Stationery

Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials,

including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous
form paper, and other office supplies.[1] Stationery includes
materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) or by
equipment such as computer printers.

History of stationery
Originally, the term 'stationery' referred to all products sold by a
stationer, whose name indicated that his book shop was on a fixed
spot. This was usually somewhere near a university, and
permanent, while medieval trading was mainly carried on by
itinerant peddlers (including chapmen, who sold books) and others
(such as farmers and craftsmen) at markets and fairs. It was a
unique term used between the 13th and 15th centuries in the
manuscript culture. Stationers' shops were places where books Different items of stationery used at
were bound, copied, and published. These shops often loaned an office
books to nearby university students for a fee. The books were
loaned out in sections, allowing students to study or copy them, and
the only way to get the next part of the book was to return the
previous section.[2] In some cases, stationers' shops became the
preferred choice for scholars to find books, instead of university
libraries due to stationers' shops' wider collection of books.[3] The
Stationers' Company formerly held a monopoly over the publishing
industry in England and was responsible for copyright regulations.

Uses of stationery
Inside a stationery shop in Hanoi

Printing

Printing is the process of applying a colouring agent to a surface to create a body of text or illustrations.
This is often achieved through printing technology, but can be done by hand using more traditional
methods. The earliest form of printing is wood blocking.

Letterpress

Letterpress is a process of printing several identical copies that presses words and designs onto the page.
The print may be inked or blind, but is typically done in a single color. Motifs or designs may be added as
many letterpress machines use movable plates that must be hand-set. Letterpress printing remained the
primary method of printing until the 19th century.
 Example of inked letterpress process

Single documents

When a single document needs to be produced, it may be handwritten or printed, typically by a computer
printer. Several copies of one original paper can be produced by some printers using multipart stationery.
Typing with a typewriter is largely obsolete, having been superseded for most purposes by preparing a
document with a word processor and then printing it.

Thermographic

Thermographic printing is a process that involves several stages but

can be implemented in a low-cost manufacturing process. The
process involves printing the desired designs or text with an ink that
remains wet, rather than drying on contact with the paper. The
paper is then dusted with a powdered polymer that adheres to the
ink. The paper is vacuumed or agitated, mechanically or by hand,
to remove excess powder, and then heated to near combustion. The
wet ink and polymer bond and dry, resulting in a raised print
surface similar to the result of an engraving process.

Example of thermographic printing.

The uneven quality of the text is a
result of the process and easily
differentiates thermographic printing
from embossing

Embossing

Embossing is a printing technique used to create raised surfaces in the converted paper stock. The process
relies upon mated dies that press the paper into a shape that can be observed on both the front and back
surfaces. Two things are required during the process of embossing: a die and a stock. The result is a three-
dimensional (3D) effect that emphasizes a particular area of the design.
 Example of an embossed design

Engraving

Engraving is a process that requires a design to be cut into a plate

made of relatively hard material. The metal plate is first polished so
that the design cut can be easily visible to the person. This
technology has a long history and requires a significant amount of
skill, experience, and expertise. The finished plate is usually
covered in ink, and then the ink is removed from all of the un-
etched portions of the plate. The plate is then pressed into paper
under substantial pressure. The result is a design that is slightly
raised on the surface of the paper and covered in ink. Due to the
cost of the process and expertise required, many consumers opt for
thermographic printing, a process that results in a similarly raised
print surface, but through different means at less cost. Example of a brass engraving plate,
showing heavy wear. The plate is
hand or machine engraved, inked,
and forced into paper at extremely
high pressures.

Classifications
Business Stationery: Business card, letterhead, invoices,
receipts
Desktop instruments: hole punch, stapler and staples,
tapes and tape dispensers,
Drawing instruments: brushes, pens, colour pencils,
crayons, water colour,
Erasers
Ink and toner:
Dot matrix printer's ink ribbon
Inkjet cartridge
Laser printer toner A stationery shop on November 4,
Photocopier toner 1973 in Iran
 Filing and storage:
Expandable file
File folder
Hanging file folder
Index cards and files
Two-pocket portfolios
Mailing and shipping supplies:
Envelope
Paper and pad:
Notebooks, wirebound notebook, writing pads, college ruled paper, wide-ruled paper,
Office paper: dot matrix paper, inkjet printer paper, laser printer paper, photocopy paper.
Loose leaves, ring binders and hole punches.
Writing instruments: ballpoint pen, fountain pen, pencil, porous point pen, rollerball pen,
highlighter pen, multi pen

School supplies
Many shops that sell stationery also sell other school supplies for students in primary and secondary
education, including pocket calculators, display boards, compasses and protractors, lunchboxes, and the
like.[4][5]

Major brands, manufacturers and retailers of stationery

This section contains an incomplete list of famous brands, manufacturers and retailers of stationery
worldwide.

In US and Canada, Office Depot and Staples are two major retailers of stationery.

Notable stationery brands in Europe include LAMY, MOLESKINE, Staedtler, and Faber-Castell.

In Japan, major manufacturers of stationery include Kokuyo, Maruman, Lihit Lab, King Jim, MUJI and
Tombow. MUJI also has about 800 retail stores worldwide.

In mainland China, 晨光文具 (Chén guāng wén jù) is a major manufacturer and retailer of stationery, and
MUJI is a popular retailer in larger cities.

See also
Office supplies
List of stationery topics
New Zealand standard for school stationery

References
1. Peter Beal, ed., "Stationery", A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology, 1450–2000
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008 [2011 online]).
 2. Murray, Stuart (2009). The Library: An Illustrated History (https://archive.org/details/libraryillu
strat0000murr/page/65). Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 65–66 (https://archive.org/details/libraryill
ustrat0000murr/page/65). ISBN 9781602397064.
3. Murray, Stuart (2009). The Library: An Illustrated History (https://public.ebookcentral.proques
t.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1320649). Skyhorse Publishing. p. 56.
ISBN 9781628733228. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
4. Streamlined Sales Tax Project "Definitions for School Related Supplies: SSTP
Recommendations for Amendment to Agreement; July 29, 2004" (http://www.streamlinedsale
stax.org/uploads/downloads/IP%20Issue%20Papers/IP04001_school_related_supplies_ip_
7_29_04.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150924110858/http://www.streamline
dsalestax.org/uploads/downloads/IP%20Issue%20Papers/IP04001_school_related_supplie
s_ip_7_29_04.pdf) September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
5. Virginia Department of Taxation "School Supplies and Clothing FAQs" (http://www.tax.virgini
a.gov/site.cfm?alias=SchoolSuppliesandClothingHolidayFAQs) Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20150207155339/http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=SchoolSuppliesandC
lothingHolidayFAQs) 2015-02-07 at the Wayback Machine

External links
The dictionary definition of stationery at Wiktionary
Media related to Stationery at Wikimedia Commons

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