Stationery Selections: Stationery Items for Ink Lovers

Benjamin Franklin once shared a gem of wisdom: the best investment is in the tools of your trade. Well, we think he’s right! Just imagine the seamless flow of thoughts and creativity onto paper with the perfect grip and quality of the right stationery items…

Today, we want to highlight some of our favorite stationery items for ink lovers—the dream companions for your journaling journey if you’re into inks, fountain pens, making ink swatches, and trying out different ink brands and colors!

INKS

Of course, we can’t talk about ink lovers without speaking about inks, and we love these Sailor Yurameku 2nd Edition inks! Desiree and I are having fun playing with these inks because they are shape-shifters! The colors of these inks may change depending on the paper you’re writing on, the pressure you put, or how you use them (as splotches of ink for journal backgrounds or delicate writing). This flickering ink will also change colors over time! At first, they all appear to be one color—however, as the inks dry, you will see another color resurfacing! So exciting! Try swatching them with different types of paper you have at home to find out how the color varies!

As we’re playing with these inks, in general, we found these colors appearing—but of course, you may find different colors based on the paper you’re using and how you play around with these inks!

• Hana Gokoro – shades of purplish grey, bluish purple, burgundy, reddish brown.
• Zare Gokoro – shades of blue, bluish grey, reddish brown, bluish brown (Hanny’s favorite).
• Kokoro Guma – shades of bluish-brown, dark brown, reddish brown, purplish brown.
• Suki Gokoro – shades of muted green, brownish green, yellow-green, and dark brown (Desiree’s favorite).
• Date Gokoro – shades of violet-blue, bluish-purple, bright purple, dark purple

PENS

For swatching inks, we love this Sailor Hocoro Dip Pen which is perfect for those who love inks and ink swatching. Unlike typical dip pens, the Hocoro Dip Pen has a nib that is similar to a fountain pen so you can write fine letters and shapes or even draw with it. Try mixing ink with this pen, and see which color can come up when you combine 1-2 different ink colors! The dip pen’s nib can also be stowed inside, making it secure for traveling (to open the nib, pull the green part of the pen). Take this pen when having journaling dates with your friends, you can try and experiment with different ink swatches together!

When it comes to fountain pens, we find the Sailor Profit Jr. fountain pen to be such a great bargain when it comes to packaging, price, and quality. Sailor is such an excellent fountain pen brand, so you will get that high-quality fountain pen that is compatible with other SAILOR product lines. We love that it’s like a starter kit for fountain pen lovers: you get a medium-fine nib pen (and a pen body that expresses the color of shimmering ink—where the colors change depending on the viewing angle), a special shimmering Sailor Yurameku Kitsune Biyori ink bottle (10 ml), and an ink converter. Isn’t it nice that you don’t have to buy an additional converter/ink—and can just use your fountain pen right away? It’s also perfect as a gift to a beginner fountain pen enthusiast!

STAMPS FOR INK-SWATCHING

Some of our ink lovers’ friends keep ink-swatches journals or cards—a collection of different ink brands and colors and a record of how they behave, the way they shine or shimmer, the way the color looks when paired with different fountain pen nibs…

If you love ink-swatching, here are several stamps that will make your ink-swatching journey more fun and adorable:

1. Beverly Ink – Fountain Pen Stamps. The cutest stamps to celebrate our love for fountain pens and ink swatching! Fill in the images with the color of your inks, and let these cute stamps decorate your ink journal!
2. Kami Kami Chop – Girl with Square Frame or Flower with Round Frame Stamps. For those on the lookout for cuteness overload, meet the Kami Kami Chop rubber stamp from the Blackmilk Project. The stamp features an endearing little girl or flower alongside a frame just waiting for you to drop your ink swatches inside!
3. Stamp Marche – Maru Chan (Ojigi/Bow) Frame Stamp. A cute and elegant touch for your ink journal, featuring the charming character Maru-chan. This little girl bows gracefully while holding her white skirt. The beauty of this stamp lies in your hands; literally! You can add your preferred ink colors to dress up Maru-chan, and create wonderful ink swatches in your journal pages!

STAMPS FOR FOUNTAIN PEN LOVERS

It comes naturally that ink lovers are usually fountain pen lovers as well—working with different nibs or even glass pens—you want to find that perfect pen-and-ink pair that will be your forever soulmate! So here are some stamps that can perfectly capture those moments when you’re working with your fountain pen and ink:

1. Cotori Cotori – Girl and Writing Desk – Stamp. Transport yourself into the cozy scene of a little girl with two braids and a snug sweater, seated at a table, hands poised, and a pen firmly in grip. It’s not just a sweet illustration; it’s a reflection of us, capturing our daily moments, and doing what we love the most!
2. Cafe Analog – Stationery Sentiment – Ink Spill – Stamp. This one is our own Ink Spill stamp, which is fitting for everyone who loves ink and fountain pens, and enjoys creating ink samples or sending ink sample cards in their happy mails, to send to fellow ink lovers! Imagine stamping it on ink sample cards or your very own ink journals to write your thoughts and reviews about your latest ink collection!
3. LibertyHK – Dictionary Stamps – Fountain Pen. This classic and timeless dictionary stamp set from LibertyHK contains 4 sentiments, including a fountain pen! Perfect to be stamped next in front of your ink journals, fountain pen nib test spread, or ink swatch cards you are exchanging with your ink-lover friends!

PAPER

If you’re into ink swatching and collecting ink reviews, you will be happy with these Tsubame Ink Collection Cards. These cards are made in Japan with lightweight and bleed-proof paper for ink testing. Available in a red box or blue box (the 150 sheets are identical—only the color of the box packaging is different). This is only suitable for water-based writing inks (no alcohol inks!).

• The small boxes on top: use it to test the water-resistance / smear-level
• The big bottle: use it to drop a swatch of ink and see its “real” color
• The lines on the right: try writing with different fountain pen nibs and see how it looks!

However, if you’re looking for a notebook that can carry inks well, our favorite has been and will always be the range of MD paper notebooks! They are feather-resistant, fountain pen-friendly, and have absolutely no bleed-through, available in A4, A5, B6, and A6 sizes—in lined, grid, dotted, or blank! It is a dream notebook for all ink lovers out there. 

TOTE BAG

Want to tell the world that you’re an ink lover? Well, elevate your outfit of the day with this perfect tote bag: stylish, huge, and spacious! Old Resta is a brand that carried the concept of reviving old stationery icons in different forms. This big tote bag features the classic Kuretake ink package, produced for one of Japan’s largest stationery festivals, Bungu Joshi-haku.

The tote bag is made of a thick, textured cotton/polyester mix and has a matching removable pouch! It’s like a buy-1-get-2 deal! Dive into the history of Kuretake with the included booklet, unraveling the legacy of this renowned Japanese ink manufacturer that traces its roots back to 1902.

So, ink lovers, are you ready to add some ink-related stationery items to your collection? Happy ink-swatching!