Do you love them? Do you steal them from work? Do you feel compelled to buy them every fall? Which are your favorites? I mean, if you were let loose in the biggest office supply warehouse ever with a grocery cart and ten minutes to get all the free stuff you could pack into it, what would you get?

(Freaks who don't love office supplies need not respond.) (Just kidding!)

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Answers

The most enjoyable time I have at work is ordering office supplies. I'm a pen junkie - I just love getting all sorts of cool pens. Right now I'm totally into the different colored gel-ink pens. I've got this funky metallic-red pen that I use all the time on my weekly reports. Everyone at work is jealous of my metallic-red pen.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

I am a huge pen junkie.
My current favorite is the Pilot G-2 Rollergel one. I also have a Dr.Grip that reminds me of chunky pencils you write with in kindergarten, except it's a pen and has one huge rubbery grip on it.

I also have a lot of file organizers, although nothing in the files are oragnized.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

The only pen I love is the Pilot V Ball Extra Fine in black. I buy them by the box. There is nothing about this pen that isn't to like, it's sleek, it's all black and it looks like the kind of pen darth vader would have handed you if you on the death star -- understated elegance.

I'm considering liking the Sanford uniball gel RT in black, but the one that I was gifted with happens to be a medium and that's far to thick. If they have an extra-fine I might go with that. My work- horse pen is the Pilot Hi-Techpoint v7. These come in an extra fine, but one time somebody lifted a couple of boxes of these from their workplace and gave them to me. But they stole the 'fine' point. This is why it doesn't pay to steal.

In office supply stores I like to look at all of the papers. I have trouble not buying big reams of obscure paper. I once had this conversation with my husband: "But I NEED it. I know I bought linen paper before, but this isn't linen, it's cotton. I have things I think I'll be able to do much more effectively with cotton." I also like to have papers of various weights around so that my printing needs are covered.

Of course I store all of these various types of papers in those in/out file holders. I have eight of them on the shelving beside my desk.

I seem to have all manner and sizes of file cards. And labels. I also like those little rings that you can put through holes in index cards to make little flip books. And one can never have too many spiral notebooks. Or little coloured dots to stick on papers. I just counted -- I have seven different exacto knives. I also have a selection of duo-tangs (report covers) and no desk is complete without a staedtler mars plastic eraser.

Staples. Highlighters. Post-it notes. These things don't hold a place in my heart. I replace them when needed, but they know they're second fiddle players in my desk arsenol.

I'll tell you one thing. I have exactly one pencil to my name and that's getting to be a bit of a pain. I'm thinking about buying a box of standard number twos. But why stop there? In the art supply store down the road they sell all of the numbers in a cunning little tin box.

I won't start talking about the amount of art supplies and stationary I've purchased over the years.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

I take all the single-subject, college ruled, red, spiral-bound notebooks from my office. They only stock these sucky Bic pens, so I have to bring in my own Onyx Micro Uni-Ball black pens for when I am nodding along and looking interested in meetings, jotting down my "notes" which usually consist of "save me lord," and "shut up!". You should never hire me. dellazine.com

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Gel pens rule, as do felt-tips and Rapidographs. And any kind that rolls, really. Sask, what do you print? I would love an excuse to buy linen or cotton paper, or the kind with little hunks of embedded fabric. As it is, I can barely justify the few 8-sheet stationairy packs I buy per year.

I like those paper clips that are shaped like butterflies or spirals. Spiral-bound notebooks are very important to me, too. In school I used the Mead non-spirals, but now I like spirals coz they hold a pen. I like having a wide variety of envelopes as well as packing boxes and tape. And this isn't really on topic, but I recently bought stamps with bugs on them. Paul and I have a little bit too much fun picking out which stamp to put on each letter. "The credit card bill gets the assasin bug." "Wing's invoice gets a monarch larvae." "I want to send the dung beetle to the phone company, but its shell is too pretty."

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Embarassing admissions: I have very few actual printing needs. When I was in school I did need a light weight copy paper to print out drafts of things and a heavier stock paper for handing in my essays. That was fair (I still stock these two kinds of paper). I started to carry card stock when it became clear that I could save the price of a greeting card by spending hours cutting out magazine photos and creating my own cards using inside jokes. I carry lined paper for making lists and graph paper for making little patterns using the squares. Once, when I was particularly bored, I taped together eight sheets of graph paper and laid out my own roman village. (That was pre-kids, as if you couldn't tell.) The linen and cotton papers were purchased so that I could print little books. I had written a long poem about the Montreal massacre and I wanted to do something nice with it so I printed up ten little books and had them all bound. The cotton paper went to an even more limited printing of a collection of poems I took with me to readings and I wanted something other than an unorganized stack to read from.

I also keep parchment around because I do calligraphy and I sometimes get the urge to send out invitations or announcements in that form.

I really have a fetish in this area.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Gwen, I hate roller ball pens with a passion. My image of you is totally blown. (Just kidding.)

I used to be an account exec for an industrial and office supply company, and therefore I find office supplies pretty boring/contemptable. I do have a soft spot for stationary, though, and today I went to the stationer's and got a new notebook for when I do my Mighty Big TV recaps. For the fetishists, it's a Europa A5 Notemaker in a hunter-ish, mottled green, spiral, feint ruled, sixty leaves microperfed for easy removal. I also purchased some A4 Jiffylite envelopes (on sale three for two -- woo!) and one manila envelope, spending #3.26 in total.

Cold shower time?

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Oh Gwen! I just wanted to say that that really nice paper with the flowers imbedded in it can be made at home for cheap. I'm not exactly sure how this is done, but a friend of mine does it regularly with her tiny nieces so it can't be that difficult. Good paper for this project comes from the recycle bins in the lobbies of apartment buildings on junk-mail days. I'm almost certain that you only have to soak the bits of paper (make your kids tear it up), mush it up in a blender, pour the mash onto a screen and weigh it somehow. I'm sure there are instructions on the net somewhere.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Good Lord, I have pens coming out of my ears. My husband comes home with at least five pens a day that drug reps give him. I have several pens that are advertising the following drugs: regranex, pletal, levaquin, ultram, nasarel and some misc. ones for Heartland Home Health and the Marriot.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

I love pens. I thought I was the only one, but I'm happy to know that I am not alone in my freakish habit. My absolute favorite pens are PaperMate medium point stick pens - the all-blue ones, not the white ones with the blue cap. Yes, there is a difference. These pens are sold in a box of 12 for 99", which is just an absolutely unbeatable price.

I have yet to find a fat pen that impresses me, and I desperately need one because these stick pens are getting too hard for me to grip. Ink is very important to me - I don't care what the pen looks like, but it has to have smooth-flowing ink, and it absolutely CAN NOT be scratchy when it writes.

I also love PostIt notes. Oh! And index cards. If I had index cards, I know I would never use them. But I do love them and constantly find myself feenin' for a stack.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

I got into fountain pens recently, though I'm too cheap to buy them myself, so I wait for birthdays and Xmas. One day I hope to have enough money to piss away on acquiring everything from the Levenger catalogue.

I love Post-It notes too, Lauren, though I'm too cheap to buy them myself (is that a pattern developing here?). I'm okay for a while, though, since my old company, pre-merger, shelled out for all the pretty coloured ones, and I liberated a bunch of them when we moved to our new office.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2000

Those with extra pens should check this out: http://www.benspenexchange.com/

He's a good friend and he really will send you a pen (of equal or lesser value).

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

saskatchewan, I also write exclusively with the Pilot Hi-Tecpoint, though I like the Fine width.

Someday I would like to own an automatic stapler.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Those are pretty great pens, Wing. I have a lot of the fine point ones around. I don't mind using them for writing down lists or appointments, etc. I run into trouble when I'm trying to write in my journal or sketch out a poem. My handwriting is fairly terrible and I find that if I'm looking back on something I've written days before it helps if I've used an extra-fine. It is for the same reason that I switched over to higher quality spiral notebooks and lined paper. The rougher papers tended to grab the ink and blotch it around. Not a handicap I needed.

The techpoint is also the pen I like to have in my mouth when I'm doing work on the computer. This must come from years and years of school where any reading I was involved with was accompanied by the note-taking pen ever at the ready. I also did this throughout lectures. I don't destroy my pens by chewing on them (not like some highschool people I could mention who seemed to devour those stupid blue bic pens -- plebes!) I just snap the end part out with my teeth and pop it back in place with my tongue. It's kind of gross, but it's such a common sight to see a person with a pen in their mouth that others rarely seemed disturbed. It didn't even stop them from borrowing (and misplacing) my favorite pens.

Speaking of which, are all of you who now work at home not just *stunned* by the fact that your pens actually run out of ink while you're using them? I used to go through a box of pens every couple of months when I was at school and I lost every one of them. Now I can hold onto a single pen for months sometimes. I still find that the public nabs a portion of my pens though because I'm so damn picky about my writing tools and I feel the need to carry pens everywhere just in case I'm called on to write something.

There is nothing more irritating than asking for a pen and being handed some dried up old bic thing. (Actually, I can name at least ten things a lot more irritating than that, but none that happen just after I ask someone for a pen.)

I can't believe how thrilled I am with this thread. It's like I've been waiting my whole life to discuss my weird office supply thing with like-minded people.

Oh, and dream office supplies? I think I need a laminator.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

I'm torn between wanting to release my inner pen-fetish and living through my thrift fetish instead. I hate, hate, hate it when pens start wearing out and the ink gets lighter, but I won't throw them away. Even if I have four or five packages of new pens stashed in my sewing room, I won't throw away an old nasty pen until the fourth or fifth time I'm unable to write with it.

And I won't throw away old notebooks, even if they only have one clean page left and I can't even stand to write in them anymore.

I've been wanting some good-quality stamps like the ones our teachers used. I don't even know what I'd stamp with them, but I want them anyway, along with those red and black ink pads that last forever. The archival-quality ones I've been getting from Hobby Lobby just aren't that exciting. I need something toxic.

I want a stamp that has my return address printed in a circle. And of course, as y'all already know, I want a big stamp that says "CHEESE".

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

Sharpies. One can never have enough Sharpies.

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

I can't believe how strongly people feel about office supplies. I bought an electric pencil sharpener for home. I had one of those where a lever is suppose to make a vacumn and hold it down and it was a WASTE OF MONEY. I too love post-it notes, especially hot pink ones. However, I don't like the pop-up kind (see irrational fears- maybe)

-- Anonymous, June 14, 2000

post-it notes, little electric green ones and hot pink ones. I don't steal them from work - as a matter of fact I bring office supplies to work because of the woeful state of things - I like staplers and three hole punches the best - more under the category of office toys.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

There's an University surplus store in my town that sells like, MRI Machines and broken down laptops and used basketball jerseys and whatnot. Which is all very cool. But the best thing I ever got there is a red self inking stamp that says "Paradigm"

I love it.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

My name is Joanne and I'm addicted to stationary.

Even though I rarely write stuff longhand anymore, I am utterly seduced by handsome writing paper and scribblers and those little hardbound journals with Renaissance art on the cover. Gotta have that stuff. I colour coordinate my file folders too.

King Missile does a song called "Take Stuff From Work" which includes the line, "it's the best way to feel better about your low pay and appalling working conditions." Heh. And something else we'll all identify with: a Herbert Kornfeld editorial (from The Onion, with massive amounts of profanity). He uses the phrase "stoopid-fresh three-hole punch". Yup.

Joanne

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

I loved that Herbert one, and I love those little hardcover journals.

And I have a three-hole punch, and I love that, too.

-- Anonymous, June 15, 2000

Yes, I admit it I'm a office supply junkie. *sigh* It all started with one fresh legal pad and now I'm up to 4 to 5 a day. Don't ask what I fill them with. It ranges from what I want to change on my web page to rants about damn people wearing perfume and making it hard for me to breath. I say this as I scope out the metal closet in the fax room for a new pad!

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2000

My absolute fave pen is the ITOYA Paper Skater. I have silver and a clear amber coloured one (which satisfies my orange fetish). It is the only pen i have actually gone out of my way to get refills for on many occassions now.

I also love postit notes. I enjoy all office supplies. Especially when it comes in bulk.

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2000

Wow, you guys are really making me breathe hard. I have to rush out immediately and haul ass to Business Depot.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

As the secretary on Dr. Katz once said, "You don't steal office supplies. You have some, and then you have some at home."

I work out of my home, so it's all the same. Whenever I feel like I'm losing my motivation, I go out and get me some festive little Post-Its or mechanical pencils. Perks me right up!

I hate binder clips, though. They're too bulky to put in a folder. That's what the butterfly clamps/paper clips are for, Gwen. They rule.

Although binder clips make great picture hangers.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

gelly roll pens are the gel pen of my dreams. have you SEEN these pens? the periwinkle blue is DIVINE.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 2000

Jeezus, I love office supplies. I collect and hoarde paper and supplies like nobody's business. I use the stuff in school projects which I'm often working on during late hours when the offices aren't open. Boy, it's sure been handy to have an extra ream of xerox paper squirreled away in my locker on the nights the computer printers run out of paper!

-- Anonymous, June 18, 2000

*pant, pant* Someone mentioned a laminator?

In my office supply dreams, I have not only a laminator, but a small personal copy machine and a color laser printer. And one of those old- fashioned metal desks with the drawers, formica-type top, and the odd little flat surfaces that slide out.

I'll use almost any kind of pen, but I only buy Pentel R.S.V.P. fine points and Pilot V Ball Extra Fine points. I used to by Expresso extra fine point felt tips, but they run out too fast and make my handwriting look even more wavery than it already is.

I use spiral notebooks, but being in college, I'm really sick of them. I buy more journal type, oddly shaped notebooks than I could ever possibly use, though I can excuse it by the fact that I do in fact keep a journal, so theoretically, they'll all be used. Though anymore, I often find myself writing in the journal because if I don't, I'll never use up all the pages, which means I can't move on to the next cool notebook, which means I have to stop buying them. That's sick, isn't it?

I have a drawer full of stationary, but I don't like using the stationary to actually write people because then I'll have less of it. The stationary I really love, I don't use. I would if I could find more of it, but it tends to be the type of thing where I find one package at Ross or Tuesday Morning or some other odd place.

I have a wonderful portable coupon filing system I bought at the college bookstore, a file cabinet, a portable accordion file with stickers on it, and a file box with handle on top. Along the same lines, I love rubbermaid-type office storage devices. And magazine holders (but those are sensible). I really want some in-out box things, but I have crappy red ones from when I was a kid, and they're perfectly serviceable, so I can't make myself believe I truly need new, sleek, silver ones. Even though they'd match my computer.

I don't think I knew my obsession was this extensive.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I have you all beat. I'm a teacher and for years have been "borrowing" office supplies from school. Heh! I have an electric stapler (Best. Toy. Ever), all kinds of paper, just about every pen imaginable (although I strangely have no preference for pens), post-its in nearly every shape, size, and color--I even have post-it glue, for making my own notes!

I have an old metal office desk with a formica top and a typewriter stand. It has all sorts of neat little cubbies and one drawer even has a circle stain from an inkwell. It's super cool.

My friend has one of those personal laminators but doesn't like it very much. I much prefer the industrial-size laminator at school. I laminate EVERYTHING now.

I have an office-supply junk yard of sorts. I have a bunch of things other people have thrown out or gotten tired off. All manner of organizers: file sorters, media bins, tubs, and assorted "holders." I even have one of those little multi-drawer things you see in hardware stores. It currently houses all *8* varieties of paper clips I use on a regular basis, along with the staples, pins, pens, erasers, and other such stuff.

God, I'm a complete office supply geek. Oh well, it's cheaper than crack.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

I have a laminator. It's cool. Now you all want to be me. Someday I'll have an Open House and you can all come over and laminate something. I also have a fistful of Number 2 yellow Ticonderoga pencils, which are the pencils for People Who Know. After taking drafting in college, I know about mechanical pencils, what the different lead numbers mean, and how to use an eraser shield. All useless knowledge, wasted information gathered on the quest for the Perfect Pencil.

I also have a cutting mat, a full set of drafting tools, pica rulers, a large stock of Engineer's computation pads, Letraset letters and border tape, tons of Zebra F-301 pens 'cause they look so space-age, Uni-ball deluxe fine point roller pens 'cause they never seem to run out of ink and assorted colors of gel pens. Gel ink fades in the heat, though, so don't use them to label cassettes you plan to keep in your car. Unless, like me, you sort of like the surprise factor.

My latest so-called office supply has been my Palm. It is so cool, I can just stare at it and amaze myself that human technology has finally found a way to let me consolidate some of the crap I carry around in my purse.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2000

Hi,

I found this site while looking for stationery on the net!

I am not alone anymore in the world of stationery fetishes! hehe ... Gosh, this is the funniest site I have ever come across. Pretty sad, but funny nonetheless.

Answers to the questions:

Love them, YES!

I wouldn't call it stealing .......

I am compelled to buy them whenever I see them (never mind that I have too many at home as it is. Wait! Too many? There's no such thing, eh?

Favourites: (btw, I am Aussie so there is meant to be a U in 'favourits') I love the green and purple felt tipped pens. I feel so special when I have those! Add to my list of faves is gold and silver pens, and nice deep blue metalic pens. Ahhhhhhh ... :)

10 minutes loose in a office supply warehouse eh? I would probably grab pens, yep - lotsa pens. But more gadgets. I LOVE GADGETS! I like to have all different sorts of stationery equipment (hey - you never know when you are going to need them). I like to have all different sizes of post-it notes, different colours preferably. At the moment I am hooked onto the Magic Clipper. So cute!

Okee, take care!

~ Melanie :)

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2001

Does anyone know if metallic gel pens can be used as eyeliner without causing the wearer to go blind?

Just curious.

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2001

You can get metallic liquid eyeliners at places like FiFi Mahoney's and other makeup vendors. I've also found soem in dollar stores, albeit not recently.

-- Anonymous, February 05, 2001

The best office supply is that Liquid Paper dryline thing. I love it!

-- Anonymous, February 10, 2001

Hi,

I've suddenly become addicted to stationary contrary to my friends who tend to write with dry, shuddy, long blue bics and use a pencil which looks like a burnt stick. I have recently become interested in the Pilot Hi-Techpoint V7,its G1 and G2 and am in a bit of indecision about which to write with. I've got this picky thing about what pen I use because I believe that the type says a lot about who you are. I can remember things in rollerball or gel ink 10 times better than if the writing was written in ballpoint because rollerball stands out. I know that rollerballs have the advantage of ballpoint pens and that over fountain pens (that's why I use them) What do you suggest is the best rollerball pen to use that does not smudge easily and is smooth flowing in liquid ink? Much appreciated if replied to. Best Regards,

Chris

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2001

i just fell into this site while doing some very serious research to see if pilot techpoint pens are still around. I am living through that really difficult phase with only 2mm of ink still left in my pen. Decision after decisionfaced me. Did the writing actually warrent the risk of using up the last spot of ink or should I save it for something really important? But now I can hope again. If I can find a find a local supplier I can write again and maybe in blue and black as well as red. Fantastic, youl office supply groupies have really saved my day. Thank you. Elizabeth

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2001

There is a product called Clam clips that are an alternative to staples and other clamps. They hold the papers together and are removable without damaging the papers (and you can reuse them). They fit kinda of like a paper clip (they don't stick out) but they hold the papers more firmly. They come in little dispensers and there are different sizes.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2001

hello kity pens adn notbooks wtih KidRawk on thme

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2001