Our own rangeLay flat notebook, A5
100 gsm paper, sewn binding, cloth cover
$18
Good paper, honest pens and cards worth sending
Paper and Ink Stationers stocks notebooks in five rulings, pens you can try at the counter, cards pressed on heavy cotton and the art supplies to fill a sketchbook. Order from the shelves online, or ask us to print stationery for a wedding or a desk.
- Notebooks in five rulings
- Letterpress cards on cotton stock
- Wrapping at the counter
- Most orders posted in two working days
From the shelves this month
Our own notebooks, the pens and inks the staff write with every day, and cards pressed on paper heavy enough to stand on a mantelpiece.
Our own range
Fountain pen, steel nib
Resin body, piston filler, inked and tested before posting
$46
Bottled ink, 50 ml
Water based and gentle on fountain pens
$14
Letterpress card set
Six cards on 600 gsm cotton with kraft envelopes
$22
Watercolour tin, 12 half pans
Metal tin with a mixing lid and a round brush
$38
Printed wedding stationery
Invitations, reply cards and place cards pressed to your design
Price on enquiry
EnquireThe delivery fee is added at checkout, where letter club discount codes are entered too. Printed stationery has no fixed price, so its card opens an enquiry instead.
A plain guide to paper weight
Paper is sold by grams per square metre (gsm). The number tells you how thick a sheet feels and how well it holds wet ink, which matters more than any cover.
| Weight | How it feels | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 52 to 68 gsm | Thin and light, like a dictionary page | Travel journals and long letters posted abroad, with a fine nib |
| 80 to 90 gsm | Everyday printer paper | Rough notes, printing and pencil sketches |
| 100 to 120 gsm | Smooth, opaque, a little stiff | Fountain pens, daily journals and bullet planners |
| 160 to 250 gsm | Light card | Place cards, postcards and notecards |
| 300 gsm and up | Heavy, often textured | Watercolour, gouache and letterpress cards |
Not sure what a pen will do on a paper? Bring it to the counter and try it on the sample sheets.
The pen counter, where nibs get tried
Every pen we sell has a tester on the long counter, with scrap pads, a dip of each ink and someone on hand who can explain the gap between a fine nib and an extra fine. Trying a pen first is the surest way to find one that suits your hand and the angle you hold it at.
Inks are swatched on cards beside the bottles, so colours can be compared in daylight before one goes home. Left handed writers can try the quick drying inks kept at the far end of the counter.
- A tester for every pen we stock
- Nibs flushed and wiped between visitors
- Quick drying inks for left handed writers
On the art supply shelves
Everything for drawing, painting and lettering, kept in open drawers so you can pick a single pencil or a whole set.
- Graphite pencils, 9H to 9B
- Charcoal and soft pastels
- Watercolour pans and tubes
- Gouache
- Brush pens
- Fine liners
- Sketchbooks in three sizes
- Cold pressed watercolour paper
- Calligraphy nibs and holders
- Sealing wax and brass seals
- Washi tape
- Erasers and sharpeners
Anything missing from the shelves can usually be ordered in. Ask at the counter or describe it in the form below.
Around the shelves
A walk round the shop, from the notebook wall to the wrapping counter by the door.
Written about us (example reviews)
The dot grid notebook takes a broad nib with no bleed at all. The pen counter alone justifies crossing town for it.
Invitations with a pressed leaf border, proofed within a week. Every card arrived counted, wrapped and exactly the shade agreed.
Asked for a first watercolour set and got sensible advice rather than the dearest tin. The paper they suggested made the real difference.
Asked at the counter
Can a pen be tried before it is bought?
Yes. Every pen on the counter has a tester, with paper and a spread of inks, and nibs are cleaned between visitors. A pen bought online can be swapped within 14 days as long as it has not been filled.
Will your notebooks take fountain pen ink?
Our own notebooks use 100 gsm paper, which holds most fountain pen inks without feathering or showing through. Very wet or broad italic nibs are happiest on the 120 gsm range listed in the paper guide.
Where do you post orders?
Parcels go to most countries, and the delivery fee appears at checkout once an address is entered. Some countries add import duty when a parcel lands, and that part is paid by the buyer. Bottled ink travels sealed in its own bag inside the box.
Do you print wedding and business stationery?
Yes, through the enquiry form. Tell us the quantity, the date and the style, and we reply within two working days with paper samples, a proof plan and a price. Printing starts only once the proof is approved.
What can be returned?
Unused items in their original wrapping can come back within 30 days. Opened ink, printed orders and anything personalised cannot be returned unless it reaches you damaged.
Can you order something you do not stock?
Often, yes. Describe it at the counter or in the form, and within a few days we tell you whether a supplier can send it and what it would cost.
Printed stationery, made for the occasion
Wedding invitations, place cards, letterheads and notecards with a name are pressed by a letterpress studio we work with, on cotton paper chosen here. Describe what you need and when, and we reply within two working days with paper samples, a proof plan and a price.
- Paper samples posted before you decide
- A proof to approve before anything is pressed
- Payment arranged directly with the shop
Come and write a line
Look for the blue door on the corner of the old market square. The testers stay out on the counter for as long as it is open.
Ring or write
Corner shop on the old market square, beside the town library
Shop hours
| Monday to Friday | 9:30 to 18:00 |
| Saturday | 9:00 to 17:30 |
| Sunday | 11:00 to 16:00 |
The letter club
Once a month we post a short letter about new inks, papers and the cards of the season, with a discount code for the shelves. Leave your address at the till, or mention it in a message.