What's the difference between a "Stationery Fest" and a traditional pen show? Tune in this week and find out, because we had the opportunity to record Episode 6 of On The Paper Trail in front of a live audience at the inaugural San Francisco Stationery Fest! Topics include our impressions of the show, how we got into stationery in the first place, plus a Q&A with audience members in which they picked our brains about pens, inks, paper, and more. Note that in the video we were in the room with audience members and interacting with people off camera, so we have had to adjust the audio and repeat questions at times.

Show Notes and Links

1. San Francisco Stationery Fest

2. Arkansas Pen Show

3. Bonecrusher Studios

4. Pens by Pasquale

5. Nagasawa at Vanness

6. Wearingeul Testing Cards

7. Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter

8. Olive Octopus Ink

Do you consider yourself a user or collector of stationery? Maybe a bit of both? In the fifth episode of On the Paper Trail, we talk about a topic that draws strong opinions and maybe even a little bit of judgment in the stationery world. Whether you use every pen, bottle of ink, or rare notebook that you own, or maintain pristine archives for posterity, how we view our stationery is intensely personal and will differ from person to person. We also discuss events at the upcoming Arkansas Pen Show and the San Francisco Stationery Fest!

Show Notes and Links

1. Nagasawa Exclusive Pens (Lisa's Pen)
2. Pilot Custom Urushi (Lisa's Pen)
3. Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog (Joe's Pen)
4. Uni Zento (Joe's Pen)
5. Pilot S20 Ballpoint (Joe's Pen)
6. Roterfaden TGS_25 A5 Slim
7. Laurett's Pens
8. Troublemaker Inks
9. Wearingeul Paper
10. Nagasawa 6-Ring Refills
11. Episode 2: Matthew Chen Talks Kodachi Nibs
12. Akkerman Standard Ink Bottle Example
13. Akkerman Dutch Masters Ink Bottle Example
14. Arkansas Pen Show
15. San Francisco Stationery Fest

When they’re not on the road, you can find Joe over at The Gentleman Stationer and Lisa over at Vanness Pens.

Have you ever been to a pen show? Joe and Lisa visit the 2026 California Pen Show, one of the larger pen and stationery events in the U.S., and recap everything they saw. This two-part episode includes a pre-show discussion on how vendors prep for a show and decide what to bring, while the post-show recap talks about impressions of the event and the different brands and vendors in attendance. The YouTube episode includes footage of the event itself and a short vendor tour that follows the podcast portion, including visits to Stationery Stack, Laurette's Japan, Bungubox, and more!

YouTube Episode 4
Show Notes and Links

1. California Pen Show Website
2. List of Pen Show Classes and Seminars
3. Nagasawa 6-Ring Binder Refills
4. Brelio 6-Ring Binders
5. Roterfaden TGS25 Pre-Order
6. Musgrave Pencils
7. Stationery Stack
8. Nagasawa Stationery
9. Nagasawa Kip Leather
10. Notsu Index Cards
11. Bungubox
12. Laurette's Japan
13. Galen Leather