Stationery Gift Guide 2026: Gifts for Stationery Lovers

Buying for someone who loves stationery is harder than it looks. They already have a favourite pen, a notebook on the go and opinions about both. We know, because most of us at SORT are that person. The good news is that they'll always use one more of the right thing.

This is our stationery gift guide for 2026. It's the list we'd give a friend: the pens, notebooks, planners and desk tools we use ourselves and recommend most often at the shop in Vancouver. Most are from Japan, a few are from Korea and Italy, and many have won Japan's Good Design Award.

Stationery gifts under $15

Small enough for a stocking, and good enough that they won't end up in a drawer.

• Pentel Calme Ballpoint PenA quiet click, a soft rubber grip and smooth, low-viscosity ink. It won Japan's Good Design Award in 2022, and it's quietly become the pen our team grabs first. Customers seem to agree.
• Clipen PenWe found this one on a trip to Seoul. We picked it up for the clip, which slides onto a notebook or loose sheet and stays put, and kept coming back for the weight and the colours. A good pick for someone who keeps losing their pen.
• Uni Kuru Toga KS Mechanical PencilThe lead rotates a little with every stroke, so the tip wears evenly and stays sharp. It's the one we point people to when they tell us their pencil lines keep getting thick and fuzzy.
• Yamato Sticky Note Tape RollWe started carrying this because a few of us kept reaching for it over regular sticky notes. It's one long roll, so you tear off exactly the length you need, with a clip on one side and a magnet on the other. Good Design Award, 2020.
• Tsubame Note Memo Block400 sheets of Tsubame's Foolscap paper, made in Tokyo since 1947 and known for being kind to fountain pens. It's what we suggest to anyone shopping for a fountain pen user.
• Kleid Tiny Grid Notebook (B6)100 pages of fine 2 mm grid in a soft cover, sized for a bag. Five cover colours.
• KITTA Pre-Cut Washi Tape StickersWashi tape already cut into pieces, on a card that folds to business-card size. No scissors needed, and small enough to tuck inside a card.
• KOKUYO Karu Cut Washi Tape CutterA small cutter that clips onto a roll of washi tape for clean, straight edges. Pair it with a roll they already love.
• Penco Clampy ClipsA plastic binder clip with an old-school look, and surprisingly strong for plastic. Good for a thick stack of papers, and they come in colours that look nice on a desk.

Stationery gifts from $15 to $50

The pieces people keep on their desk for years.

• Midori MD Notebook (A5)Thread-bound, so it opens completely flat, with Midori's own MD Paper inside and index tabs to label sections.
• Rollbahn Classic A5 Spiral NotebookA few of us owned one long before we started selling them. Cream 5 mm grid, perforated pages and five clear pockets in the back cover, which end up holding receipts, tickets and business cards. The cover is stiff enough to write on without a table.
• Ito Bindery Memo Block350 tear-off sheets on a recycled paperboard base, from a Tokyo bindery working since 1938. Good Design Award, 2010.
• Allex ScissorsIf we could only recommend one pair of scissors, it would be these. Essentially unchanged since 1974, still a fixture on Japanese office desks, and winner of the Long Selling Good Design Award in 1990.
• Midori Ceramic Carton CutterAnyone who opens a lot of boxes will thank you. It has a Kyocera ceramic blade that won't rust, and a magnetic back so it lives on the fridge or a metal shelf instead of getting lost in a drawer.
• SIWA Pen CaseDesigned by Naoto Fukasawa and made from Naoron, a washi-based paper that's water- and tear-resistant. Also comes in a slim size.
• OHTO MS02 Brass Multifunction PenBlack and red needle-point ballpoints plus a 0.5 mm pencil in one brass body. Turn the barrel to choose, press to write.
• Hightide Folding Steel Book StandHolds a book, sketchbook or cookbook open at three angles, and folds flat when you're done. Handy at a desk, and just as useful in the kitchen.

For the planner person

If they plan their year on paper, a new planner or calendar is the gift they'll use every single day. And if they already use a Hobonichi, next year's edition is the easiest gift on this list.

• Hobonichi Techo 2027The Weeks is slim, with a week on the left and grid paper on the right. The HON is a hardcover book with a page a day. Both use thin Tomoe River paper.
• 2027 Tear-off Calendar by Karel Martens365 different compositions by the Dutch graphic designer, one for each day, built from his letterpress monoprints.

See all of our 2027 planners and calendars.

Bigger gifts for the desk

• Carl Angel 5 Pencil SharpenerA hand-crank sharpener that draws the pencil in on its own and stops once the point is sharp, so it never over-sharpens. Quiet enough for a shared desk, and a lot more satisfying than a twist sharpener.
• TOYO Y-350 Camber Top Steel ToolboxWe've used these in our design studio and at home for years, for pens, tape, tools and everything in between. Pressed from a single steel sheet and designed in 1984. Compare sizes in our TOYO toolbox guide.
• Vitra ToolboxA grab-and-go caddy with a handle, for supplies that move between the desk, shelf and kitchen table.
• Penco Tape DispenserA heavy steel masking-tape dispenser with a hammer-tone finish. It stays put on the desk.
• Delfonics Basic Photo AlbumA few of us have started printing photos again and keeping them in one of these, instead of leaving everything on our phones. Cloth-bound with acid-free pages, in five sizes. For the person who still prints their photos, or should.

Easy pairings

A few combinations we like putting together.

• Notebook and penA Midori MD Notebook with a Pentel Calme, or a Rollbahn with a Clipen.
• Planner setA Hobonichi Weeks with a Kuru Toga pencil and a card of KITTA washi stickers.
• Desk refreshAllex Scissors, a Yamato tape roll and an Ito Bindery memo block.

Shop all stationery

Frequently asked questions

What's a good gift for someone who loves stationery?

Something they'll use every day but might not buy for themselves. We usually suggest a well-made notebook like the Midori MD, a quiet pen like the Pentel Calme, or a 2027 Hobonichi planner. Japanese stationery is a safe place to start because so much of it is designed around small daily frustrations.

What are good stationery stocking stuffers?

Pens, small notebooks and washi tape all work well. Our picks under $15 include the Pentel Calme, the Clipen, the Uni Kuru Toga KS pencil, the Yamato Sticky Note Tape Roll and KITTA pre-cut washi tape.

Which notebook is best for fountain pens?

Tsubame Note's Foolscap paper is known for being fountain-pen friendly, and we carry it as a 400-sheet memo block. For a full notebook, come by the shop and we're happy to help you compare a few papers.

What is the Good Design Award?

It's Japan's national design award, run since 1957. Several of the pieces in this guide have won it, including the Pentel Calme, Allex Scissors, the Yamato tape roll and the Ito Bindery memo block.

Where can I buy Japanese stationery in Vancouver?

SORT carries Japanese, Korean and Italian stationery at 2550 Stephens St in Kitsilano, Vancouver, and online at sortdays.com with shipping across Canada and the US. Our stationery guide covers the full range.