correspondence. For $11, you can make your next ten letters bring a bigger smile to those on the receiving end and enjoy the writing of those letters a bit more.

If you would like to know more about the history of Airmail, especially the messy details, I highly recommend this article!

Airmail Service: It Began with Army Air Service Pilots

Disclaimer: Everything from this review was purchased by me. Ok, it was actually purchased by my penpal and sent to me.  But it was a gift, so it still counts as mine. Thank you, Penpal!

The post Paper Review: Life Airmail appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Zack asks:

I have been looking for a full-sized green/teal body fountain pen for the longest time. I haven’t seen many that are within my budget of <$200 that are to my liking. I was wondering if you have any in mind that could fit my specifications. Nib material is not important, but of course if 14k gold is within the budget, that is the best. I’d like to fill them with my everyday inks, which are more of a teal or green black colour, like Sailor Jentle Miruai, Noodler’s Air Corp and Cult Pens Diamine Deep Dark Green.

I have a couple that I’m choosing between, like the Karas Kustoms Decograph Green, or the Taccia Spectrum Forest Green, but I am open to more suggestions! Thank you!

Laura responds:

Zack! You are a man after my own heart because I love teal pens.  You are also somewhat in luck because the current Sailor Pro Gear Slim Special Edition Ocean ($200) is a teal pen right up your alley.  The next pen that came to mind is the Pelikan Classic M205 Aquamarine ($152).  Even with the color name Aquamarine, I think this one fits in the teal category.

Another completely different route would be looking into getting a custom pen made.  Many custom pen makers are happy to work with you and find the perfect color blanks (blocks of acrylic or other material that they turn into pens) for your perfect pen.  A few custom pen makers you could contact include Newton Pens,  Edison Pen Co., or Woodshed Pen Co.  All have Instagram accounts you can follow to see what kinds of pens they make, and all can be contacted through their websites regarding custom orders, though some may have a wait list.

Editor’s Note: But you are right, the  Opus 88 Koloro Blue with Blue ($93), the  Taccia Spectrum Forest Green ($127) and the Karas Pen Co Decograph Green ($140) are all good options as well.

Russ asks:

I am interested to know which dip pen nib would you suggest I use with watercolor painting. I currently apply diluted watercolor paint with a Bamboo dip pen for outlining shapes on watercolor paper. Once the line has dried, I then apply water inside the shape. The clear water then activates the outline line and bleeds (vignettes) into the interior of the shape. This makes for very interesting paintings.

To see an example of one of my paintings employing this technique, go here.

I understand that no matter what nib I use I will need to refill the nib often. My concern is the fact that the pigment of even diluted watercolor will be thicker than standard dip pen inks. I also prefer a thicker line than the fine lines that stainless steel nibs produce. I can modify my Bamboo pen points if I want a thicker line. But, Bamboo pens wear out too soon. And, I don’t think a calligraphy-style (wide flat edge) nib would be the answer for the line boldness that I’m looking for.

I’m not looking for barrel-loaded pens. I am interested in dip nib pens that I can charge with diluted watercolor or colored inks on the fly. I may only need one color solution for an inch – then change color for another passage somewhere else in the painting.

So, which dip pen nib type would you suggest that would provide the best pigment ‘flow’ characteristics – and a slightly bolder line (if possible)?

P.S.: I know that a flexible steel nib can produce a wider line width. But, this would require a consistent pen pressure throughout the painting. If there was a nib that provided a naturally bolder line (without added pressure), this would be more comfortable and produce a consistent line width.

Thanks for your input. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Jesi responds:

Thank you for sharing your artwork, Russ.  I enjoy your unique use of both watercolor and dip nibs!

My first thought after reading your question was to recommend that you look into Lettering nibs, either modern or vintage.  These nibs, which come in varying widths, are designed with two pieces clipped together.  The space between acts as a reservoir, holding more ink (or in your case, watercolor) and helping you to write longer with a more consistant flow.   Lettering nibs are often used for styles of writing like Blackletter that were designed with with quills in mind rather than the thin point of a fountain pen.

You can find these nibs in a huge variety of widths from .3mm up to 4mm.  Choices also include the shape of the tip: sharp, round, or flat.  Each shape will give you a unique line style that will add more fun tools for you to choose from.

For larger line widths, you can look into Poster nibs, Brush nibs or Automatic pens.  These give an even wider variety of choices.

Good luck with your artwork and please come back to show more in the future!

John requests:

I want to write letters to my friends and others using very good stationery. All of my letters will be written using fountain pens.
I don’t want to just peel off a page Rhodia and stick it in an envelope.
Let’s accept that elegance is more important than price, but functionality is critical.

Ana responds:

There are some great, simple stationery options available that will look good without breaking the bank. Original Crown Mill and G. Lalo are the “go-to” papers for letter writing in the stationery community. G. Lalo pads are available in half sheet and full sheet sizes for $12 and $16 respectively and Original Crown Mill paper is available in pure cotton or a laid finish in A4 or A5. Prices for the Original Crown Mill range from $14-$58 depending on the package configuration. Both companies offer envelopes to match.

Of course, we cannot forget Crane & Co. They are the classic American stationery company that makes boxed letter sheets with matching envelopes starting at $26 for a box of 20.

And last, let me plug the firm and say that Hallmark Gold Crown stores feature a selection of letter sheets and envelopes. I can’t guarantee all will be fountain pen friendly but I’ve had good luck with a lot of them. The flat cards are particularly nice. I recommend the cream or white cards or paper over the ones with a lot of color printed on them. Some options are even available for purchase on the web site.

The post Ask The Desk: Teal Pens, Dip Pens and Stationery appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

First up is the Matchbox Calendar ($8.50) which is slightly larger than regular business cards Its 3.75″ x 2.5″ with a flip cover like a matchbook, with silver metallic ink on the cover plus black and each page inside is  perforated. The booklet might stand up on your desk for a bit or each page could be perf-ed out and pinned up. It could be carried in your bag for quick reference or the thick cardstock pages could be pasted into a journal or notebook for reference. The letterpress calendars are classically typeset and the price is just right. I couldn’t pass it up.

Next was the the Rainbow Monogram Jotter ($6). It is 3-7/8″ tall x 2-1/2″ wide with 20 sheets of heavy cardstock paper (4 sheets in 5 colors: red, orange, yellow, lime and bright blue). The jotter comes with a small golf-sized pencil which I immediately misplaced. I purchased the jotter at a print show and the only monogram left was the letter “P” in the rainbow paper. I could have waited and ordered one with a more appropriate monogram but patience is not a strong suit. P is for Pen. P is for Pencil. P is for Patience of which I have none.

Inkello also offers the Monogram Jotter with plain white paper if you prefer something more subdued.

If you want plain paper, there is also the Gingham Notepad ($5.50) with string-and-button closure and a more traditional paper stock rather than cardstock. This notepad is a bit larger at 4.75″ x 3″ with 64 pages.

I put this paper to the test and it came out with flying colors. There was no show through or bleed through in my quick writing tests. Not bad for a pocket jot pad!

What got my super excited was the Inkello Weekly Planner ($20).  Its an undated weekly planner in a compact A5-ish (5.5″x8.5″) format. Unfortunately, its not yet listed in her shop.

The Planner has a Sunday start and features same size boxes for all seven days. At the bottom of the right hand page is a space for tasks for the week. That’s it. 52 weeks of efficient pages.

Then in the back are monthly calendars for 2018-2021 and a few pages for notes and that’s it. No excess bulk or things you don’t need. The covers are double weight card stock.

The info sheet on the back is lightly tipped on with (what we in the industry call) booger glue so it can be easily removed so you can a clean back cover. The only graphics on the back is the Inkello logo stamped in letterpress so you remember where you purchased the planner.

I used one of the notes pages for pen tests and had fairly good results. The paper is smooth with very little tooth. The only show through I got was with the brush pen and that was more a result of how heavy and dark it was rather than that the ink bled.

The last item I purchased was the “One-of-a-Kind Calendar” ($22). It is a Draw-Your-Own Hanging Calendar. At 9.5″ x 6.75″, it is perforated down the middle and made from 100% cotton paper.

One half of the calendar has a blank letterpress calendar on it and the other half is blank so that you can draw, paint, collage or doodle on it.

Being able to separate the artwork from the calendar portion would allow the artwork to be saved, mailed or framed later. This could be a great way to involve your kids in making art, or a way to have a calendar serve double duty — calendar now, mail art later?

The One-of-a-Kind Calendar is not yet listed on the Inkello web site but if you are interested in purchasing it, email their Contact page (listed on the bottom of their site) and let them know you were interested in it.

There are lots of other great products available at Inkello and I had a hard time not buying ALL her products. I hope you enjoy browsing as much as I did.

The post New Products: Inkello Letterpress appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.