The Best Bullet Journal Pens for Your Bujo or Planner
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Finding the best bullet journal pens (or planner pens) is just part of the process of learning to record your schedule, make your goals, and track your daily life.
Just think of all the fun office supplies you get to shop for. Collections of planners, bullet journal notebooks, washi-tapes, stickers, and even sticky notes. Oh. My.
Please don’t use “finding the best pen for bullet journaling” as an excuse to not get started. The best planner pen is the one that you will actually use in your planner or journal.
It doesn’t have to be expensive.
In all honesty…my favorite pen is a clear barreled blue BIC pen. With the lid. Has to have the lid. If it doesn’t have a lid, I feel like my handwriting isn’t as good. Quirky. Yes.
Do you need to try all of these journaling pens? Absolutely not. Unless you want to.
There are a number of different sets of pens floating around my home. Two or three varieties in my office. A few in the kitchen by the bills. And a handful (or more) in my craft room.
The pens listed below are good quality, reliable, and they will make planning and journaling a joy. That is the only reason you need them. Right there.
What Markers Don’t Bleed Through Paper?
As you dive deeper into bullet journaling and figure out what collections are and which habit trackers you want to use, you will start to see the terms “bleed” and “ghost”.
A very popular question for bullet journal beginners is “what are the best pens for bullet journaling that don’t bleed?”. They are referring to the ink soaking through the paper and making it appear blurry.
When this happens, it usually starts to show on the other side of the paper as well. This ruins both sides of a page and makes your journal or planner page very hard to read.
Good pens for bullet journaling and good quality paper in your planner or journaling notebook will prevent bleeding. The paper will absorb less ink and it will usually have some type of protective barrier that keeps it from leaking through to the other side (I hear song lyrics in my head with that phrase…did you?)
Ghosting on a journal page is just a lighter version of bleeding. The ink doesn’t soak or bleed all the way through. When you turn the page over it isn’t super obvious that you wrote on the other side. But you can still see a faint impression of the journaling or doodles.
Unless you use a thicker paper in your journal or planner, you will have a little ghosting. It goes with the territory. Don’t fret over it too much. Enjoy your colored pens and markers. Experiment and doodle. Fill in with thicker papers where needed.
Finding the Best Pen for Your Journal
A few questions you should ask yourself when looking for new bullet journal pens would be:
- Have I used this brand before, did I like the feel?
- It it worth getting the name brand? Should I go with a cheaper option? (if it is a proven name brand…that might be your best bet)
- Are they too expensive?
- Do they have good reviews?
- How versatile are they? Can I use them for multiple journals, planners, and spreads?
- Am I actually going to use these pens?
Once you have taken the time to go through those questions (and answer them honestly…don’t get distracted by all the pretty colors), then you are ready to buy a new set of pens. Or two.
What pens do you use for bullet journaling? Find the best pens for you in this epic list.
Everyday Writing Pens Are Great
Everyday writing pens that you have stashed away in the house are a great place to start. Your favorite pen is the one you will use the most. And it is already your favorite for a reason. Maybe you love the way it glides on the paper. It could be that it is the perfect shade of purple. Or that it doesn’t fade after a year of sitting on a journal page. Use that pen if you have it.
BIC Clear Pens
Just your standard, everyday blue pen. Great for notes, writing daily tasks, and love letters 😉
Pilot G2
A classic set of pens. Gel based and very smooth for writing. Colors are basic, but more than enough to get you started. These are a staple in my husband’s pen collection (home and work).
NOTE: They will smudge when you put highlighter or marker over them. If you know you want to highlight, try laying that layer down first.
Pilot Precise V5 Pens
You’ll love the clean lines & even ink delivery of this rolling ball pen.
This rolling ball pen has a patented extra fine precision tip to deliver smooth, skip-free writing every time. Our unique ink formula maintains even, flowing strokes for precise writing.
Uniball Vision Elite Rollerball Pens
I love the smooth way these pens glide across the paper; they don’t catch on the paper the way many fine-point pens do. In addition to that smooth bold line, the colors are vibrant and clear.
Best Colored Pens for Writing in Planners
Point 88 Fineliner
Beautiful colors for bullet journal pens that are also affordable. The fineline tips work great for regular writing and artists also swear by them for detailed coloring. So if you want to doodle and fill in sections with color, these may be the pens for you.
Staedtler Triplus Fineliners
Affordable colors. The quality is great and they are perfect for writing smaller text, fine details when doodling, and great for lettering.
Because they are not as expensive, you don’t have to freak out when the kids want to play too. My kids have used them in their own art projects and journals without causing any damage.
Papermate Inkjoy
These pens have found a special place in my planning and journaling. They are in a plastic pouch, tucked safely into my backpack.
I use these pens all the time in my planner and carry them with me on the go.
My daughter loves them so much that she actually used up all the ink in one semester of college coursework!
The Best Fineliners
The fineliners type of pens are probably the most used in bullet journaling. They are the most popular because they tend to not smudge as much. Unlike some of the gel inks, they do not smear across the paper when you accidentally run your hand across them.
Top brands of fineliner pens also use an ink that is less likely to ghost or bleed. This makes them idea for bullet journaling.
What are the best black pens for bullet journaling? What are the best color fine tip pens for bullet journaling? Let’s look:
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Fineliner
These Pitt pens move so smoothly over all kinds of paper, even tough handmade watercolor paper, and leave a smooth line, not scratchy like the Microns are sometimes.
These are also waterproof, so you can use water media over them without disturbing your drawing.
Multiple tips make it so you can make a variety of line styles which makes them great for headings, title art, and hand-lettering.
LePen
Another great pen that is very similar to Staedtlers and Microns. They are the most affordable of the three and make a great “everyday” pen for planner and bullet journal entries.
Marvey Le Pen
These are a more affordable version of Micron pens. Also relatively smear proof and great quality.
This set just has a few of the basic colors, but comes with a hard case to carry them. They would be great to add to your journal or planner case.
Microns Color Pigma
Sakura Pigma pens are a professional fine line pen. When I took an art class about comic drawing, these were the pens that were recommended most highly for fine lines, non-smudge factors, and quality.
Sakura Pigma Microns
These pens are fantastic. They are available on Amazon and in multiple craft and stationary stores. They come in a wide range of nib sizes and they do not smudge once they’re dry.
Staedtler Pigment Liner
These were the first multi-sized pens that I ever bought for journaling and drawing.
They are more affordable than Faber-Castells, but the quality is still great. Mine are getting older and they are still reliable.
Uni Pin Fine Line
Art pens that you can compare to Staedlter and Faber-Castell. They have a range of nib sizes and make beautiful liners.
NOTE: You do not want to draw over colored pencil with any of these fine liner pens. It will clog them up. Do your lines first, color second.
Felt Tip Pens and Markers
Crayola Markers
A classic marker set. Great for adding a bright pop of color and a bullet journal pen that you probably already have somewhere in the house.
And the good news…they don’t bleed.
Crayola Supertips
Finer tips with Crayola quality. A very affordable version of pens that you can use in your bullet journal or planner.
And the kids can play too!
Paper Mate Flair
These pens show up every single time that I have a chance to talk about pens. They are one of my all time favorite. I always used them in my teacher lesson plan book. And I use them in my daily planner and for everyday notes now.
Beautiful colors. A smooth flow of ink without any puddles or drag marks.
Pilot FriXion Pens
Erasable pens have come a looooong way from when I was a kid. They didn’t really “erase” but smeared. All over.
These erase and remove all traces of any mistake you may have made. Great for bullet journal beginners who are worried about messing up.
Brush Pens and Embellishment Pens
Faber Castell Pitt Brush Pens
Great pens to use with scrapbooking, in a travel journal, or a planner. They write with a smooth flow and are also good for artists.
Grab a set as well as some hand-lettering practice printables and get started.
Faber-Castell Manga Pitt Pens
Another set of great artist pens. The joy with this set is there are 4 different sizes. You can make fine, solid, beautifully black lines. Or you can use the brush pen for an incredible black flowing line.
Kelly Creates Metallic Brush Pens
The packaging alone for these pens is beautiful (if you sucker in for that type of thing…which I sometimes do). They have excellent reviews and come in a beautiful selection of metallic colors.
Metallic Brush Pen
These brush pens are bright and leave a stunning shimmer on your page.
They do not ghost or bleed and they work great for covering mistakes from other bullet journal pens.
Pilot Metropolitan
If you love fountain pens (or want to try an affordable one to see if you love them or not) this is a great pen to try.
If you love writing in cursive (script font) then this pen is a great option. It is very easy on your hand for longer writing sessions.
Sharpie Art Pens
If you love using Sharpie Fine markers, you will love these art pens. They do not bleed through like regular Sharpie pens. The colors are bold and they write smooth.
Sharpie Ultrafine Pens
These ultrafine tip Sharpie pens are bright and the color goes on brilliant. Use these to color in your bullet journal and write all the things with confidence. These will also write over most surfaces (unless it is a really slick/glossy sticker).
Tombow Dual Brush Pen
Most bullet journal artists or planners love using these pens to add color to their bullet journal spreads. This set of double sided pens have both a brush tip and a fine tip end. They are also water based so you can get a little more artsy with these bullet journal pens.
Fude Pens
Tombow Fudensosuke Brush Pens
This two-pack of pens comes with a hard tip and a soft tip pen. Great for brush lettering, calligraphy-style fonts, and hand lettering.
Even without much practice in hand-lettering, quotes, or embellishing doodles, these pens will be a dream to use.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Kuretake Fudegokochi
Fabulous pens for a variety of lines, writing, and even calligraphy writing. The hard nib works great for small letter calligraphy and drawing.
It is possible to saturate the page too much with these pens and have a little ghosting on the backside of your page.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Pentel Fude Touch Sign
Water based pens. You can lay down a line and then blend with a watercolor brush.
You can make your own “watercolor paint books” like you had when you were younger. Remember the ones that had the color along the edges that you would get wet and drag inward?
But the grown up version.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Highlighters for Journals and Planners
Stabilo BOSS Highlighters
A solid highligher that also lays down a beautiful pastel color swatch.
They are affordable and get rave reviews.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Zebra Mildliners
Double ended highlighters that can also be used for lettering and title art.
This set has a fine point for all your line work and then you can fill in with the marker pens.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Zebra Mildliner Double-Sided Highlighter
Marker sets with a double end. One end works for hand-lettering, calligraphy, and title work.
The other end can be used for filling in or adding swatches of color.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Best Gel Pens for Planners
Are gel pens good for bullet journaling? You bet they are. There are a number of gel pens that are great for journaling and using in planners.
The gel pen technology has gotten much better over the years and there are a number of gel pens that get great reviews by bullet journal artists and the planner community. Check out these ones to see which will fit you best.
Sakura Gelly Roll
Want all the neon colors, classic standards as well as metallics and glitter? This is an all in one pack of gel pens. Smooth writing but not smear proof.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Pens
Welcome back to the 90’s with a rainbow of glitter and color. They are NOT smudge proof because they do take awhile to dry. But they are consistently smooth and long lasting.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Uni-Ball Signo Broad
The metallic colors in this pen set are amazing. But the real star here is the white gel pen. They work great fro writing over darker markers, on a darker paper, or for fun header effects. You can also use the white one to make corrections.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Fountain Pens for Art Journaling
Lamy Safari
The LAMY Safari and nib options are geared for more conventional (ball point/gel pen style) writing.
This pen can serve you well as a daily writer for extended writing tasks.
The pen feels natural and offers a very simple and effective medium for fountain pen writing.
Be sure to pair this pen with high quality ink and write on high quality paper!!!
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
Dries almost instantly, does not bleed through. You can use it in a variety of bullet journals, planners, or sketchbooks and lay on a lot of ink and it never goes through the page to the back, beautiful deep black, brush is very responsive and gives a good variety of lines
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Pentel Aquash Water Brush Pens
Fill these with water and then use them to paint with water-based inks in your art journal or bullet journal.
You can dip them in watercolor pigments or use them to move the pigment from water-based pens or colored pencils.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pens
These are great, very smooth flow and ink flow can be slightly controlled by pressure.
These pens have the old fashion nub tip, like the type one would dip into an ink well.
This style of pen makes it easy to write neatly and quickly with a steady ink flow which does not require too much pressure. This has a feel that is comparable to more expensive pens.
GET THEM ON AMAZON
Choosing the Pens That Are Right For You
That was a lot to cover. The main take-away from this post is that there are wide variety of bullet journal pens (and planner pens too).
You don’t have to just stick with one type or one brand. Experiment and see what works best for your personality, your journal or planner type, and the style you are going for.
Somedays, you may want very thin fine-liner pens. Other days you may want more color and the ability to highlight.
Create your collection. Have fun and enjoy the process.
Want to make your own planner? Check out how to DIY a Frankenplanner to make a system that really works for you.
Do you have any favorites that didn’t make the list? I’m always on the hunt for a great pen. Leave me a comment below…
I recently tested the Paper Mate InkJoy pens, which write smoothly with minimal scratching and skipping and dry rapidly. You might want to give these pens a shot.
InkJoy pens are one of my favorite pens as well. I always keep a set in my backpack to use for journaling or in my planner!
Rhoda
I love it because I can write the entire day and won’t feel any strain on my fingers and hands. The textured ergonomic and cushy grip that wraps around the whole pen lets me hold each pen comfortably.