September 13, 2024

What's in my pencil case? By Amelia

Hi! I'm Amelia and I've been working at Hunter Paper Co for a little over a year. I wanted to share some of my favourite stationery that I use as a university student.

Pencil Case: Storigraphic Pen and Pencil Case Zipped Kinetic 2 (£20)

I recently upgraded by old high-school pencil to this vibrant Storigraphic one that has just arrived in store. It fits all of my basic stationery (including a 15cm ruler) and slots perfectly into my bag. I love the quirky design and the YKK zip means that I never face the dreaded stuck zip that holds your stationery hostage.

Favourite Everyday Pens: Uniball One P (£5.95) and Pilot Hi-Tech (£2.95)

If, like me, you love an inky pen, the Uniball One P should definitely be in your pencil case. I love the chunky feeling in my hand whilst the compact size lets me take it everywhere with me. I often clip it to the outside of my bag for easy access. They're available in several different colours so you can coordinate it with your bag and are refillable so you definitely get your money's worth!

In terms of writing feel, the gel is silky smooth and comes in two different sizes to best support your writing style (0.38 and 0.5). For me, I use my pilot pen for precision writing so prefer the thicker refill in my Uniball for other occasions but both refills are compatible with the pen so I can switch it out if required!

As someone with fairly small, cursive handwriting, a fine nib is a must for the pages of quick notes I make in lectures. I've found that the Pilot Hi-Tech 0.3mm pen is perfect for this alongside the Hunter Paper Co notebook that has beautifully spaced lines ideal for small handwriters.

Pencil, Ruler and Rubber Combo: Livework Mechanical Pencil (£8), Midori Wooden Ruler (£6.50) and Milan 112 eraser (£1.50)

As a law student with very little artistic ability, I rarely need a sketching pencil so instead opted for a mechanical one, ideal for diagrams and flowcharts in my notes. I love the grade of the included lead that allows for effortless dark lines but this can be swapped out for any 0.5 leads to suit your preference. There is also a small hidden rubber in the tip to quickly correct minor mistakes. For larger erasing jobs, I use the simple yet effective Milan 112 eraser in pink that fits comfortably in both my hand and pencil case and always does an effective job.

Favourite Coloured Pens: Zebra Sarasa Nano (£2.50) and Zebra Mildliners (£1.95)

I use the Zebra Sarasa Nano pens when I want to add a bit of variation to my notes or colour coding. I find them a really comfortable writer and the gel ink is smooth and consistent. They are 0.3mm pens so work perfectly with my pilot 0.3 pen and leave my notes really neat and tidy.

The Zebra Mildliners are double ended which saves me space and money! One end is a chiseled highlighter which I use for selecting important key words or phrases in my notes and the other end is a bullet tip perfect for underlining, circling or even writing. I love that they're available in not only the traditional neon highlighting colours but also pastel shades which I think look great.

Favourite Fountain Pen: Platinum Preppy (£5) with platinum purple ink (£1.75)

Before working at Hunter Paper Co, I had never considered a fountain pen and thought that my quick, small writing would just leave a smudged mess on my pages. In the last few months however, I decided to give Platinum's affordable starter fountain pen a go and was very pleasantly surprised. I love the smooth feel of the medium nib and the deep purple colour of their pigmented ink. I have even personalised my preppy by added a sticker of my favourite TV show to the smooth body to stop it from getting mixed up in the shop. This is the pen that I usually use for writing cards to loved ones and the thank you notes that go into our online orders. I am now definitely contemplating the metal bodied version (£15) and this will likely be my next stationery purchase!