Review: Offcut by Allegro Print

 

We should support local businesses whenever possible. 

I found this paper brand at a sustainable festival and I love what they're doing so I just have to share. 

Offcut is an upcycled stationery brand by Allegro Print, a Singaporean printing company. 
They repurpose waste paper from their print productions into refreshed stationery.

 I love the idea and the notepads they produce feel very purposeful and well thought through. 

I picked up 2 notepads, meeting agenda and assorted list. 

Whilst assorted list is a pretty standard to-do list, meeting agenda comes in 2 versions, a standard print version and a reverse version, where the text is printed mirrored on the reverse side of the paper. 

It shows through, albeit faintly but it appears to be printed that way as the printed side is a more shiny paper and the usable side is matte, which makes it a more suitable side for writing. 

I tested both sides of meeting agenda and assorted list. 

However, the paper type for each design may differ depending on the available leftovers.

 

In general, the paper used is of good quality. 

The paper for assorted list was thicker and better to write on than the double sided meeting agenda. 

Although the permanent marker did bleed through the paper used for meeting agenda, both notepads worked well with ballpen, highlighter, brush pen and permanent marker.

The reverse meeting agenda is a really interesting concept. 

I initially bought it because it seemed different.

Then after awhile, I felt it might not be useful, the text was difficult to see through the paper. 

The more I used it though, the more I understood the concept. 

First, using the shiny side of the paper for writing would not be very practical and the matte side did not look like it was the printable side so by mirroring it, both sides can be used effectively. 

Second, even though the text was difficult to see through the paper, I realised the subtlety of the lines made is easier to write on. 

If you're like me, tracing the relevant text might also be kind of fun. 

So this notepad works out well for people who like a contrast between the grid and the notes being written down. 

For more information on Offcut, see here.

I think this brand has a good identity and the products are fresh and fun. 

I will definitely look to them to purchase my future notepads. 

What do you think? Isn't using leftover materials a great idea? 

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New Pentel Sign Pen Colours!

I'm always excited when brands release new colours for existing product lines. 

Pentel recently released 12 new colours for their sign pens.

 'A pastel dream come true'

Here in Singapore, Pentel ran a promotion where a purchase of all 12 of the sign pens, they would gift a limited edition pen roll.

I of course bought all 12. 

The colours are all so pretty, a great addition to the existing sign pen collection. 

The pen roll fits all the pens perfectly too. 

What are you waiting for, go run out and get them! 

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Review : The Green Party Magic Color Ink Glass Pen Box Set

A month ago, I was on holiday in sunny Singapore when I chanced upon a gift store of sorts called "The Green Party". Entranced by the numerous giant plush toys that adorned their doorway displays, I ventured in for a look and found out that they also sold stationery. Score! (Don't you love it when you find unexpected stationery?)

I picked up a few things and amongst them was this curious gift box set below.

Inside, there are two bottles of ink,  a glass pen , a glass pen rest and a mini UV torchlight.

The glass pen nib is very fine and works very well for writing. Pictured below is the red ink the set came with.

So what about the other bottle of ink? Well its a clear ink which only shows up when you use the UV light to shine on it. I guess thats what they meant by magic ink!

This is mostly a novelty thing to own since I dont envision myself needing to write secret invisible ink messages to anyone anytime soon [but never say never]

If you ever find yourself in Singapore, drop into the store for a look!
Who knows what you might find!

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New find! Stick'n

There is a store in Singapore called Popular, a bookstore best known for school books and supplies. 

I shop there pretty often, I buy office supplies, snacks, cute stationery and even phone cables.

The other day, whilst looking for some new pens, I came across a range of fusen that I had never seen before. 

Stick'n, as it turns out, is a Taiwanese fusen brand. 

Popular had everything from normal paper fusen to index tabs, film fusen, roll paper fusen and even fusen pockets, which we'll discuss in a bit. 

I picked up 3 items. 

Decorative film fusen inspired by famous fruits of Taiwan, pocket film fusen and fusen index tabs. 

 Out of the 3, the fusen index tabs were my least favourite, simply because it is so big and that makes it inconvenient to use. 

The pocket film fusen is really interesting. 

You can use it to hold pieces of paper anywhere in your notebook, receipts instantly comes to mind. 

You can also use it as a temporary frame and because it's film, it's reusable and can be written on. 

There are also 2 types in the 1 package. One has a tab, and the other is a plain pocket. 

I used the pocket fusen here to hold my laundry docket in place, so I don't forget to pick it up. 

Very useful! 

However, I do wish the colour selection is a bit better, but it is quite subtle when you attach it to a notebook page so that's not a big dealbreaker. 

The decorative film fusen is also really cute. 

The material is conducive to colouring, great for that pop of colour on your notebook pages. 

So if you see this brand out, you should definitely look out for some of these items! 

Are you already a fan of Stick'n? What's your favourite product? 

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