If fountain pens conjure images of yesteryear, Ferris Wheel Press founder Raymond Yu is out to change your perspective with vibrant inks and playful pen design.
Ferris Wheel Press courts Gen Z and millennial creators who favour a colourful variety of inks over the browns, blacks, and navy blues that Yu remembers dominating the fountain-pen aisle when he first entered the space (though those tones are also beautiful). Limited-run colours encourage experimentation and help keep excess inventory and waste to a minimum.
“Our current motto is ‘Make Fancy Fun.’ We want a new generation to appreciate handwriting,” Yu says. The thoughtfully designed products at Ferris Wheel Press encourage all individuals to connect their head, heart, and hand in putting pen and creativity to paper, and ultimately, falling in love with writing again.
While the company is beyond what he could have imagined today, fountain pens weren’t part of Yu’s original career plan, which began in healthcare. One of his mentors encouraged him to pursue an MBA, which fueled his entrepreneurial curiosity.
Working and helping with his wife’s design and communications business is what really got him into stationery. “I realized how much I loved print and paper.”
“Another close friend and successful entrepreneur encouraged me to look into designing products rather than just providing a service,” he says. Since he already had a decade of experience with paper, design, and printing, Yu decided to research how pens are manufactured, right before the pandemic began. “That period ended up giving me time to do all my homework and get everything set up,” Yu says. “It was then when I decided to go all in, and it’s been an amazing ride since then.”
Today, Ferris Wheel Press has almost 50 employees in Markham producing high-quality, premium fountain pens and inks and collectible stationery. In addition to its online store, Ferris Wheel Press products are available in over 700 stores worldwide.
The brand has collaborated on products with Shangri-La Hotels, Ginza Tsutaya Books, and special campaigns with Holt Renfrew and Harrods. That success is only the beginning for Ferris Wheel Press.
“A big turning point for us was the opportunity to work with Warner Bros.,” he says. “It's the next level up to this amazing story of ours to apply our designs and beauty to iconic pop culture worlds. They recognized the quality of the products that we make and loved our storytelling, and that led to our first collaboration with a Lord of the Rings collection.”
Ferris Wheel Press launched an exquisite Superman collection timed for the release of the new Superman film in July 2025, and many fans are highly anticipating the Harry Potter collection launching this month.
Yu firmly believes in discipline and alignment with core values in business leadership and life. As a coach at EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization), he mentors his group of entrepreneurs with the same principles of consistency, business discipline, putting in the work, personal growth and seeing the bigger picture. Being in Markham, where the ecosystem for business growth and community connection is strong, allows for Yu to build a welcoming and comfortable work place, and great team culture where the staff members can enjoy their work.
“Our approach to the business is to make and inspire with high quality, enjoyable products that we can be proud of and that our city and our country can be proud of,” he says. “We see ourselves as one of the rare Canadian stationery brands that are going to go out there and compete on the world stage.”
With a friendly Canadian spirit and a global perspective, Yu sees limitless possibilities in the inspiring universe he and his team are building. They are telling the world’s best stories through such unique product design, with heart and originality.
From Middle-earth to Metropolis, Ferris Wheel Press is proving that Canadian creativity travels well—one bottle of ink at a time.
