Gifts for stationery lovers and journalers in the UK

Start with how they write

Stationery people are particular. Look at their desk before you buy. Someone using dot grid will not switch to ruled because you gave them a nice notebook, and a pencil person rarely becomes a fountain pen person overnight.

Notebook people: the LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Classic covers most planners and journalers. The Papersmiths notebook suits someone who fills pages fast and wants ruled paper. The Hobonichi Techo is a page a day for someone who writes a little daily, and the Rollbahn diary is a monthly layout with plenty of grid pages.

Pen people: the Kaweco Skyline Sport is a pocket fountain pen that takes short international cartridges, easy to find anywhere. The Kaweco ballpoint and the Papersmiths Primo pen suit someone who prefers no ink bottles. The Tom's Studio inks are for someone who already owns a fountain pen.

Common mistakes

Buying a fountain pen without ink. Add a box of cartridges. Buying the wrong page style: if you cannot tell, plain or dotted is the safer guess for a sketcher, ruled for a writer. Giving a dated diary late: the Hobonichi and Rollbahn are 2027 books, so give them between October and early January.

Thin paper and wet ink do not mix. The Hobonichi uses thin Tomoe River paper, so ink shows through a little. Pair it with a fine pen.

Budgets and letter writers

Under £10 covers a Blackwing pencil, the mini clipboard, mushroom sticky notes, the Risotto mini calendar and the wax seal. Any two make a decent stocking filler. Between £15 and £40 sit the notebooks, the Kaweco pens, the inks and the Hobonichi.

For a letter writer, put the Tom Pigeon cards, the Choosing Keeping wax seal and a fountain pen together. Add a stick of sealing wax, since the seal comes without it. Order by early December so Royal Mail has time.

Questions people ask

What is a good stationery gift for someone who has everything?

Go for something they use up or would not buy for themselves. A box of refills for the pen they already love is never wasted. Otherwise, try a format they have not used: a Hobonichi page-a-day planner, the Ugmonk Daily Focus Kit, or a calligraphy starter kit. A paper tablet like the Supernote suits a heavy note-taker who has run out of shelf space.

What is the best fountain pen for a beginner?

The Pilot Metropolitan is the usual first pick: a metal body, a steel medium nib, and a cartridge plus converter in the box. The LAMY AL-star is light and colorful but has a moulded grip some people dislike. The Kaweco Skyline Sport is the pocket option. Whichever you choose, add a pack of matching cartridges.

Dotted, ruled or plain notebook?

Look at what they use now and match it. If you cannot check, dotted is the most flexible: it works for writing, lists, bullet journaling and rough sketches. Ruled suits people who mostly write prose. Plain suits sketchers. The LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Classic comes in all of these, which makes it an easy notebook to get right.

Is a reMarkable or Supernote a good gift?

Only for someone who already fills paper notebooks and wants them in one searchable place. Both are expensive and both have extra costs. The reMarkable includes a stylus but needs a subscription for cloud sync after the trial. The Supernote has no stylus in the box. If you are unsure, the Rocketbook Core tests the idea for far less.