Stationery Quiz compatibility chart
For each of the 8 pieces of stationery, two that are easy to be with and one that may clash. A clash does not mean either side is wrong — they simply value different things.
Ballpoint Pen
- Easy together Stapler The Stapler also fastens with a single snap, and what it fastens stays fastened. When the Stapler binds the pages the Ballpoint Pen has written as soon as they're done, decisions take shape without getting scattered.
- Easy together Sticky Note The Sticky Note is the easiest place for the Ballpoint Pen's quick scribbles to land. You both work the same way no matter who's using you, so there's nothing to explain, and you can team up right away.
- May clash Eraser The Eraser, who'd happily redo things again and again, is no match for ballpoint ink. To the Ballpoint Pen, who wants to write and decide, the Eraser's “Let's look at it one more time” looks like stalling, and to the Eraser, the Ballpoint Pen tends to look like it's rushing.
Fountain Pen
- Easy together Pencil Draft it again and again with the Pencil, then make the final copy with the Fountain Pen. Because the Pencil, which can erase and rewrite, works out the ideas first, the Fountain Pen can focus on the one version that will last.
- Easy together Glue With Glue, too, how it turns out depends on the user's touch — spreading it with a finger, adjusting how much to use. You're both tools that get worked in by your user's hands, so you understand each other's particular ways without laughing at them.
- May clash Sticky Note The Fountain Pen wants what it writes to last. The Sticky Note gets peeled off and thrown away once it's done its job, so you treat a sheet of paper in completely different ways: to the Fountain Pen, the Sticky Note lets go too soon, and to the Sticky Note, the Fountain Pen holds on to one page too long.
Mechanical Pencil
- Easy together Eraser A Mechanical Pencil often has a small Eraser tucked into its top. Writing and fixing comes naturally to you both, so you can laugh off mistakes and fix them together.
- Easy together Sticky Note The Sticky Note, too, gets jotted on, stuck down, and peeled off any time. With the Mechanical Pencil wanting to give ideas shape right away and the Sticky Note ready to be moved at a moment's notice, you can enjoy the stage before anything is decided, without any pressure.
- May clash Glue Glue spreads itself evenly by its own touch, and once it sticks, it doesn't let go. To the Mechanical Pencil, who'd like to rewrite as many times as it takes, that once-and-for-all weight feels confining, and to Glue, the Mechanical Pencil's “just for now” can seem unsettled.
Pencil
- Easy together Fountain Pen The Fountain Pen chooses its words slowly and writes the one version that will last. For the Pencil, who goes through draft after draft, having someone to take on the final copy means you can keep working your ideas out with peace of mind.
- Easy together Eraser The Pencil and the Eraser are a pairing as old as they come. You can take your time talking through which parts of the draft to keep and which to erase, so every rewrite takes your thinking deeper.
- May clash Stapler The Stapler binds things with one snap and moves straight on. To the Pencil, who wants to keep refining, that's binding things far too soon, and to the Stapler, the Pencil's draft looks like it will never be finished.
Stapler
- Easy together Ballpoint Pen What the Ballpoint Pen writes can't be erased, so once the Stapler fastens it, there's no worry about the contents changing later. You both leave things as they are once decided, so you're perfectly in step.
- Easy together Glue Glue is another tool for bringing loose sheets together. The Stapler fastens in one go, in a set way, while Glue spreads evenly by touch — so you can split the work between what gets bundled and what gets stuck together.
- May clash Pencil The Pencil wants to write and erase again and again, refining things into its own shape. Snap a draft together too early and it's far too soon for the Pencil, while the Stapler can never quite tell when it's allowed to fasten.
Glue
- Easy together Fountain Pen The Fountain Pen also gets worked in by its user's hand and leaves what it writes to last. Write a line with the Fountain Pen on a card put together with Glue, and both your efforts take a form that lasts.
- Easy together Stapler Thick bundles go to the Stapler; the parts that need to look neat go to Glue. You both bring things together, but in different ways, so you can share the work without competing for it.
- May clash Mechanical Pencil Glue wants a little time to dry, but the Mechanical Pencil has moved on the moment it's written something. To Glue, the Mechanical Pencil seems restless, and to the Mechanical Pencil, Glue's waiting time feels long, so your rhythms struggle to mesh.
Sticky Note
- Easy together Ballpoint Pen The Ballpoint Pen's clear writing stands out even on a small sticky note. A marker written in ink that won't fade can't be misread, however many times it gets moved.
- Easy together Mechanical Pencil With the Mechanical Pencil, writing on a sticky note can be erased and rewritten so you can use the same note again. Moving and rewriting are both easy in this pairing.
- May clash Fountain Pen By the time the Fountain Pen has finished writing one page in its own handwriting, the Sticky Note has already stuck up three notes and peeled off one. You treat paper differently, so to the Fountain Pen, the Sticky Note seems restless, and to the Sticky Note, the Fountain Pen seems slow to let go.
Eraser
- Easy together Pencil A pencil line is just graphite powder on the paper, so the Eraser removes it cleanly. You're both tools that wear down into your own shape the more you're used, so you make a pairing that fits the hand.
- Easy together Mechanical Pencil The Mechanical Pencil's lead is graphite too, so the Eraser removes it well. When the Eraser adds its own touch of fixing to the Mechanical Pencil's always-even line, ease of writing and ease of fixing come together.
- May clash Ballpoint Pen The Eraser wants to fix mistakes one by one and give the page back ready to write on again. The Ballpoint Pen writes and moves straight on, so when it comes to fixing versus moving ahead, it's hard to keep in step.
It is more fun once you know which one you are. 18 questions, about 3 minutes.
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