On The Paper Trail...
Join Joe Crace and Lisa Vanness each episode as they dive into the world of pens, inks, paper, and everything that makes analog a more thoughtful, meaningful experience. Between Joe’s decade-plus of experience running The Gentleman Stationer, and Lisa’s history navigating the retail pen and ink industry “behind the counter” at Vanness Pens, the series blends personal reflection with practical insight into the daily realities of the stationery industry. Expect honest, approachable conversations on topics ranging from journaling to collecting to personal stories from stationery travel.
Episodes
Episode 17: Journaling for Mental Health (Part II)
Episode 17 continues our discussion on Journaling for Mental Health! September is National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness month, so for these two most recent episodes we have been discussing a topic important to both of us: journaling for mental health and self-care. Part II dives into less traditional journaling techniques that we have both experimented with in the past, including
Episode 16: Journaling for Mental Health (Part I)
September is National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Month, so for Episode 16 we decided to talk about a topic that's close to both of us: Journaling for mental health and techniques we both find helpful for self care. Part I discusses our own techniques, and Part II will discuss additional journaling techniques that we may not use all the time but have tried in the past and br
Episode 15: The Art of Creation (Live Panel from the 2026 San Francisco Pen Show)
Join Joe and Lisa as they co-host "The Art of Creation," a panel discussion at the 2026 San Francisco Pen Show featuring a discussion with three independent makers in the stationery industry. We had the opportunity to ask our guests about their creative process, followed by an audience question and answer session. Please note that this was a live panel recording, and the audio may be une
Episode 14: Favorite Fountain Pen and Ink Combinations
Do you ever feel that some fountain pen and ink combinations work especially well together? Have you found that switching inks can make a pen write better? Today we talk about how to pair fountain pens and inks to optimize your writing experience. We each go through three of our favorite pen and ink combinations, and discuss why we like specific inks in specific fountain pens. While we try to desc
Episode 13: Permanent Inks for Our First Ink Episode!
Our first fountain pen ink episode, where we discuss permanent inks! In this episode you'll learn about document inks, pigment inks, and iron gall inks, including relative waterproofness and lightfastness, pen care, and more. Fountain pen ink is a huge topic, so expect more ink-related episodes as we break things down into manageable chunks. While we try to describe everything in as much detai
Episode 12: Our Favorite Papers!
With a podcast called "On The Paper Trail," it was only a matter of time before we talked about our favorite papers and how we use them! In this episode, we discuss paper rulings, spacing, texture, bindings, and other factors that affect how we select which paper we use every day. This week's customer questions address understandably confusing paper-related topics such as the meaning
Episode 11: Why Is My Fine Nib Not Actually a Fine?
Have you ever written with two fountain pens of the same model and same nib size, only to notice subtle (or maybe not-so-subtle) differences in line width? As retailers, we get questions about this topic all the time, and have experienced this ourselves in our own personal collections, so we wanted to talk about why this happens and what you can do to help ensure you get the nib closest to your de
Episode 10: We're Back from a Stationery Trip To Japan!
Joe and Lisa are back from their recent stationery trip to Japan, and ready to discuss all of the things they discovered while they were there! Join us as we recap two weeks in Tokyo, Hamamatsu, Osaka, and more, including visits to stores like Itoya, Kakimori, TRAVELER'S Factory, Nagasawa, Loft, Hands, Kingdom Note, Toyooka Craft, and other favorites. Are we going back? You bet. Show Notes and
Episode 9: Fountain Pen Nib Sizes, Explained
We're less than 10 days out from an epic trip to Japan, so in this week's episode, we decided to talk Japanese fountain pen nibs and the differences in nib size designations across different regions, as well as the availability of specialty grinds. We also discuss why Fine Medium is the ONLY appropriate nib size (j/k), and answer listener questions about choosing the correct combination of
Episode 8: 2026 Planners and Notebooks Quarterly Review
This week we check in with our 2026 planners and notebooks to see whether they're still working for us now that we're 1/4 of the way through the year. (Wait, how did that happen?) We talk about what's working with our current planners and notebook systems, what may not be working, and what, if anything, we need to change about our current stationery setup. We also discuss upcoming stat
Episode 7: Underappreciated Stationery Gems
In this week’s episode of On The Paper Trail, we discuss a topic that we both love: Underappreciated Stationery. For a variety of reasons, a wide range of exceptionally good stationery items don’t get the attention that we think they deserve. In some instances, entire brands can be overlooked. We each pick items from three categories (pens, paper, and ink), and generally discuss why certain statio
Episode 6: Live at San Francisco Stationery Fest!
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
Episode 5: Are You a User or a Collector of Stationery?
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 per
Episode 4: Reporting from the 2026 California Pen Show!
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
Episode 3: We Tour Pilot Pens USA!
Joe and Lisa take a trip to visit Pilot USA headquarters and come back with a lot to report! In the third episode of On the Paper Trail, we not only discuss our Pilot Tour, but take on three questions from the "12 Pen Person" questions challenge, answer reader questions about appraising and selling pens, and talk about the upcoming California Pen Show and a live recording at the San Fran
Episode 2: Snowed In with Matthew Chen
Welcome back to another episode of On the Paper Trail! We originally had intended to record Episode 2 live from The Gentleman Stationer shop in Nashville, where we were planning to co-host an in-person weekend with Matthew Chen of Matthew’s Nibworks (@pactagon on Instagram). Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and we ended up snowed/iced in with Matthew, who was kind enough to sit with us
Episode 1: Setting Up Our 2026 Notebooks!
Welcome to On The Paper Trail! In our initial episode, we introduce ourselves and then dive into a thorough discussion of our 2026 notebooks and planners, and how we plan to use each one. We also answer a common customer question on Lamy pens, and talk about where you can see us in person at upcoming pen shows and other stationery-related events. Show Notes and LinksOn The Paper Trail Episode 1 Vi
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