A curated collection of vintage office supplies including a red fountain pen, paperclips, a binder clip, Fisco thumb tacks, Rexel No. 16 Universal Staples, paper fasteners, and drawing pins on a white background.

Best Gifts for Stationery Lovers

Some people buy a new pen the way others buy a new coat — carefully, and with strong opinions about the nib. This guide is for them, and for anyone who's ever lingered a little too long in the notebook aisle.

Every piece here started life as a genuine appreciation for the objects on a well-equipped desk, hand-drawn in the Design Smith studio in Norfolk.

Illustrated greetings card featuring vintage fountain pens, blank inside.

For the one who believes a great pen is half the battle

The Vintage Pens card (£3.50) is drawn from a collection of elegant, characterful fountain pens, for the writer who knows it. The matching Pens notebook(£9.75) makes a fitting home for the collection on the cover — any pen or pencil works inside, just not a fountain pen.

Giclee print illustration of vintage pen nib boxes.

For the one who knows the right nib makes all the difference

The Pen Nibs print (£45.00) is a hand-drawn collection of vintage pen nib boxes, beautifully detailed and wonderfully specific. The Pen Nibs card (£3.50) covers the same ground for anyone who'd rather send it than frame it.

For the one who still gets a thrill from a sharpened pencil

The Pencils of Note print (£60.00) is a hand-drawn celebration of the pencil as a genuine object of design, not just a tool. The Pencils card (£3.50) and Pencils notebook (£9.75) are for everyday use — beautifully sharpened, obviously.

A5 notebook with an illustrated cover of vintage desk stationery

For the one who can never have enough pens

The Vintage Stationery print (£45.00) is a hand-drawn celebration of a well-curated writing collection, for anyone who considers it one of life's genuine pleasures. The Vintage Stationery card (£3.50) and matching notebook (£9.75) bring the same lovingly curated desk drawer to everyday use.

For the one who notices the marks everyone else reads past

The Typographica stamp set (£9.50) brings thirty typographic marks to a single collectible sheet. The Stationery stamp set (£9.50) does the same for seventeen illustrated studio objects, and the Mini stamp sets (£4.95) pack five stamps into a glassine envelope, entirely too satisfying to open.

Illustrated greetings card featuring a typewriter with the words happy birthday, blank inside.

For the typewriter romantic

The Typewriter Ribbon Tins print (£40.00) is drawn from what might be one of the most overlooked masterclasses in graphic design ever produced. The Happy Birthday (£3.50) and Thank You (£3.50) typewriter cards are there for the everyday version, for the one who believes a message is worth doing properly.

Wrapping up

Everything here ships free across the UK, and cards come with a matching kraft envelope, so there's no separate wrapping to think about.

For more, the full Notebooks and stationery collection has the rest of the notebook range if none of these quite fit.