Jufferenstraat 14 · 8081 CR Elburg
The counter, and the people behind it.
Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00 to 18.00. Closed Monday because that is binding day and the press is loud.
Mireille Ravenstijn runs the counter and the stock book. Joost Aalbersberg runs the bindery and will talk about grain direction for longer than anybody wants. Between them they have filled most of what is on the shelves.
Write to us about a paper, a nib or a rebind.
Everything that arrives here is read by somebody who works the bench, usually the same day. If you are asking whether a stock will take your ink, say which pen and which ink and we will write a line of it and photograph the result.
We do not have a ticket system, a chat window or a reference number. One of the three of us reads it, writes back, and if the answer needs a photograph of a line of ink drying on the stock in question, you get one of those too.
For anything about an order already placed, put the order number in the first line and it goes to the top of the pile. For a rebind, tell us roughly how thick the block is and whether the covers are worth keeping.
kantoor@foolscap.nl · +31 525 612 884
Coming in
The sample book lives on the end of the bench.
Every stock we sell is in it, cut to a full page, with a jar of pens beside it. Sit down and ruin a few sheets — that is what it is there for, and nobody will come and hover. If you want a particular ink out of the cabinet, ask.
We are two streets behind the Vischpoort, up the cobbles. The nearest parking is the Havenkade car park, eight minutes on foot; the station is twelve.
When we are open
Tuesday to Friday, 10.00 to 18.00. Saturday, 10.00 to 17.00. Closed Sunday and Monday. The bindery runs on Monday and you are welcome to knock, but there is nobody on the till and the answer to most questions will be “come back tomorrow”.
When we reply
Within one working day, from a person, with a real answer. We do not run a ticket system and we do not have a chat window. If an order has gone wrong, say the order number in the first line and it will be at the top of the pile.
Small print, said out loud
How long does a rebind take?
About three weeks, longer in December. €55 for cloth over boards, €95 for quarter leather. We photograph the book before it comes apart and send you the picture the same day it arrives.
Do you ship outside the European Union?
Books and paper, yes, at cost. Bottled ink, no — it travels by road only and the paperwork costs more than the ink. Write to the counter with a destination and we will quote before you commit to anything.
Can I pay at the counter and collect later?
Yes, and we will hold anything for a fortnight without a deposit. For the made-to-order pens we ask for half up front because each nib is ground for one person's hand.
Do you do trade and workshop orders?
From twenty-five books upwards, with your own ruling if you want one — the brass rule costs about €120 to set and then it is yours and lives here. Six weeks from the day the forme is locked up.
Tuesday to Saturday · 10.00 — 18.00
Or just come in on a Thursday and say nothing at all.
Thursday is the quietest day on Jufferenstraat and the bindery door stands open, so you can watch a block being sewn while you work out whether you want a 90 gsm or a 120. There is tea, and there is no expectation that you buy anything.
If you would rather arrive knowing what you want, the whole shop is priced and stocked online and the Octavo No. 4 has a page of its own.