An Admin’s Guide to Office Gifting: Lamy Pens, a Pokemon Binder, and One Stubborn Wall Stain

When Your CEO Wants Lamy Pens and Your Facilities Manager Calls About a Wall Stain

I oversee ordering for our company of about 200 people across 3 locations. Roughly $45K annually across 8 vendors. One Tuesday I get three requests in the same hour: a VP wants 12 Lamy Vista pens as client gifts, someone needs a Pokemon binder for an internal contest prize, and facilities is asking how to get dry erase marker off wall in the main conference room.

That’s not an unusual Tuesday, honestly. But it taught me something about buying Lamy pens for the office: you can’t treat them like bulk ballpoints. There’s a right way and a wrong way. Here’s a 6-step checklist I’ve built after years of doing this (and messing it up a few times).

Note: I’m focusing on Lamy fountain pens and the Lamy Scribble pencil here, because those are the two that trip up most administrators. Rollerballs are more forgiving—but the principles still apply.

Step 1: Match the Pen to the Person (Not Just the Price)

When I took over purchasing in 2020, my first mistake was buying everyone an identical Lamy Safari in charcoal. Fine pen—but not for everyone.

Here’s what I’ve learned since then:

• Lamy Vista is transparent (great for seeing ink levels). But some people find the clear plastic feels cheap. It’s actually just as durable as the Safari—same ABS material, just uncolored. For client gifts, I now recommend the Vistas only if the recipient likes modern design. Otherwise, go with a solid color.
• Lamy Scribble pencil (0.7mm) has a grippy triangular barrel. Architects and engineers love it. Executives who haven’t used a pencil in 10 years? Not so much. I bought 8 for a design team last year—they raved. Gave one to my CFO as a gag gift? He didn’t get it. Know your audience.
• Nib size matters. Lamy comes with EF, F, M, and broader nibs. Most new fountain pen users should start with F (fine) or M (medium). EF can feel scratchy if you’re used to ballpoints. I keep a few spare nibs on hand now, because I’ve made that mistake before.

The numbers said go with the cheapest option (Safari, all same). My gut said diversify. Turns out the CFO still uses his Safari for signing checks. The design team needed the Scribble. The VP who got the Vista? Didn’t like the transparency. I swapped it for a Safari later. Gut vs. data: 1-0 for gut that time.

Step 2: Pick an Ink Strategy (Don’t Just Order Blue)

Most admins order Lamy blue ink cartridges in bulk and move on. That works for standard office use. But if you’re gifting or trying to personalize the experience? Spend an extra 5 minutes on ink selection.

Lamy has a wide color range. Some favorites I’ve found work well:

• Lamy Blue – safe, professional, boring. Good for general office use.
• Lamy Dark Lilac – discontinued but still available online in some places. It looks purple-black in daylight. Clients love the uniqueness.
• Lamy Petrol – a dark teal. I ordered 6 bottles for a design firm last year. They’re still asking if I can get more (I can, but it’s been 10 months).
• Lamy Black – fine, but not exciting.

The surprise for me wasn’t the price difference between ink colors. It was how much people appreciated the choice. That VP who didn’t like the Vista? I gave him a Safari with Dark Lilac ink. He uses it every Board meeting. Something as small as ink color made the difference.

Practical tip: Order 3-4 color options for a group gift. Let recipients choose. Takes 15 minutes to coordinate, but it drastically improves satisfaction. And if someone picks Pink? That’s fine—Lamy has a hot pink cartridge that looks surprisingly professional in a black pen.

Step 3: Know Your Cartridge vs. Bottle Math

This is the part most admins miss. A Lamy fountain pen uses proprietary cartridges (not standard international). You need Lamy-branded cartridges or a converter for bottled ink.

• Cartridges: T10 cartridges (5-pack). Each cartridge holds about 1.15 mL of ink. For a medium nib, that’s roughly 8-10 pages of writing. For fine, maybe 12-15 pages. For a pencil? Zero—because Lamy Scribble is a pencil, not a pen. (Yes, I’ve had someone ask if the pencil takes cartridges.)
• Bottles: Lamy 50 mL glass bottles cost about $12–$15 as of June 2024. That’s about 40 cartridges’ worth of ink. If you have 3+ fountain pen users, bottles are cheaper per fill. You’ll need a converter per pen (~$8 each).

My recommendation: For a one-time gift, give cartridges. For ongoing office use (3+ people), invest in a bottle and converters per user. I did the math in 2023—saved our department about $100/year just on ink.

Step 4: Don’t Forget the “Other” Items (Seriously)

This is the step I keep learning the hard way. When you order Lamy pens for a big initiative, you’ll get the weirdest side requests. That Tuesday I mentioned—here’s what I actually did:

• The Pokemon binder – was for a sales contest prize. I didn’t have a standard vendor for that. Ended up ordering from a niche stationery supplier. Took 2 extra days. Next time I’ll keep a few generic branded binders in stock for such requests.
• The outdoor storage box – facilities wanted one for gardening supplies. I usually get those from a hardware vendor. Not something I’d pair with a Lamy order, but the timing coincided. I just added it to the same purchase order for accounting simplicity. That supplier didn’t have storage boxes, so I placed a separate order. Accounting wasn’t thrilled.
• How to get dry erase marker off wall – someone used permanent marker on a whiteboard by mistake. I told them: rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth. Worked in 10 minutes. But the stain on the wall next to the whiteboard? That was a different problem.

The lesson: When you order pens, anticipate that people will associate you with solving all office problems. You can either say “that’s not my area” (professional boundary) or learn a few quick fixes. I choose the boundary route for weird stuff like permanent marker on walls. I’m a pen buyer, not a cleaning expert.

Step 5: Test Everything Before You Hand It Over

Sounds obvious, right? You wouldn’t believe how often I see this skipped.

When I first started, I ordered 10 Lamy Safaris, tossed them in a drawer, and handed them out at the next meeting. Two didn’t write at all. Why? Lamy pens are individually nib-tested at the factory, but sometimes the ink dries in the feed during shipping (especially if they sat on a shelf). Or the nib is slightly out of alignment.

Now I do a 5-second check per pen:

• Fill with cartridge or ink.
• Write a quick line on scrap paper.
• Check for skipping or scratchiness.
• If it feels off, I swap the nib (they’re user-replaceable on Safari and Vista).

That process takes 20 minutes for 12 pens. It’s saved me from handing out a dud in front of the CEO. The one time I skipped it? I handed a VP a pen that wouldn’t write. He didn’t say anything, but I know he noticed. (Honestly, I still cringe thinking about it.)

Step 6: Prepare for Stains (and Other Crises)

This is the part most guides won’t tell you. Lamy fountain pen ink is water-based, which means it’s washable—mostly. But it will stain if left to dry.

• On skin: Soap and water. If it’s stubborn, a little rubbing alcohol (but test on skin first).
• On fabric: Cold water and a dash of liquid soap. Blot, don’t rub. If the stain is dry, try white vinegar or a specialized stain remover.
• On walls: This is the one that gets me. If a child (or a colleague) uses a Lamy on the wall, it’s not the same as a dry erase marker. Dry erase marker comes off with isopropyl alcohol. Fountain pen ink? Harder. You might need a magic eraser (melamine foam) and some patience—or call a professional painter if it’s really bad.

Pro tip: Keep a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth in your supply closet. Covers 90% of marker-related emergencies. The other 10% is when someone draws on the wall with a Lamy. That’s a “call facilities” problem—and that’s okay. Not everything is your responsibility.

Final Thoughts: Know Your Boundaries

Over the past 5 years, I’ve learned that a good administrator isn’t the one who can solve everything. They’re the one who knows what they’re good at (ordering Lamy pens, managing vendor relationships, handling deadlines) and what to delegate (wall stain removal, specialty storage boxes, niche collectibles).

If I had to summarize my Lamy gifting checklist in one sentence: Match the pen to the person, choose ink intentionally, test early, and don’t try to be a one-stop shop for every office problem. It’s actually more professional to say “I don’t do that, but I can connect you with someone who does.”

As of January 2025, I’ve processed 60+ orders for Lamy products. I still use my own Lamy Vista with Petrol ink for signing off on purchase orders. It writes beautifully (which, honestly, makes the paperwork feel less tedious).