SF NOW + *Noted - NOT a Pen Show!

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Last weekend I was able to attend a show/expo/convention that was NOT a pen show! Gasp, I know, right?! I went to the SF NOW + Noted expo (in San Francisco) - SF Now is produced by the same company that puts on NY NOW and the Greeting Card Association (GCA) produces the Noted: The Greeting Card Expo. This event hosts both shows under the same roof, which gives buyers like Jeremy, the chance to check out a variety of cards, gifts, home, and lifestyle products on the West Coast. The goal, of course, is to get orders placed with retailers, but also to get noticed by bigger brands like Hallmark or Walmart.

I attended on Wednesday to help a friend set up their booth and again on Thursday to check out the show with retailer (and friend) Jeremy Saumere of Flax Pen and Paper. The GCA also had an awards ceremony for their Louie Awards, which is like the Oscars for greeting cards (I did not get to attend this).

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Fort Mason for the SF NOW + Noted show!

There were 4 main aisles at the show, 2 for SF NOW and 2 for Noted. A majority of the vendors on both sides of the expo were greeting cards makers.

Cards, cards and more cards!

Some of the submissions for the GCA Louie Awards in categories like “Invitations & Announcements”, “Everyday Box Cards”, and “Blank Card $5.50 and below.”

Hallmark won Card of the Year (above $5.50) with this Boo to You card and E. Frances Paper won in the below $5.50 category.

noted @ *noted also showcased greeting card submissions and winners.

She Said It cards by Kathryn Christenson with art by her daughter Anna (who is at Cal - Go Bears!) using inspirational quotes from women in history, science and literature!

Look at this stunning card from the Quilling Card artists series - yes, those are made by quilling strips of paper into little coils!

Not all the greeting cards out there are the standard birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, or thank you cards. There are an increasing number of cards in a category I’d like to call “Support”. At the show, I met some amazing women who experienced tragedy and went on to create cards that would help others going through difficult times. Often, people don’t know what to do or say to someone when a loved one has passed, or has gotten a cancer diagnosis, or is having difficulty conceiving. I really appreciate the variety of cards being made that helps people feel loved and supported while also helping people get past their feelings of awkwardness or helplessness around these situations.

Through these cards, The Noble Paperie aims to “support those struggling through miscarriage, loss, infertility, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stays, and complicated pregnancies”.

There is also a line of LGBTQ+ inclusive cards - I especially love this one!

Cards from Five Dot Post whose creator lost her husband to cancer.

I plan on ordering this card from Five Dot Post and a couple others for a friend who is undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

While most of the products were greeting cards, there were definitely other cool items at the show too! There were products that I would describe as “greeting card adjacent” - like notebooks, stickers, wrapping paper, themed plates/napkins/decorations - as well as home and lifestyle gifts.

Super cool wooden kits by Little and Wood!

I love these metal birds made by Metal Bird - you tap them into posts or trees!

My friend Christine Herrin is the woman behind Everyday Explorers - doesn’t her booth look amazing?

Omg, so many cute things from Emii Creations!!

Cute little tokens by Blessing Rings that you insert into any greeting card (and it doesn’t require additional postage) that the recipient can keep!

Even though I’m not really a pencil person, I loved seeing Blackwing and their products at this show!

I checked the pocket wine-tasting journal from 33 Books to see if it is fountain-pen friendly. Spoiler alert - only one pen tested but so far so good!

As a pen addict, I was a little surprised that there weren’t any vendors (other than Blackwing) trying to wholesale their writing instruments. Seems like this would be a natural match for shops that carry stationery and cards. I wouldn’t expect to see the typical pen show vendor but maybe Pilot could sell their G2s or Tombow could carry markers? Just a thought.

A huge Thank You to Jeremy for helping me get a pass to this show and for letting me tag along. I don’t have pictures of this but it was fun watching Jeremy go through the process of picking out what cards he wanted to carry at Flax. I won’t give any spoilers as to his process or what he ended up picking, so you’ll just have to check out the store in the next month or two to see what he got!

This isn’t a show meant for consumers to do shopping (though a few vendors did have items for sale), so I made sure to get contact information so I can shop from them. I eventually got overwhelmed by the deluge of cards but I was really glad I got a chance to attend this show and see a different side of stationery!

I’ll be at the Chicago show when this comes out, so I’ll be back in my element again. Hope to see you there!

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 562 - Brad Breaks Stationery

Revisiting the CW&T Pen Type-C.

I break out new products this week, and break one in the process. I break down the ones that survive, and revisit a classic. I also prep for the Chicago Pen Show - are more pens in the cards?

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Click the ‘podcast’ link at the top of the website and enter the password 'penaddict' for this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Enigma Stationery: Introducing Special Edition Number 3 -- The Enigma Only 50 available. Use code PENADDICT for free shipping over $40 and a free gift.

Endless Recorder A5 Notebook Regalia Paper Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

For all the A5 notebooks I already have in my stash, I'm sometimes a little confused as to why I still have the desire to purchase more of what is essentially the same notebook. Despite having the same size and similar specs, they all feel and act different! That's part of the joy that stationery provides. But just because a notebook uses the tried-and-true A5 dimensions, doesn't mean it will be a great notebook in practice.

The Endless Recorder A5 notebook is a sleek looking book that borrows from the aesthetic language that Moleskine made famous decades ago. It's a simple hardcover notebook with a pocket on the inside back cover, an elastic strap to keep it closed, and a couple of bookmark ribbons for keeping your place. It even has a couple of index pages at the front, and every page is clearly numbered in the bottom outside corner of each page. So far, I could be describing any number of notebooks you could buy today. What sets the Recorder apart from the rest?

Like so many notebooks, the answer to that question is: the paper. The Recorder uses an 80gsm paper that Endless have coined "Regalia." It's a smooth, white paper that feels great to write on. It's a little on the "too smooth" side for me, which means the paper doesn't provide as much grit or tactile feedback on the writing instrument I'm using. It's not bad, and I get used to the unique smoothness the more I use it. The dot grid pattern on my unit is exactly what I expect — it's a light gray ink and spaced well.

With the fountain pens I used on this paper, they all behaved well when writing. The colors were bright and the ink was sharp, with no feathering in sight. This is great since the marketing tout this paper as one that won't bleed or feather. Show through on the back of the page is also minimal, which isn't always the case with paper that has an 80gsm density.

On top of all that, this paper is acid free, which means your writings and doodles should last as long as the paper. In my first few writing sessions, I was happy with how the paper was performing. But then I started noticing something — it was really easy to smudge if I wasn't careful about where I put my fingers or hands while writing.

As I started noticing more and more smudges, I became more curious. Once I was focused on it, I realized that every fountain pen ink I used on this paper took a really long time to dry to a point that it resisted smudging. Even then, some inks seem to smudge even after they look completely dry. Interesting.

After a little more testing, I discovered that other pens produced similar results. Gel ink, rollerball ink, and some ballpoint inks all smudged slightly if you rubbed over them with your finger or hand. Not great! Whatever coating they use to make the paper ultra smooth has a terrible side effect: super long dry times.

This was a bummer because I realized that my writing style is the best case scenario. If you're left handed, this paper is a non-starter. I was even more bummed when I came back to a page that I had written 24 hours before and confirmed that it was still extremely easy to smudge if I lightly dragged a finger over it. Wow.

To add insult to injury, the marketing on the packaging for this notebook states "World's most ink-friendly notebook." I get that marketing materials have a certain level of hyperbole — that's just how the industry works. But in this case, it's not even in the best tier of ink-friendly papers. With the way it prevents ink from fully drying, this notebook goes straight to bottom of the list for me. I'd pick up a Moleskine before this one because at least the Moleskine would let my ink dry in a reasonable amount of time (albeit with lots of feathering and show-through!).

The Recorder is available in several colors and paper ruling styles for $23.50. That's a pretty average price for the hardcover A5 notebook category, so that makes it incredibly easy to say you shouldn't consider this notebook. Look at Leuchtturm1917, Rhodia, Lamy, Clairefontaine, or any number of more established paper brands before you consider this notebook. I wanted to like the Endless Recorder because of its sleek design and cool color options, but the paper was ultimately a deal-breaker for me.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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