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!
On The Paper Trail...
Claim This Podcastby Joe and Lisa
4.7(9 reviews)
10 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
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!
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/13/2026
1 verified contact email on file for On The Paper Trail...
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Recent Episodes
June 16, 2026
Episode 10: We're Back from a Stationery Trip To Japan!
<p>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. </p><p><strong>Show Notes and Links</strong></p><ol><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/opus-88-demo-color-1?_pos=1&_sid=f1bcce597&_ss=r" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Opus 88 Sapphire Demonstrator (Lisa’s Pen)</a></li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/pilot-kakuno-translucent-blue?_pos=7&_psq=kakuno&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Pilot Kakuno (Lisa’s Pen)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-custom-heritage-92-fountain-pen" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Pilot Custom Heritage 92 (Joe’s Pen)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-custom-845-urushi-fountain-pen" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Pilot Custom 845 Urushi (Joe’s Pen)</a></li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/collections/galen-leather-co?sort_by=created-descending" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">New Arrivals From Galen Leather</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/toms-studio-ori-infinitely-refillable-highlighters" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Tom’s Studio Ori Highlighters</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/curated-desk-and-reading?category=Toyo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Toyo Steel Boxes</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop?category=Anterique" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Anterique Pens</a></li><li><a href="https://kakimori.com/en/pages/order-notebook " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Kakimori Make Your Own Notebook</a></li><li><a href="https://kakimori.com/en/pages/inkstand-by-kakimori" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Kakimori Make Your Own Ink</a></li><li><a href="https://en.toyocraft.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Toyooka Craft</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2026/5/23/japan-trip-journal-days-2-and-3-stationery-stationery-and-more-stationery" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Joe’s Japan Trip Blog Recap (Visits to Itoya, Ancora, TRAVELER'S Factory)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2026/5/30/japan-trip-journal-a-visit-to-kakimori-and-the-ink-stand" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Joe’s Japan Trip Blog Recap (Kakimori Notebook and Ink Bar)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2026/6/3/japan-trip-journal-ink-shopping-in-tokyo" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Joe’s Japan Trip Blog Recap (Ink Shopping in Tokyo)</a></li><li><a href="https://youtu.be/cgZO_980640 " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Joe’s Five Favorite Things He Brought Home from Japan</a></li></ol><p>Get caught up on previous episodes, and also find more information about our first On The Paper Trail Live Event, which will be held in Nashville from October 16-18, 2026! Tickets are now on sale! <a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/on-the-paper-trail" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Check out the main podcast informational page for additional details. </a></p>
May 13, 2026
Episode 9: Fountain Pen Nib Sizes, Explained
<p>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 nib, ink, and paper for your specific writing experience. </p><p>Don't miss your chance to come hang out with us in person October 16-18, at <a href="https://vanness1938.com/blogs/news/on-the-paper-trail-live" rel="nofollow">On the Paper Trail: Live in Nashville</a>! Event details have been made public, and <a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/on-the-paper-trail-nashville-event-weekend-pass" rel="nofollow">Weekend Pass</a> and <a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/on-the-paper-trail-nashville-event-day-pass" rel="nofollow">Day Pass</a> event tickets are now available to purchase. </p><ol><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/pilot-dr-grip-limited-gel-ink-retractable-rolling-ball-pen" rel="nofollow">Dr. Grip Ballpoint (Lisa's Pen).</a></li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/opus-88-mini-pocket-pen-savannah-zebra" rel="nofollow">Opus 88 Savannah Zebra (Lisa's Pen).</a></li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/benu-pixie-aqua-glow" rel="nofollow">Benu Pixie (Lisa's Pen).</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-custom-823-fountain-pen" rel="nofollow">Pilot Custom 823 (Joe's Pen)</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/lauretts-waka-ebonite-ballpoint-pen" rel="nofollow">Laurett's Ballpoint (Joe's Pen)</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/travelers-company-brass-pens" rel="nofollow">Traveler's Company Ballpoint (Joe's Pen)</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-mr-fountain-pens" rel="nofollow">Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pens</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/curated-paper/new-lochby-field-binder-multiple-sizes" rel="nofollow">Lochby 6-Ring Binders.</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/curated-paper/lochby-6-ring-binder-refills-tomoe-river-68gsm" rel="nofollow">Lochby Tomoe River 6-Ring Refills.</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/curated-inks-and-refills?category=Tono%20%26%20Lims" rel="nofollow">Tono & Lims New Arrivals.</a> </li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/lamy-safari-neon-yellow-fountain" rel="nofollow">New Lamy Safaris.</a> </li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/collections/grandpas-basement-1" rel="nofollow">Grandpa's Basement (Clearance).</a> </li></ol>
April 29, 2026
Episode 8: 2026 Planners and Notebooks Quarterly Review
<p>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 stationery-themed travel, and we might have more details on our On The Paper Trail: Live in Nashville Event that will take place in Nashville October 16-18!</p><p><strong>Show Notes and Links</strong></p><ol><li><strong></strong><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/marks-inc-days-wooden-0-5mm-ballpoint-pen-turquoise?_pos=2&_sid=44a5e5531&_ss=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Mark's Inc. "Days" Ballpoint (via Vanness Pens).</a> </li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/diamine-light-green?_pos=4&_psq=Diamine%20Spring%20Green&_ss=e&_v=1.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Diamine Spring Green (via Vanness Pens).</a> </li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/pilot-grance-light-blue-with-gold-trim-fountain?_pos=5&_sid=17748c8fb&_ss=r" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Pilot Grancé (via Vanness Pens).</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-custom-912-fountain-pen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Pilot Custom 912 with PO Nib (via TGS Curated Shop).</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/the-curated-shop/pilot-prera-fountain-pen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Pilot Prera (via TGS Curated Shop).</a> </li><li><a href="https://vanness1938.com/products/bungubox-dandyism?_fid=b04407d56&_pos=5&_ss=c" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Bungubox Dandyism Ink (via Vanness Pens).</a> </li><li><a href="https://youtu.be/MmGdFOvo-7U?si=r6_D1iIF9KQBQOhv" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">On The Paper Trail Episode 1.</a> </li><li><a href="https://wonderland222.com/blogs/test/returning-to-tomoe-river-paper-2027?srsltid=AfmBOopN2W9wkLdB9iaU3NggjSU8nTYL5xi2s1Hj97n1kfhupJLYBPfE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Wonderland222 Back to Tomoe River Announcement.</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2022/3/11/your-questions-answered-flying-with-fountain-pens" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Ask TGS: Flying with Fountain Pens.</a> </li><li><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/23nr7ZejS_c?si=I-scSwPtDE_fAOuZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer nofollow">Lisa's Shipping Update Video.</a></li></ol>
10 total episodes available
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