Sunday Reading for December 21, 2025

1. Top 5 Fountain Pens of 2025 (via dwrdnet). Derek talks about the best pens he collected this year, as most of us are now in “recap” mode.

2. Figboot’s Favorite Things 2025 (via Figboot on Pens). David walks through his favorite items that he reviewed this year. And he’s approaching 1000 videos sooner rather than later!?!

3. My 2025 Favorites (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel focuses heavily on custom/small-batch makers, so her list features a lot of unique and unusual pen designs.

4. Stationery Year-in-Review and Preview (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Sometimes our years don’t turn out as expected, and that’s ok.

5. 10 More Useful Things (via Olive Octopus). I can vouch for the fact that most of these things are very useful, as Lisa has been kind enough to show me which of these I can/should use in the shop.

6. Leonardo x Stilo e Stile Momento Zero “Kintsugi” Fountain Pen Review (via Weirdoforest Pens). This Leonardo collaboration featuring gold flecks suspended in clear resin turned out to be gorgeous, and I sort of regret not picking one up when I had the chance.

7. How to Use a Notepad (via Notebook Stories). Small memo pads and bound notepads can be useful - I pretty much have one at every workstation and computer that I use for jotting down ideas, making quick calculations, etc.

8. J. Herbin Opale Nocturne Ink Review (via Pen Addict). Most of the Herbin shimmer inks don't speak to me, necessarily, but this one hits closer to the excellent “Shogun” ink in that the understated blue-grey color could serve as an everyday ink?

9. A Little Magic (via From the Pen Cup). These “rainbow” or “magic” pencils can produce unexpected effects whether you’re using them to write or draw.

10. Inkmas Day 8: Diamine Lady Grey (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’m going to get my hands on this after Christmas - I love Diamine Earl Grey and this has a lot of the same color effects going on, yet at the same time is completely different.

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Yes, I am still participating in Inkvent/Colorvent, though I’m behind on posting my photos. I’ll hopefully have a chance to get caught up this week.

In Case You Missed It…

I continued my own Year-in-Review series with my own Five Favorite Posts from 2025, determined by nothing other than whether I enjoyed writing it! Lisa Vanness and I also released our first YouTube Live via the On The Paper Trail… official Youtube Channel! Please subscribe to help us grow and to automatically receive future episodes, including the upcoming podcast. You can also follow us on Instagram.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: Last Minute Madness!

We had a crazy - yet fun - rush in the shop this week, both in-store and online. As of today (Sunday), we only have three working days left until Christmas, so it is extremely unlikely online orders can be packed, shipped, and delivered by Christmas. If you have the opportunity, shop local and in-person, and to that end we will be open Monday and Tuesday in our Nashville location from 1pm-6pm, and will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before reopening normal hours Friday and Saturday.

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The CDT Pentel Sign Pens were a hot item this weekend.

We have plenty of unique recent arrivals if you are looking for a gift that will stand out! For starters, most of our Craft Design Technology shipment has been entered into inventory and is available to browse, including all of their special edition multi-pens and fineliners, and CDT’s signature mint-green notebooks and notepads. We also have the Camel pencil sets and their special edition Pentel Sharp Kerry, complete with matte trim. Those of you who visited us in-store will also have noticed a restock of Musgrave pencils, including the Heritage Pencil sets and the newly released special edition Songwriter pencils and Highlighters, all of which would make excellent gifts! UPDATE: As of this afternoon, Roterfaden is restocked in most sizes, and available to peruse on its own shop page.

Craft Design Technology

Caran d'Ache

NJK Sharpeners

TWSBI

How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail”.

On the Paper Trail Inaugural Livestream! Follow Us on the New YouTube Channel

“On the Paper Trail”, the podcast and video series that I’ve been working on with Lisa Vanness, has it’s own home over on YouTube where you can watch our first YouTube Live Session. We’ll be doing these livestreams semi-regularly until we launch the podcast in early 2026. In this inaugural “Episode,” we talk about surviving the holidays as retailers (both online and in-store), new shop arrivals and our favorite new products, as well as our 2026 Planner Setups and the 2026 Pen Show Calendar! Unofficial “Show Notes” are below:

Joe’s Favorite New Shop Arrivals:

• Craft Design Technologies Pentel Sign Pens. We talk about CDT and how they have built a business collaborating with established Japanese stationery companies such as Pentel, Pilot, and more.

• Graphilo A5 Slim Notebooks. I had not used Graphilo paper until recently, but I really enjoy the lighter ruling and ink-friendly paper that retains some texture. These 188-page A5 Slim notebooks are my favorite.

Lisa’s Favorite New Shop Arrivals:

• Midori MD Stationery Sets (via Vanness Pens). Each year Midori releases new letter sets (pads and envelopes) in a wide range of different designs that include some Washi-style papers.

• Wonderland222 Planners (via Vanness Pens). The Wonderland222 is Joe and Lisa’s Planner of Choice for 2026, and we talk about the different formats that we chose. Joe opted for the A5 Core with Stacked Weekends, and Lisa is using the B6 Core Horizontal.

2026 Events Calendar (First 6 Months)

• Nashville January TGS Event (Pending Final Dates) with Vanness Pens and Matthew Chen (Matthew’s Nibworks)

• California Pen Show (February 19-22, 2026)

• Arkansas Pen Show (March 20-22, 2026)

• San Francisco Stationery Fest (March 27-29)

If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting us through the T.G.S. Curated Shop or by visiting our Patreon, which features extra content and more hangout opportunities. And, of course, you can also come visit us in person at our Nashville Shop!

Thursday Drops: Last Minute Gifts and Unique New Arrivals! Craft Design Technology, Graphilo, and Musgrave!

Well, it’s the week before Christmas, so if you’re relying on the internet to get you something shipped, mailed, and delivered in time, the best-case scenario is that you roll the dice and you luck out and it arrives on the 23rd or the 24th. There are simply no guarantees at this point. That said, we are here to help you in-person, and we have a ton of cool stuff that’s arrived in-store, including several recent Japan shipments containing Craft Design Technology, Graphilo, and more! If you’re short on ideas, you can check out our Holiday Gift Guide, and most of what we highlight there continues to be in stock.

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These CDT Pentel Sign Pens, featuring a soft brush tip, have been heavily requested by in-store and online customers.

Craft Design Technology is a design house based in Japan and the U.K., best known for partnering with manufacturers on specialized custom versions of classic stationery items such as the Zebra Sharbo Multi Pen, Pentel Sign Pen, Pilot Frixion, and more. I have followed their work for years and am thrilled to be able to offer teir goods directly. As discussed in Tuesday’s post, we’ve also recently added Graphilo to our lineup of specialty Japanese papers, and people seem to be enjoying it because it’s flying out the door. Finally, we’re excited to restock on many of our Musgrave pencils, including the Heritage collection sets that offer a way to try out different Musgrave pencils and also have a cool pencil-themed case and pencil cup.

Our Nashville shop is open this week from 1-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. Check the shop page and on our Google profile for hours.

1. Craft Design Technology x Zebra Multifunctional Pen. Years ago, the Zebra Sharbo was the trendy multi pen, known for its D1 gel refills that ran out in approximately 2 hours. Craft Design Technology has partnered with Zebra to release it’s own design in matte black and silver, substituting the gel refills for low-viscosity ballpoints and a .5mm mechanical pencil. For those who find other multi pens too long and clunky, this one is almost perfectly balanced.

2. Craft Design Technology x Pilot Frixion 3 Multi Pen. Yes, the Pilot Frixion comes in a Dr. Grip-style 3-slot multi pen, complete with three different ink options and the Frixion eraser. Available in CDT’s dark green colorway. Refills available separately by individual color or a multi-pack.

3. Craft Design Technology x Pentel Tradio Plastic Fountain Pen. A hybrid between a fountain pen and a fineliner, the Tradio adds a touch of softness to your writing to make it more expressive. Of all the CDT collaborations, the Tradio has been the one I’ve used the most, since the ink dries very quickly and makes an excellent planner pen. Tradio refills available separately.

4. Craft Design Technology Brush Sign Pens. One of the most-requested items is now available! These soft-tip fineliners/markers/brush pens are sold individually in 10 different colors or come in two different assortment packs of 5 or 10 pens.

5. Craft Design Technology Desk Note Notebooks. These landscape-style notebooks are made from bagasse paper, a byproduct of sugarcane processing. Bagasse paper is quite fountain pen friendly, and I’ve found that this particular notebook handles not just fountain pen inks but markers and other writing instruments as well.

6. Kobeha Graphilo Paper. Developed specifically for use with fountain pens, Graphilo has developed a cult following over the years. Available in multiple formats, including A5, Square, and a 188-page A5-Slim (which will work with our Roterfaden TGS_25).

7. Musgrave Heritage Pencil Assortment Pack. These popular pencil assortments have arrived just in time for Christmas, and yes you can reuse the pencil box as a pencil/pen stand or pencil case.

8. Musgrave Highlighter Pencil Set. I can never stock too many highlighter pencils, and these 8-packs contain two of each color in a relatively rare slim barrel design.

9. Musgrave Songwriter Pencils (Including Special Edition Blue Set). The 4B Songwriter pencil sold out nearly immediately when we had it in stock early in the year, and we’ve restocked on both the standard cream version as well as the new special edition Teal Blue set.

10. Musgrave “Tennessee Red” Pencils. The Tennessee Red features the highly aromatic Eastern Red Cedar wood, which used to be a staple of pencil manufacturing until it was abandoned in favor of the more readily available Incense Cedar. A few years back, Musgrave sourced some slats to make the Tennessee Red, and it’s one of the more unique offerings.

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The Craft Design Technology “Desk Note” in Large and Small Size.

2025 Year-End Review: Five Favorite Posts from 2025

Since I’ve launched the store, and have to deal with marketing and selling products every day, the most enjoyable writing for me hasn’t necessarily been product reviews but rather posts on what stationery I like to use and how I use it in my own life, because I still write a lot. For my five favorite posts of 2025, I’ve chosen more editorial-style writing discussing how analog fits into my own life and workflow and the products I personally enjoy and why.

Joe’s Personal Favorite Posts from 2025

1. Everyday Notetaking and Creating an “Idea File”: On Perforated Field Notes and Index Cards. This has been a great year for fountain pen friendly index cards, and rediscovering the utility of being able to jot down ideas and file them away without having to keep track of where things are in a notebook.

2. Comparing Low Viscosity Ballpoint Pens: Jetstream vs. Acroball vs. Anterique vs. Ohto. Low-viscosity ballpoints feature an ink that’s basically the best of both worlds: the permanence of ballpoint ink with most of the smoothness of gel. Many planner enthusiasts prefer low-viscosity ballpoints because they write a dark, fine line that comes in handy when filling out smaller sections of planners like the Hobonichi Techo and Jibun Techo.

3. Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Planners and Calendars. This year I went undated for most of my planning, but as you’ll see in some forthcoming content, I’m going with a hybrid approach for 2026 as I find a dated planner useful for certain business purposes.

4. Complementary Notebook Systems and Stationery: Yamamoto Bullet Jotters. These Yamamoto Bullet Jotters are an excellent counterpart to a Bible-sized 6-ring binder, especially if you prefer writing on a bound pad as opposed to in the 6-ring binder itself. I often mix and match notebook systems to take advantage of the best aspects of each and customize them to my specific needs.

5. 2025 San Francisco Pen Show Recap, Part II: Panel Takeaways. The 2025 San Francisco Pen show was one of the better stationery show experiences I’ve had, content-wise. The topics discussed during the various panels I attended inspired much of the content I’ll be working on for the next year, including our recently launched podcast/video project, which now has it’s own home so please follow along.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

New Arrivals: Introducing Kobeha Graphilo Paper

Like other specialty Japanese papers, Graphilo has developed a reputation as an excellent fountain pen friendly writing paper that has, to date, been somewhat difficult to obtain in the United States. Made by Kobeha, a stationery company located in Kobe, Graphilo was developed specifically for use with fountain pens, much like Nakayabashi developed Yu-Sari. Graphilo is a coated, slightly textured paper with an 81.4gsm paper weight, making it suitable for writing with nearly all fountain pen inks as well as ink-heavy art applications like drawing and some painting.

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Graphilo notebooks offer four different rulings: lined, grid, blank, and “Ciro” (white lines).

I’m most excited about the 188-page “Graphilo Style” A5-Slim notebooks, which are the same size as our own Roterfaden TGS_25 exclusive and the Lochby Voyager Journal. Graphilo paper is also available in stitched softcover notebooks in A5, Square, and A4 formats, as well as A4 and A5 looseleaf sheets and memo pads. All Kobeha Graphilo products are in-stock and available to ship immediately. Visit our Curated Paper section to see the Graphilo line and and more!

This week our Nashville shop will be open normal hours, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. If you’re looking for gift ideas, be sure to check out the 2025 edition of our Annual Holiday Gift Guide!