Paper World
Illuminated writing device
I'm an aircraft owner and use this very powerful LED-powered pen during night flying, but also while traveling on commercial flights and mostly at odd times: crosswords, fishing for something in the car at night, etc. The lighting and ink are independently controlled, so in addition to being effective, it's easy to use: the button on top is on/off for the light and the pen rotates to retract the ink. I've had some promotional-type LED pens in the past, but the button cells burn out and then it's difficult to replace them. This pen runs on a single AAA cell, which is easy to find and replace. The pen also comes with an extra battery and ink cartridge for $20 (with shipping) -- not too bad.
-- Robert Cullinan
Pilot's Pen
$20
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Britta Products
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Boeing/Pratt & Whitney Surplus Sales
Hobby-Lobby
Superior pencil sharpener
With its built-in sharpener, the previously-reviewed leadholder is useful, however, the Alvin Lead Pointer is the best way to keep this type of pencil sharpened. I am an architect and use these pencils every day. I've had this sharpener for more than ten years and it still works like new. The pointer is small, making it ideal to hold in your hand while rotating your lead holder around the pointer. Because your two hands are working together, I find I have more control and there are much fewer broken leads. The cutting head is sharp and lasts for a long time. It only takes a couple spins and your lead is needle sharp. Maintenance and clean-up is a snap. Take the top off the body and dump the graphite shavings into your trash and you are done If you do break your lead in the pointer, just remove the top and tap it on the inside edge of your trash can to clear the broken pieces. Lead pointers can be messy because of the fine graphite dust, but my pointer has never leaked the dust onto my desk. I have used many different types of pointers from desk mounted to ones mounted on the top of an electric eraser. The desk mounted pointers tend to break leads easily, since you are moving your lead holder in a circular motion around a pointer fixed to your desk, thus you may move in a direction that is not compatible to the pointer and will snap your lead. The electric eraser type is good, but it does not stay sharp for very long. It's also difficult to empty the graphite shavings and jams when you break your lead inside it. This pointer really is the best way to keep you lead sharp! If you work in an office, you may want to buy two -- because it is so small and useful, your pointer just might grow legs.
-- Donald Moore, Jr.
Alvin Lead Pointer
$9
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by ALVIN
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Apex Mechanical Pencil
Derwent 3B Graphic Pencil
Architecture Without Architects
Pocket-size, carbon copy notebook
Since I began using these notepads eight months ago, I have almost stopped using my expensive PDA. The pages have a carbonless copy feature that allows me to leave one copy in the book and use the post-it style second copy wherever it is needed. Since the notebooks are slightly larger than a business card (3 x 3.5 inches), it is just the right size to fit in a wallet. It goes with me everywhere, stashed in my credit card wallet along with a space pen that fits in the crease of the wallet.
-- Christian Taylor
Rediform 2-Part Self-Stick Message Pad
$8
(6 pads)
Available from Office Depot
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Derringer Wallet Pen
FoldzFlat Pen
Credit Card Survival Tool
Thick drafting pencil
I always snap the point off regular pencils and mechanical pencils, so this is the pencil I've always wanted. Commonplace among draftsmen and technical drawers, the Staedtler holds 2mm leads, which do not break under pressure. I use mine all day. It's simple to retract and the recess in the removable push button also doubles as a sharpener (see below image). Remove the push button and there is a hole you stick the lead into. The lead gets very sharp and you can sharpen anywhere, anytime without having to remember to bring along a sharpener.
It has become my everyday pencil -- the only thing I write with unless I am behind a keyboard or must use a pen. I don't do any drafting or fine art applications, though I do sometimes sketch network diagrams (I am an intermediate-level sys admin). I also use the pencil for journal writing. The size of the lead really allows for a lot of flexibility in the line width. The pencil never fails, has a good weight, and I find I can hold it very precisely. The texture of the barrel is rough, almost like a nail file or cheese grater. Some people might not like the feel, but the pencil doesn't slip when wet.
I use a soft lead generally and find it needs sharpening one or more times a day. The sharpening can be a bit messy, but tapping it against a wastepaper basket takes care of the extra graphite dust. I still inevitably get graphite powder on my shirt, but it washes out without staining, so I don't really care. Also, it takes some practice to get comfortable with the system. At first the lead comes flying out, so you have to get used to holding the pencil a few centimeters above the paper and releasing the lead to the right amount. It works really well once you get it.
I've looked at other leadholders. If I saw a nicer designed one (i.e. a Parker or a Schaeffer) I might be tempted to get one. Part of what I like about the Staedler is the price and durability. One pencil and a year's supply of lead costs me about $10 at Utrecht art supply. I've lost and given away a few but haven't had any break or wear out.
-- Michael Bubb
Staedtler Leadholder
$5
Available from Amazon
Staedtler Refill Leads
$2
Available from Utrecht
Manufactured by Staedtler
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Shower Slate
UniBall Signo Bit 0.18mm Pens
Cintiq
Customizable spiral bound journal
Recently we posted a Source Wanted request from a Cool Tools reader searching for a notebook with alternating blank and lined pages. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Interestingly, an overwhelming majority of you recommended the Levenger Circa... -- sl
I've been using Levenger's products for about 10 years, most notably their Circa notebooks. The ring-based binding allows not only quick removal and replacement of pages, but also a nice mix and match format for a variety of sheets, including ruled, blank, grid, address book, calendar, and more. I have a couple leather covers that I change around a bit to reduce wear on the notebooks. I tend to walk around with a normal junior size Circa notebook (about 5"x8") with pages of several types inside, including little contact information cards, 3x5s, etc. Sometimes I'll take a page out and offset it by one ring so it sticks out above the others to denote a new section (though I believe they have all kinds of dividers and such now). The rings themselves, though plastic, are sturdy and heavy -- notably better than the Rollabind notebook. The paper is a fairly heavy stock with good absorption and a great feel when writing on it with either rollerballs or fountain pens. The line printing is subtle but clear and it comes in a variety of layouts, though I tend to stick with the Columbia note taking system layout (with a column down the left-hand side), which used to be their only offering. They also sell paper in larger packs of 300, so I tend to keep a couple reams on hand. The hole puncher from Levenger is also a well-machined thing.
I can't really go back to normal notebooks. Hard-bound notebooks don't lay flat. Even with a spiral notebook with double-ring wiring I rarely find one with a high enough paper quality to suit my tastes. Nevertheless, there are a couple downsides (I'm not a complete sycophant). If you "work" a page too much in the binding (and it really has to be quite a lot) the little tabs will wear a bit and without the strength of being sandwiched between other pages, it can be a bit less secure in the bindings. A small price, but I've had pages that I repeatedly go back to fall out. Also, the diameter of the rings restricts the width of the notebook to something close to 5/8 of an inch while the rings stick out a bit. However, you can buy bigger rings. The Circa was the first and only disc-based removable/replaceable page binding I'd ever seen. Though there are a couple competitors now (like the Rollabind), I really find Levenger's product line second to none. I do flinch at the price when I click "checkout," but I'm always vindicated when I open the box.
-- Mike Wilson
I've been using various Circa products since their inception. The real value of the Circa notebooks is that I don't have to buy many of the notebooks any more. I have enough binders and pieces that now I typically purchase only the refills and create my own notebooks designed for specific uses, mixing the different formats (lined, grid, blank). I have a couple 5-subject letter-sized notebooks, the junior and letter-size single-subject notebooks, and I also carry a Circa PDA in my coat pocket for noting things I find while I'm out. I can use the lined pages for normal notetaking and writing, insert a grid page for a table or a blank page for a mind map. I generally start with about ten lined pages and five blank and grid pages in a notebook and then arrange them as needed. Being a minimalist, I like to start with the least number of sheets to do the job and then add as needed to the capacity of the rings. There have been only two problems I had with them over time: 1) the paper is twice as thick as normal note paper, so the 5-subject notebook simply weighed too much, and 2) I tended to wear out the paper connections in one section before reaching other sections. However, since switching from the 5-subject to the junior and letter single-subject notebooks, I don't have the weight or wear problems.
-- Gary Scott
Levenger Circa Notebook
$20+
(leather cover, varying sizes)
Available from Levenger
Circa Refills
$8+
(varying sizes/styles)
Also from Levenger
Circa Starter Kit Notebook
$10-14
Also from Levenger
[Levenger has a pretty no-nonsense video demonstrating the Circa's ins and outs; Also of note: a reader named Judy pointed me to the DIY notebook groups on Flickr, where I discovered a splendid shot of a fully-stocked "Circa Bar" assembly station in Boston, MA; what a great concept! --sl]
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Moleskine Notebooks
Getting Things Done
Rite in the Rain Notebooks
Hands-free reading
Reader-diners know the pain of trying to balance a thick book and a meal without losing your page or spilling food. As a regular lunchtime reader, I went searching online for a tool that would allow for comfortable hands-free reading -- and eureka! Cleverly designed, this diminutive device is replete with intelligent features: a little pull-out stand supports the book, two sturdy clips hold the pages in place, a pair of pull-out legs holds the book upright on a table. Best of all, spring-loaded page holders on either end make for simple page-turning without the need for repositioning the text; you just grip both holders with one hand and squeeze. I've used the BookGem with a variety of types of books -- everything from thick hardcovers to slim-ish paperbacks -- and it's adapted marvelously. And because it folds down to a pocket-size rectangle, I can easily tuck it in with my book wherever I go.
-- Matt Thompson
BookGem
$15
Available from BookGem
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
The Thumb Thing
Book Darts
Sony Portable Reader
Retractable tip writing implement
This mechanical pencil has the same protective, retractable tip as the Vanishing Point, but it's only $6, half the price. I have been using them for about 2 years. The pencil has a good weight to it - not too heavy and not too light . It uses 3 lead fills and is available in .5 or .7mm. There is also a twist mechanism for the eraser, that helps protect it when not in use.
-- Soham Ghosh
Apex Mechanical Pencil
$7
Available from Amazon (.5mm)
Manufactured by Paper Mate
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Retractable Sharpie
Cheap Gel Pens
The Shade
Reusable text markers
I am a student in a masters program and read numerous texts at the same time. For years I used sticky plastic flags, but they are not reusable. These thin, folding book darts are flush with the book, and unlike the plastic flags, don't get bent or torn out while in my book bag. They also solve the waste problem. With an order of a hundred I am able to mark all of my books with passages that I need to remember for class discussions. Once done with that class, I simply pull them out and then use them for another class.
-- Jerald Harris
Book Darts
$9
(tin of 50, pic above)
Available from Lee Valley
Manufactured by Book Darts
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Consensus Web Filters
How To Find Lost Objects
Getting Things Done
Archival-quality pens
An avid scrapbooker in our family vehemently recommended these acid-free pens about five years ago. Ever since, we've used them to label all of our albums and prints, both new and old. If you're going to take enough care to use an acid-free album or you plan to send your photos overseas for scanning, then you need one of these; otherwise, in time, the acid from, say, a standard ballpoint will cause degradation (yellowing, brittleness, etc.). The fine tip allows for small, really crisp penmanship (we use the 05 model which produces a .45mm line). They're advertised as fade proof, non-bleeding and waterproof. I can attest to the first two (we take great care to keep our stuff dry *knock wood*). One caveat: to avoid smudges, let the ink sit about 10-15 seconds before putting the photo back into an album.
-- Steven Leckart
$2
(various colors & thickness)
Available from Dick Blick
$16
(set of 8 varied colors in 05 size)
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Kuretake
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
Acid-Free Tissue Paper
Metallic Sharpie
Derringer Wallet Pen
Durable second skin for journals
I have used Moleskine journals for years, but more often than not, by the time I've filled a journal, the spine is torn and in tatters. And because I write the journal number and date on the spine before putting my filled journals on my library shelf, this is a problem. The obvious solution is a nice leather slip-on cover, but I couldn't find one that met my specs. In particular, I wanted a cover that wouldn't interfere with use of the signature Moleskine elastic band or rear ticket pocket. And above all, it had to be sturdy and elegant, just like my otherwise-stout Moleskine. So I turned to Steve Derricott at Gfeller Casemakers, who made me a custom cover that works great, and now Gfeller is offering a slip-on cover that meets my high specs and more (note: I have NO financial interest in any of this, of course). The cover is made with the attention to detail that has made Gfeller a legend among geologists and field scientists for their extraordinary leather field cases. It is hand-cut and sewn with waxed Egyptian cotton thread, which is tap-set so that it will never, ever break. Steve makes the covers in English Kip leather, the same leather used in his field cases. Kip is a pale tan when new, but over time, exposure to light and the oils from your hand will cause it to darken. The process starts almost immediately, but continues over many years, all the while the cover gets darker and richer in tone, until in a decade or so, it will be a deep rich, mahogany. Because it has no dyed surface, the Kip cover will wear better than, say, a black dyed cover. Scratches and bumps will soften into the overall patina of the cover, adding to its character and giving it a wonderful feel like a fine old saddle -- or of course one of Gfeller's field cases after years of use in the field. (He does offer other leathers as an option, but I recommend sticking with Kip). Steve is stamping a serial number in each cover beneath the Gfeller cartouche, a reminder that one is not merely buying a journal cover but also an heirloom in the making.
-- Paul Saffo
Moleskine Notebook Cover
$40
(stock #: MC.LN)
Available from Gfeller Casemakers
Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:
How To Make a Journal of Your Life
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Rite in the Rain Notebooks
Mess-free handwriting/drawing for lefties & artists
[ This may be a worthy product, but we have removed the review for this product because we belatedly learned the reviewer is married to the inventor. The reviewer wrote to us later that he didn't think it would look good if he mentioned that his wife made the product so he misled us on where he got the product. We now find it hard to trust him on the rest of the review. An impartial review (negative or positive) is wanted. -- KK]
SmudgeGuard
(sizes xxs - l)
$5
Available from and manufactured by SmudgeGuard
Little Nemo was a comic that appeared in Sunday papers in the 1930. They are undoubtedly the weirdest, trippiest, most peculiar, inventive and dream-like comics ever. Each page is memorable, a complete dream unto itself. They make R. Crumb and the LSD-laced hippy underground comics seem tame. While several books reprint the entire series, this reproduction retains the comic's original scale, which you really need to fully appreciate the eyeball-slapping impact these masterworks have. It's easily the largest book I own. You COULD slice one of these books up and have 30 exquisitely printed two-side posters to give out.
-- KK
Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!
Winsor McCay
Edited by Peter Maresca
2005, 120 pages
$80
Available from Amazon
[It's back-ordered for the holidays. Sunday Press, the publisher, has a short list of retail stores in major American cities. ]
Sample pages:
Custom postage
Vanity postage. This pretty-easy-to-use website will generate official US postage stamps featuring a photo or illustration of your choosing (works well with iPhoto for instance). When the service was first introduced two years ago it was abused by clever pranksters -- my favorite hack was a Unabomber postage stamp. The Post Office shut the program down. The service is available again but I don't know what the actual image limits are (vs. their stated policy). We made some silly faces and they made stamps from them. I've seen them used for wedding/party invitations. You can also put business logos on them, or other non-political messages. The cost is more than twice that of regular stamps (less if you buy them in bulk). A 20-stamp sheet of these makes a nice personal, utilitarian gift.
-- KK
Photostamps
20 stamps, 39 cents
$18
Available from Stamps.com
Two other sites offer a similar service for the same price. They offer mild design differences in the bar coded postage area.
PictureItPostage
Zazzle (integrates nicely with Flickr)
For Canadian Postage:
Canada Post Picture Postage
All three of the following English-speaking countries offer a photo stamp on a sheet next to a postage stamp:
For U.K. Postage:
Royal Mail Smilers
For Australian Postage:
Australia Post Personalised Stamps
For New Zealand Postage:
New Zealand Personalised Stamps
Quickest labels
Addressing envelopes by hand is a drag, but sending them through the printer often involves manual feeding hassle and jamming. When I found the Dymo Labelwriter 400, my envelope-labeling problems were over: this baby will pop out an address label in (literally) one second (or sixty a minute, if you want), using a 300 DPI thermal-printing process. The unit plugs into your computer via USB and shows up as a printer; the included software adds barcodes automatically, and allows you to store addresses in an address book for even quicker future printing. The printed material is monochrome black-on-white, and you need to use the use rolls of thermal-printable labels instead of ordinary paper labels, but the Dymo is fast as hell and turns out crisp-looking labels in no time. You can get the labels in all kind of different sizes for different uses, and it's easy to swap rolls in and out. It works great to print out labels to put on folders and boxes too.
You can even print postage, stamp by stamp or a roll at a time, by swapping in the appropriate blank-stamp label roll and pre-paying over the Web.
I've got one Labelwriter at the office and one at home, and I use both of them just about every day.
-- Thomas Lewis
Dymo Labelwriter 400 Turbo
$109
Available from Labelcity
Or $123 from Amazon
Safe, quick newspaper clipper
I like to clip items from the newspaper or magazines that are relevant to my clients and prospects. This tool makes that task simple - just grip between thumb and forefinger and trace the outline of the article you want to clip - you even leave the underlying pages intact!
-- Bruce Bradford
Levenger Single Sheet Cutters
$14 for 2
Levenger
Light-Touch Stapler
I hate struggling with a desktop stapler if there are more than a few sheets of paper involved. Sometimes you really have to pound on it, and the staple may not go all the way through, or it gets bent. This new stapler is supposed to have the power of an electric model, and can go through 25 sheets of paper with a very gentle tap. I was skeptical until I tried a demo, where they had a couple of sheets of thick cardboard a regular stapler would croak on. Effortless, and a perfect staple every time! Makes me almost look forward to paperwork now.
-- Phil Glatz
PaperPro Prodigy
$17
Available from
Amazon
Manufactured by PaperPro
Marker Pen with No Cap
When I saw these in a commercial during the Super Bowl I thought finally, an ad that actually influenced me to buy something.
Mine arrived yesterday from Staples and they are everything I'd hoped they would be. The same great Sharpie ink and point, but no more cap to hold on to or put down and lose or forget about.
What the great engineers at Sanford have done is create a minuscule hinged door that operates entirely within the instrument's barrel, opening and closing like a submarine's hatch.
-- Joseph Stirt
Retractable Sharpie
$12 for set of 8
Available from Amazon
Manufactured by Sharpie
Custom-Printed Graph Paper
  
OK, so I wanted to sit down and workout a grand plan for my new garden, so I figure a pencil and some graph paper is the way forward.
Just finding some simple 2mm graph paper with 1cm semi bold and 2 cm bold turned out to be a near impossible task. Then I discovered the Graph Paper PDF Generator at incompetech.com .
It does plain paper, lined paper, multi width, hexagonal, even semi-bisected trapezoid! All completely customizable. And it's free!
--Mark Coffey
Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs
$0
Available from Incompetech
Manufactured by Incompetech
Book Manipulation Device
 
When I was a teenager I remember reading a science-fiction story which predicted that by the 21st century, information would be piped directly into the brain. In this story, a character encountered that most archaic object, an old-fashioned book, and felt appalled that people in the 20th century had been forced to endure so much physical discomfort, holding books and turning their pages manually--or trying to prevent the pages from turning if there was a breeze.
Well, here we are in 2006, and yet another science-fiction prediction has failed to pan out. While we're waiting for wetware implants, we'll just have to make do with a stopgap solution: A plastic thumb aid.
The Thumb Thing
$3
Available from ABC Stuff
Manufactured by Thumb Thing
Foldable wallet pen
I carry a pen that I wish was more readily available. It's a plastic pen shaped like an airplane that folds flat and sort of clips together to make a sturdy shape. It folds once lengthwise to fit in your wallet. Then, to write with it, you snap little plastic notches together inside so that you have three reinforced surfaces. Now I never need to borrow someone's pen. They're pretty cool. I even bought 48 of them figuring the company would go out of business at some point.
My only problem with the FoldzFlat Pen is that they're totally ugly, produced mainly for little kids. I'm hoping that with the right publicity they will start marketing to the nerd elite.
-- Cory
FoldzFlat Pen
$2
Available from
Fabgear
Update for the Nerd Elite: Your stainless steel pen has landed
$10
Best pen for left handers
I love the smooth writing possible with a fine fountain pen. Unfortunately, the massive amounts of liquid ink that make nib pens so luxurious are impossible for me, a left-hander. The key to writing for a lefty is quick-drying ink. I spent years trying to find a way to use a fountain pen that doesn't leave me with an ink-stained hand and an illegible page. Eventually I gave up and began searching for an alternative. Pencils are a nightmare for a lefty, and the goopy ink in most ballpoints just tars the page when my hand sweeps through it. Gel pens produce a fluid line reminiscent of a fountain nib, but stay damp (and therefore messy) for an amazingly long time. In the past I've found the only ink that could dry before my hand could smear it came from fine-pointed rollerballs that scratched out thin lines of ink.
Sanford's Jetstream pens use a unique formulation of gel ink that dries incredibly fast. Write a sentence, then immediately put your pen down and run a finger over your words -- no smear! For the first time in my life I have a pen that lets me concentrate on the words I'm writing and not a blotter or some other device to keep the words legible.
The pens are available in both 1.0 mm and 0.7 mm points. Though I like the result of the 0.7 mm a bit better, after decades of being a bit afraid to use anything but the finest-tipped pens the 1.0 mm feels like a guilty pleasure.
-- Dan Strunk
Uni-ball Jetstream Rollerball Pens, Assorted 4 Pack
$11
Available from Staples: Staples
$9
Available from Amazon:
Amazon
Retractable pencil
I like using mechanical pencils but their big shortcoming is a tendency for the narrow tip to bend, which makes the lead break prematurely. This is especially a problem if you carry the pencil around; they tend to last much longer if they stay on your desk. Pilot has a mechanical pencil which neatly solves this problem. The tip is retractable, so it is protected when it's in your pocket or your briefcase. It also, as a side benefit, means that it's less likely to poke holes in your clothes. Plus, it's a good looking piece of writing equipment and has a nice heft to it. I've stockpiled spares in case Pilot stops making them, but maybe wider familiarity via Cool Tools will keep them in production. For me, it's essential equipment.
-- Ed Murphy
Pilot Vanishing Point Mechanical Pencil
$13
Available from Amazon
Or $16 from
Pilot
World's thinnest line pen
World's thinnest ballpoint pen...thinnest possible lines you could ever write. It's quite fine. It has some sort of special ink for reducing friction so it won't clog. It's not super-flowy like a normal gel pen but it allows you to make sharp and precise short lines, which is what I suspect it was designed to do (i.e. for writing Japanese characters (see circle in picture with writing between lines of text), or alternatively adding fine details into drawings). I think it's pretty cool.
-- Tim Hong
UniBall Signo Bit 0.18 mm Pen
8 Color Pen Set
$25
Available from Jet Pens
Manufactured by
Mitsubishi Pencil Company
Quick easy labels
I highly recommend the Brother P-Touch PT-65 for a good labeler. Cheap manual labelers like the trusty Dymo work fine too, but they take more time, are clumsier to use, and produce labels that look, well, homemade. They also don't stick well to many surfaces. The PT-65 prints ink-jet quality on durable plastic labels that stick to most anything. It's quick, easy, idiot-proof, and actually fun to use. Once you pick up one of these, you'll find yourself labelling pretty much everything in sight. At about $30 this is one of the cheapest models around, and it produces professional results. More expensive models are available with more features (fonts, tape sizes, etc.), but for my purposes, all of the extra ornamentation is unnecessary. The PT-65 does the trick every time and actually prints higher quality on less expensive tape than most of the pricier models. The unit is also small, light, and comfortable to hold.
-- Dhiren Patel
We have one of these things. Does wonders. Labelers follow the ink-jet business model. Their profit comes from selling tapes. Not a problem unless you are a big user. You can try a generic brand tape, too.
-- KK
Brother P-Touch PT-65
$29
Available from
Amazon
Hole maker
This lovely tool can punch through multiple layers of paper, mat board, etc. It is great for making eyelet holes in fabric as well as leather. Used by book makers and mixed media artists. It is amazing in its ease and is very durable! Earns Extra Foofy Points to be able to say you have a "Japanese Screw Punch."
-- Jane Wynn
The advantage of this tool (sometimes called a Paper Drill) is that unlike your usual plier-like paper punch, this one is not constrained by where you want a hole. You can drill a hole anywhere on any size sheet -- not just the edges -- by bearing down on the handle. To compensate for the lack of leverage you do get in a plier-like punch, the shaft of this screw punch rotates as you press, neatly slicing a trim hole. It will go through 15 pages of paper at once; thicker materials will require multiple passes. It comes with five bits, but the largest one will be smaller than the typical paper punch hole, so I've found more careful alignment is required.
-- KK
Screw Punch with one 3mm bit
$33
Available from
Mister Art
Screw Punch with 5 bits
$40
Available from Paper Source
Paper Source
Ever ready pen
Not earth-shattering, but this wallet pen is really handy. I am never without something to write with. The good thing about the pen is that it clips in, so I never have to worry about where I put it.
-- Chuck Green
Derringer Wallet Pen
$8
Derringer Wallet Pen Company
In praise of the pencil
A pencil can generate megabytes of text, needs no batteries, and has no user manual. It is comfortable to hold, it smells good, and it is relaxing to turn around in your hand as you try to think of the right words. Pencils don't need ink; all they need is a sharpener. They are warm and friendly; they have souls.
I've long been a pencil fan, and, even if I'm writing these words on my iBook, I have several pencils next to me. I use them to doodle and sketch, or to jot down ideas as I brainstorm. Much more than pens, the pencil has character: it comes from nature - from trees and the soil - and it is rooted in the deeper subconscious as a tool that has lasted for some two centuries.
But not just any pencil will do. I've tried out most of the pencils I have come across, and my quest ended when I bought a box of Derwent Graphic pencils, in assorted hardnesses, and eventually discovered the sensual feel of the 3B pencil. The soft lead of the 3B lets me write with no impediments, as the words almost ooze out of my hand. Combined with a yellow legal pad, I can think of no better word processor.
-- Kirk McElhearn
Derwent 3B Graphic Pencil
$15 (pack of 12)
Art City
Manufactured by Derwent
Best stapler
It remains a paper world. Should you ever need to buy a stapler, this is the one to get. By the Archimedean power of levers, one very light push on its head will effortlessly punch a staple through 20 or more sheets. Secures amazingly easily. All staplers should work like this. [Suggested by Bobby Lipman.]
-- KK
One-Touch Stapler
Item #555352
$15
Previously available from Staples
[If you use one of these newer models and can report positively or negatively, please let us know --sl]
Safe paper trimmer
It is simply impossible to make a genuine straight, right-angle cut on paper using a scissors, or even a razor blade and straight edge. The old guillotine paper cutter could deliver a clean cut, but at the risk of taking your fingers away. Fiskars, the scissors makers, invented a tiny blade mounted on a hinged holder that zips through material without any possible harm, even to the youngest children. It's fast, accurate, and crisp.
-- KK
Fiskars Personal Paper Trimmer
$11, 12 inches wide
Amazon
3D book making
All-around best book for exploring alternative forms of the book. It’s aimed at kids, but works for anyone creative.
-- KK
Making Books that Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, and Turn
Gwen Diehn
1998, 96 pages
$14
Lark Books
New York
Amazon
Excerpt:
 Starburst
Do you have a collection of poems, jokes, stamps, pressed flowers, feathers, cartoons, or photographs? Here's a book that can hold your collection, and can give each flower or poem the chance to burst forth on center stage! This kind of book is called a lotus book, but it also looks like a starburst.
Above: Gypsy Wagon fold out book. Below, an Exquisite Corpse
Notes under water
Ever have an idea in the shower and have no way to record it...and then it's lost forever? I use a "Dive Slate", a small (4"x6" ) sheet of sturdy white plastic with a plain old fashioned golf pencil attached. They're cheap (around $5--$6), available on the net at various dive shops, fit nicely behind the soap holder or hung in the shower and work well; they're meant to be written on underwater by divers, so unless you shower under Niagara Falls, your thought will be captured until you erase it.
-- Vincent Crisci
Medium Dive Slate
$8
(4" x 6")
Available from Amazon
Also $10 (8" x 10" ) from Amazon... for an extra large thought
[Dive Slates are available in glow in the dark, too; if you have any experience with these and can report positively or negatively, please let us know. --sl]
Handy pocket notebooks
Do you know about those legendary notebooks you can buy at Barnes & Noble as touted by the late author Bruce Chatwin? They come in several sizes; the pocket size (just a tad larger than a 3 x 5 card) is perfect for a breast pocket or cargo pants pocket. The paper is acid free and rich enough to take ink, so you can sketch as well as take notes, but the most useful feature is the elastic band (which is a built in bookmark) that holds the notebook together -- you can stuff business cards, clippings, sketches on napkins between the pages, and the rubberized cloth thing holds them all together until you can find a place for the scraps. I've carried mine literally around the world.
--Howard Rheingold
 
Moleskine Notebooks
Come in squared, lined, or plain
96 leaves
$11 from Moleskine US
Also a large selection, including this $8 notebook from Amazon.
The backstory about Bruce Chatwin is amusing.
Fountain pen alternatives
For connoisseurs of handwriting, nothing can beat a fountain pen. Ballpoint pens, while dependable and ultra-cheap, have never been able to match the fluid, graceful beauty of writing with a fountain pen. Regular roller ball tips allow more ink to flow, while better, are still inferior to the easy line that a good fountain or technical pen can lay down. Recently however, cheap gel pens have achieved the dense inking of a fountain pen. In ignorance I had equated gel pens with school girls, ink the color of nail polish, and handwriting marked by i's dotted with little hearts. True enough, but serious gel pens are now available. Tipped off by Phil Agre's research page on "cheap pens" (see below) I began to try out cheap gel pens and have been amazed at how fine they are.
My favorite gel, one that feels like a fountain pen to me, is the horribly named Pilot Dr. Grip Gel. It's a fat pen, with rubbery contoured collar at the writing end, and retractable tip. The ink flows out densely and evenly, with little pressure, exactly when you want it to. There's no leakage or muss or fuss of fountain pen maintenance. The pen glides over the page, leaving a fine line. And its cheap, about $6. I use it all the time now.
My other favorite gel pen replaces a pen-type that most architectural and graphics artist came to adore: the Rotring Rapidograph. This is a technical pen that produces a consistent very fine black line -- perfect for detail and precision drawing. I now use a Pilot P-500 (Extra Fine) G2 Gel, with a needlepoint tip. Unlike the old Rapidigraph, it won't clog, doesn't need periodic cleaning, can't dry up, can be retracted to fit in your pocket (Q-7 version), and is cheap -- $2. It inks as well or better as the Rapidigraph -- but it is not waterproof, which may make a difference for some artists. (I have not used newer Rapidograph models, which claim to be clog-free, but are still expensive.) The retractable version, Pilot Q-7 Needlepoint Gel, also sports a fat fatigue-free grip.
 Pilot Q-7 Retractable Gel Needle Point
Devout fountain pen lovers will still find fault in the gel pens, but most of us will find their convenience and bargain price makes them the pen to use. If you know of better cheap great gel pens, let me know.
--KK
Pilot Dr. Grip Gel Pen
$7
From among others, Amazon
Pilot P-500 Extra Fine Gel Pen
$2 for 12
Amazon
Pilot Q-7 retractable Gel Needle Point
$4
Amazon
Both manufactured by Pilot
Cheap Pens by Phil Agre
Rotring Rapidograh Pens
Perfect for cutting rolls
 
Two rotating wheels slice paper the way an open scissors does occasionally. Absolutely marvelous for cutting wrapping paper or making lots of long cuts. Also great for kids who don't quite have the coordination to use scissors well. We keep ours in the gift wrap box.
––KK
Olo Rolling Scissors
item #9709826
$15
Nasco Arts & Crafts
800-558-9595
Optimal place to cut
You razor-cut things on this mat, and unlike other materials it won't accumulate a field of cut marks to misguide your blade. The self-healing rubber keeps the surface uniformly smooth, clean, and firm. And protects your table. Get the largest one you have room for and can afford. A large mat also says: don't pile stuff here.
––KK
Staedtler Cutting Mat
12 x 18
$16
Amazon
Indestructable paper shelter
My Saunders aluminum clipboard portfolio is the best personal organization investment I've ever made. It looks great, and for anyone who regularly carries a messenger bag or briefcase, this little thing is a godsend. It's the size of a legal pad, and just as thin, but it provides a fantastic place to store and protect the various pieces of paper I want to keep close at hand. (At the moment, mine contains an itinerary for a flight I'm taking in two weeks, a construction contract I need to sign, a guest list for my wedding, and a manuscript I'll edit tonight.) It even has a place to store a pen beneath the clipboard clip.
I've been using my portfolio nonstop for four years, and it's virtually indestructible. (Saunders makes the aluminum clipboards used by police and building contractors.) The outside of mine has acquired plenty of scratches and battle scars, but the inside still looks like new, and my papers stay undamaged and uncrumpled, even after months of shuttling from my house, to my messenger bag, to my office, to my car, to anywhere else I might wander. And for just $20, it's a bargain! Saunders makes a variety of other aluminum form holders, including the cop-friendly "Cruiser Mates"
--Todd Lappin
$20
Amazon
For indelible writing on dark glossy surfaces
New on the market, the Metallic Sharpie is a vast improvement over other metallic pens out there -- no shaking the pen before use, and the ink doesn't puddle up. It dries permanent and shows up great on dark
surfaces as well as light ones. It became favorite art tool in my arsenal when I was able to write a friends phone number on a freshly opened, ice-cold beer bottle. Seconds after jotting the number, it was indelible. I try to take it everywhere -- it's good for men's room graffiti, VHS tapes, I even labeled various keys on my key ring. You can get metallic sharpies at Staples or Office Max.
--Chris Sperandio
There's almost no other way to easily write on slippery surfaces. The metallic sharpie uses silver ink, which has remarkable contrast against both light and dark surfaces. For writing on black plastic or enamel (there is more of it around than you think) nothing else will do.
--KK
Metallic Sharpie
$3
(2 pk.)
From Amazon, or where pens are sold
Professional archival quality materials
This is the serious industrial strength stuff that librarians use. Vastly better than the consumer-oriented lightweight and fussy stuff others offer.
I buy my favorite journals (acid-free journal 8-1/2x11 cat. no. 678-0004) from them -- have been using them since 1993 and have found none better. But I also buy tons of other supplies from them regularly, including:
* Monel metal staples (won't rust, ever)
* acid-free boxes for slides and photos
* archival corrosion-intercept zip-lok bags for metal artifacts (item 034-8010-10)
* small Poly zipper bags (500-2030) -- they have every size you could want, useful for endless stuff around the house and while backpacking
--Paul Saffo
University Products
Catalog free
*
Drop Front Herbarium Boxes
An excellent choice for either specimen storage or for transporting groups of specimens. These durable boxes have metal edges at all corners for stacking strength (no adhesive used) and drop front bottoms (short side) so items can be removed without damage. Will accommodate genus folders or specimens mounted on Herbarium Mounting Sheets. The acid-free (pH 8.5) blue/grey board has 3% calcium carbonate added to buffer migrant acidity. Price per box. $8.85
Size: 17" x 12-1/4" x 5"
Great source for analog storage
The best source for archival storage aids. If it's flat and analog, Light Impressions can help. I finally got my 10,000 Kodak slides organized in their fantastic slide cabinets. Beginning with photographs (hardest to keep stable), and ending with archival materials and presentations for old magazines, scrapbooks, papers, and prints. Future generations will thank you.
Light Impressions
Catalog free
800-828-6216
714-441-4539
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