About Stationery Times
Stationery Times is an independent stationery publication. Honest reviews. Thoughtful guides. Better stationery.
We cover everything from everyday school supplies to expensive notebooks, Japanese pens, mechanical pencils and collectible writing instruments. The same rules apply at every price: exact specs, linked sources and a clear line between what makers claim and what we have tested ourselves.
Our values
Useful before clever
Every page should answer a real question in its first lines. If a reader has to scroll to find the answer, we rewrite it.
Honest about what we don’t know
When sources disagree we say so, and when nobody says where something is made we write “Not stated” instead of guessing.
Every price gets the same care
A pencil that costs less than a dollar gets the same measurements, sources and checks as a leather planner.
Open to people and machines
Every guide also comes as plain text for AI tools and readers who want it. Quote us freely, with a link.
Serious facts, unserious hedgehog
We take accuracy very seriously and ourselves much less so. The name is a newspaper; the mascot is a hedgehog made of pencils.
How we write guides
Answer first
Every guide opens with a short, direct answer, then the measurements, comparisons and sources behind it.
Sourced specs
Specs are checked against the manufacturer first, then major retailers' spec sheets. Every source is linked in the guide.
Facts, claims and tests kept apart
Sourced facts and makers' claims (always attributed) are never mixed up. Our guides are compiled from sources; each one says whether we have tested the product ourselves, and any hands-on test is labeled as ours.
Brand origin and made in
Each product lists where the brand comes from and where the product is made. If no reliable source says, we write "Not stated" rather than guess.
Price bands, not prices
Prices change too often to print, so each product gets a band ($, $$ or $$$) based on typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Kept up to date
Each guide shows when it was last updated. When a fact changes, we update the guide and the date.
What the $ signs mean
Every product gets one price band on the same scale in every category, based on typical US retail (October 2026). A $$ pen and a $$ notebook cost about the same. For multi-packs we divide by the count.
| $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| under $5 | $5–20 | $20–75 | over $75 |
What one price covers, by category:
- Pens: per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)
- Notebooks: per notebook
- Pencils: per pencil (multi-packs divided by the count)
- Systems: for the cover or binder with its starter insert
- Accessories: per item
- Paper: per ream or pad
- Cases: per case
- Stickers: per pack or book, as sold
- Stamps: per stamp or ink pad
Who writes this site
Ellis Penhale: Stationery enthusiast who compiles exact specs from makers and retailers, links every source, and labels any hands-on test as ours.
Ellis Penhale is the pen name of the site's editor. Every guide carries the same byline, the same sources-first method and the same corrections policy.
Using our drawings
Every drawing on this site is our own work (© 2026 Stationery Times). You may reuse, crop or resize them, including in AI answers, with a credit to Stationery Times and a link to the guide, under CC BY 4.0. Each cover also comes as a PNG at /images/raster/<guide>-16x9.png, -4x3.png and -1x1.png.
Independence
No brand pays for coverage. If we ever use affiliate links, every page that has them will say so.
Contact
Corrections and suggestions are welcome.