The write impression

Living in an increasingly hi-tech world, many of us might imagine that stationery in the 21st century comprises nothing more than scraps of paper on which we scribble down phone numbers. But there is a tradition of fine papermaking in Shanghai that belies this assumption. The Global Times has sought out some stationery outlets in the city that prove the industry is not just Post-it notes and rubber gonks.

Calling card to remember

Next to the Peninsular Hotel on the Bund stands the Yifeng Mansion, which has a more than 100-year-long history. On the second floor of this red-brick building is located Pineider, the well-known Italian stationery brand whose history stretches back to 1774.

And if you are looking for high-quality personalized business cards or invitation cards, Pineider is an ideal option. The company prides itself on its handmade paper products that come in many shapes and colors and all of which contain natural pigments.

Although you may pay up to 30 yuan ($5) for a single business card, (and need to wait a month while it is being produced in Florence, Italy) the luxurious quality will be worth it.

For centuries Pineider has been the stationer of choice for Europe's nobility and moneyed classes.

Popular lines are made-to-order cards with elegant embossed characters. The company can also reproduce coats of arms engraved in gold using a technique perfected by Renaissance goldsmiths.

"In Europe people like to use our paper products for printed invitations, birth announcements, weddings and debuts, visiting cards, note cards, personal bindings and bookplates," store brand manager Andrea Ip told the Global Times. "It's not just because of the high quality but also because we provide handwritten services. We also use specially patented fonts that are very difficult to find normally."

Ip insists their paper is still "water cut" - an old technique that utilizes flowing water to cut paper into sheets, the advantage being that the paper edges are then less sharp. And all of the company's papers contain watermarks meaning it is impossible to pirate them.

Besides paper, the store also sells handmade and hand-engraved desk objects and accessories, including clocks, frames, desk calendars, paperweights and pens. Among its fans down the years, Pineider can count many famous authors and poets, such as Stendhal, Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Charles Dickens.

The store also sells leather folders, brief cases, travel bags, and cases which are all dyed with natural vegetable and plant products. The leather goods come in classic black, brown, crimson and bright forest green, and are made in calfskin, sheepskin and deerskin.

Add: 99 Beijing Road East 北京东路99号

Tel: 5308-3072

Fashionable and functional

Tucked away on the ground floor of a shikumen building near Shanghai Library between Wukang Road and Hunan Road, is a shop called Ipluso. The name is short for "in plus out."

The shop is both a studio and a showroom for innovative stationery designs. Inside it is separated into different sections for offices, exhibition space and store rooms. The décor is light and its design lines are simple.

Ipluso's co-founder and main designer is Penny Lee, an Australian-born Chinese. She told the Global Times that her aim is to "design and create fashionable stationery items which can bring joy to customers." She added: "We try to use natural materials in our designs and save energy in manufacturing them."

The bestselling products in the store include pens, inks and notebooks with leather covers. The designers have used shiny blues and greens in a new series of notebooks and folders. The notebooks cost upwards of 100 yuan and are mostly in single colors with no garish patterning. The paper in this range comes either in light grey or blue-lined formats. There is also a place inside the cover in which an iPhone can be stored.

Add: 202 Wukang Road 武康路202号

Tel: 5465-0931

Keys to success

In contrast to its competitors who target white-collar workers and high-end customers, Keyroad on Fuzhou Road appeals to youngsters and late teens who are attracted to its colorful, low-priced products, making it an ideal option for customers on a limited budget.

"Pencils are our biggest sellers," shop manager Zhu Lili told the Global Times. "There are many types costing between 1 and 5 yuan each. So we get a lot of students shopping here either for themselves or to give purchases as presents."

Keyroad also specializes in desk objects and accessories. On particularly eye-catching line are business card cases, pencil sharpeners and money boxes that all feature the image of a blond-haired fairy or woodland nymph. Be aware that not all the staff at Keyroad speak English.