D.C. Pen Show Friday Brief Recap and Some Details on Where to Find Me!

It’s safe to say that Friday at the 2023 D.C. Pen Show was the busiest I’ve seen it since pre-Pandemic (and we may be talking about some of the epic shows from 2017 and 2018). While things started out somewhat quiet early on, by lunch the main ballroom started to fill up, as weekend passholders made their morning purchases and the doors opened to the public at 12:00pm. The real rush came to our tables at around 2:00pm, as our table neighbors Pilot started giving their handwriting analysis seminar and raffling off pens (crowd above).

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I brought the remainder of the T.G.S. x Hinze Pen Collaboration fountain pens with me, with both red and black nibs AND the ink and Penwells!

The DC Pen Show is always a smaller show for TGS, as we try to bring a selection of stuff to the show while also leaving enough free time to circulate and take pictures to share with the readership. This year we have Lochby cases for sale, and as per usual the in-person winner on Friday was the Lochby Venture Pouch, the reversible stationery pouch that has two separate compartments that includes a slotted pen case. The Lochby Tool Roll and Field Journal also sold briskly. If you come looking for The Gentleman Stationer, I’m at the end of the Vanness Pens setup to the right in the hallway outside the main ballroom!

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Vanness has released a second exclusive collaboration with The Good Blue, in case you’re looking for a pen to tuck into your new Lochby case! This is “Vanness Green” splattered over black Cerakote! You can read my review of their first collaboration here.

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The renovated show hotel has a MUCH better setup this year for after-hours socializing, and each year the “Pen Show Carry” bags you see keep getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger….

I Almost Forgot Our Annual DC Pen Show Promotion! Use “PENSHOW10” at Checkout for 10% Off Most Orders!

Some exclusions will apply (like TWSBI), but most items are eligible for our annual DC Pen Show Sale that will run through Sunday at 11:59pm CT. Use the PENSHOW10 checkout code to claim a discount for those unable to attend the show in person, or for those who came to see something in person but found that I was unable to bring it with me!

Most of my show photos will be posted in my larger show recap next week, and I’ll have lots to talk about, both in terms of reactions to the show itself and a few things I’ll have picked up! Meanwhile, it’s time to go set up the table!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases through the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Shop Arrivals: New Nakabayashi Notebooks, and More Desk Accessories!

Nakabayashi Logical Prime Paper has become one of the top sellers in our shop, nearly overnight! In addition to restocking on the Logical Prime W-Ring (spiral-bound) and threadbound A5 notebooks, we’ve added the larger A4 spiral as well, in nearly all rulings! (One request that we’ve received over the past months is to bring in more A4-sized notebooks, and we’re actively working on it.)

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Nakabayashi’s 6mm and 7mm lined rulings are similar to French-ruled paper, and come in lie-flat threadbound notebooks in A4, A5, and B5 sizes.

Also now available in the shop: Nakabayashi Logical Air and Nakabayashi Yu-sari notebooks, both of which are extremely fountain pen friendly but differ slightly from the standard Nakabayashi Logical Prime. I would compare them as follows:

• Logical Prime paper feels like “standard” Japanese paper with a slightly quicker dry time than other brands. The paper showcases ink well, especially shading and sheening inks.

• Logical Air paper is lighter, as the name implies, and feels softer and more absorbent than the Logical Prime. Fans of Cosmo Air Light might enjoy Logical Air, as it has that same “cushiony” feel when you’re writing. Available in B5 and A4 sizes, lined ruling only.

• Yu-sari paper is thicker and feels more like Clairefontaine or Life. It has a slightly slower dry time than the Logical papers, but is absolutely fountain pen friendly. Available in both B5 and A5 sizes, as well as in A5 blank sheets.

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The thick Yu-Sari paper is perfect for letter writing. Pick up some of these A5 sheets for your correspondence needs!

As mentioned in the original post announcing the arrival of Logical Prime, the Nakabayashi lined ruling somewhat resembles Clairefontaine French-ruled paper, so fans of this ruling may want to check out these new notebooks, especially if they’ve been searching for a lie-flat option.

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We now have a wide selection of imported scissors in various sizes and functionalities.

Finally, we’ve added additional desk accessories, including high-end imported scissors, to our Reading and Desk Accessories Section! Be sure to check these out as we have models ranging from larger curved scissors to smaller “Exacto” scissors for precision cutting.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Nakabayashi.

New Arrivals: New Styles from Clairefontaine, Plus Restocks on Old Favorites!

I arrived home to a huge shipment (8 boxes) from Exaclair this weekend, including restocks on most Clairefontaine favorites, including the larger Triomphe writing pads, French-ruled notebooks, and the incredibly popular clothbound “1951 Series”. We are also restocked on the Quo Vadis Habana, my favorite of the bound journal/notebooks, which features Clairefontaine dot grid paper. But that’s not all!

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Enough of the Restocks: What’s New? Triomphe Notebooks, Dot Grid Journals, Reporter-Style Pads and More!

We’ve been wanting to expand our selection of Clairefontaine for some time - I generally find the entire line to be excellent, especially given the often-rare combination of fountain pen friendly paper and an accessible price point. There’s a lot to be excited about, as new arrivals include:

• Triomphe Notebooks, in both white and ivory paper, lined or blank! These were recently released - the Triomphe paper is incredibly fountain pen friendly and popular for personal correspondence, and to have it available in notebook form is an exciting development.

• Clairefontaine Classic “Pupitre” Reporter-style Writing Tablets, which feature perforated pages of Clairefontaine’s classic 90g white paper, ruled or grid. We have these top-bound spiral pads in four different sizes including pocket, classic reporter, A5, and A4.

• Clairefontaine “Forever” A5 Spiral Notebook. Featuring 100% recycled paper, these spiral notebooks are lined and entirely micro-perforated, so that you can remove pages for ease of filing/discarding/scanning, whatever you may like. More notebooks need to be perforated for easy page removal!

• My Essentials A5 Bound Journals, which are threadbound notebooks featuring a slightly more absorbent (and quicker drying) dot grid ivory paper. These are a perfect solution for bullet journaling, with a table of contents and numbered pages.

• Life.unplugged Pocket Duo Notebooks, which are slightly smaller than a Field Notes and feature lined 90g fountain-pen friendly paper. Sold in packs of two: one colored and one black notebook.

Happy Shopping!

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The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

New Arrivals: More Midori! MD Soft Color A5 Writing Pads

More new arrivals from Midori! This week we receive a shipment of A5 Soft Color writing pads featuring 60 sheets of dot grid paper in the same colors as the popular Soft Color A5 soft cover notebooks. As you know, I really enjoy mixing things up by using fountain pen friendly paper in colors other than white, especially blues and greys. If this is something that interests you, we also offer G. Lalo laid writing paper and are actively working to bring in more!

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The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including Midori. Please visit the T.G.S. Curated Shop for the full range of fountain pen friendly paper and notebooks.

New Arrivals: Midori MD Dip Pens, Stalogy Notebooks, and Laban Aphrodite Pink!

At customer request, we’ve also started adding some dip pens to the shop. The first to arrive are the Midori MD dip pens, featuring the same super smooth nib as on the Midori MD fountain pen. I’ve been using this pen to swatch inks, and am very much enjoying the hexagonal holder, which is apparently made from a blend of paper and plastic and has a unique tactile feel. The nib on this dip pen has a medium point, and it’s intended for standard writing/ink testing as opposed to calligraphy.

Stalogy Notebooks are also back in the shop, including the 2022 and 2023 limited edition covers in both 1/2-year and 365-day formats. Colors include, from left, Cream, Forest, Salvia, and Fog.

Finally, yesterday’s pleasant surprise was the arrival of a full box of Laban’s Aphrodite Pink ink, the perpetually backordered favorite color from this ink series! We now have a full restock of all colors of the Laban Greek Mythology Inks, available to ship immediately.

Is it a pink? Is it a red? Is it a “Brown Pink?” However you describe it, I absolutely love this color and it’s long been a go-to when I want to write with something interesting.

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold, including the brands sold here.