Best Pens for Bullet Journal

The Best Bullet Journal Pens

Looking for the best pens for bullet journals that don’t smudge, ghost, or bleed? You are in the right place! We have a list here with the best bullet journal pens to write in your notebook. Some of the best pens for bullet journaling might come with a price but they are worth it, plus there are many budget options in our list of best bujo pens too!

If you have been into Bujo for a little while then you probably already have quite a collection of bullet journal pens. Of course, if you are anything like myself and my other stationery fan friends you can never have enough journaling supplies, especially journaling pens! For those that are new to Bullet Journaling, it can be overwhelming to find the best pens for journaling. You might have heard of people talking about ghosting and bleeding and have no idea what exactly they are (other than sounding like you just walked into a Horror movie convention), or what they have to do with pens. I’ve tried to make this guide to suit both the bujo novice and those that are looking to add just one more pen to their extensive collection (well, that’s what I always tell myself anyway). I hope you find this list of best pens for planners and bullet journals helpful. If you have a favorite that I haven’t included, I would love for you to get in touch and let me know. I am always on the lookout for the best bullet journal supplies!

Finding the best pen for a bullet journal

Before you get too excited about buying 10 of the best bullet journal markers ever, I just wanted to remind you that Bullet Journaling is more than having the perfect stationery. Granted, a lush pen does make journaling more fun and enjoyable but it won’t make you stick to a bullet journal system.  The good news about this is that choosing your bullet journal supplies doesn’t have to be stressful. That amazing washi tape isn’t going to make you a better journaler. Only your mindset and daily practices will do that. So, with that in mind, have fun picking stationery! It will all be trial and error to find out what you love to use that makes your bujo journey more joyful.

What are Bleeding and Ghosting

One of the most popular questions I get is “what are the best pens for bullet journal that don’t bleed?” When we talk about pens bleeding, we mean that the ink from a pen soaks into the paper. This often ruins both sides of a page and makes it difficult to read. It’s hard to say that you can find the best pens that don’t bleed because it is a combination of both paper and pen that causes bleeding. A pen might cause bleeding on one type of paper and not on another. The difference lies in the paper thickness and the ‘protective layer’ that may exist or not on a paper. The best way to prevent bleeding is to use good quality paper along with good pens for bullet journaling. One of my favorite journals with amazing paper quality is the Rhodia Bullet Journal Dotted Notebook that you can get here.  For other Journals and notebooks head over to my post on my favorite Bullet Journal Supplies. Ghosting is less of a problem than bleeding and is where you can faintly see writing or doodles through a page. Again this can be minimized with good quality paper and pens that don’t bleed through paper. However, avoiding ghosting completely is almost impossible unless you use notebooks with very thick paper and hardly ever play with colored markers, but what is the fun in that? We are all looking for bullet journal pens that don’t bleed and ghost but we can’t forget about smooth writing either. So read on for our tips on the best pens for your journal or planner.

Best Fineliners for Bullet Journal

The fineliners are one of the most popular pens people use in the bullet journal and the reason is simply that it tends to smudge less than a gel pen on paper. It dries almost instantly and the top brands of bujo pens feature ink that doesn’t bleed or ghost. So what is the best black pen for a bullet journal? Read below to find out!

• Sakura Pigma Micron

The Pigma Micron ink pens are one of the best black pens for bullet journal doodling and drawing. They are filled with archival ink pigment which is waterproof, therefore these pens don’t bleed through the paper or smear when you use highlighter markers. It is my absolute favorite, I don’t function without these pens! For the longest time,  I only used these pens but I have come across other brands that have just as good pens and I will list them below, however, the truth is you cannot go wrong with the Pigma Microns!

• Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Fineliner

Another excellent choice if you are looking for a smooth black pen for your journal that doesn’t bleed. Faber-Castell produces excellent pens and these come with India ink which is also bright and waterproof. I have the set that comes with 3 size nibs and a brush pen. The brush pen from this set is better than the brush pen that came with my Pigma Micron set (but the fineliners are just as good). The price is a little higher than the Sakura pens though, but you will be fine with either of these great brands.

• Staedtler Pigment Liner

This is another popular German brand with high-quality pens. The document ink is also waterproof and lightfast which means it is not prone to discolor when exposed to light. The Staedtler pens come in a better case than the other fineliners, like a way better case! I think it ends up being translated in the price though.

• Uni Pin Fine Line

I just recently bought the Uni Pins to test and have been happy so far. I have been a happy Uni-ball customer with the Signo Broad pens for a long time so not sure why I took so long to try the Uni Pin. The coolest thing about the Uni Pin drawing set is that the pens come in shades other than black! You can get a set with black, dark grey, light grey, and sepia color fineliners. You can also just get a set with all black pens as well. They all come with a document ink that is both water and fade-proof.

Best Colored Pens for Writing in Planners

Finding the best-colored pens for journaling is a personal choice and very dependent on the journal you use and the paper quality of the book. Below I share some of my favorite colored fine markers that don’t bleed through paper.

• Point 88 Fineliner

These Stabilo 88-point, 30 pack are a popular choice. It comes with a set of 30 colors which is plenty to create pretty much any bullet journal spread you like!

• Staedtler Triplus Fineliners

Another option for best colored fineliners are Staedtler Triplus Fineliners as they are colored pens that don’t bleed through paper. They come in the signature Staedtler pen case which is very practical for keeping your pens together or for on the move.

• Papermate Inkjoy

If you need some easy colorful pens for note-taking then try these Papermate Inkjoy. They are super affordable and can be found on Amazon If you like a good retractable ballpoint pen then this is the brand for you!

Best Fude Pens for Bujo

Fude pens are a type of brush pen used in East Asian calligraphy. They have either real brush tips or a soft felt tip similar to a marker and the nibs are fed by an ink reservoir. These pens are great for when you need those thicker lush black lines with good ink flow but also precision. Below are some of the best fudepen that don’t bleed.

• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens

Another great investment for good quality felt tip pens are Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens. They are beautiful to use for lettering and headers.  I also love how they are great art pens that don’t bleed when you use other pens with them like watercolors. Get the two pen set here!

• Kuretake Fudegokochi

The Kuretake Fude Brush Pens are great, very easy to use and the hard nip one is excellent to try small letter calligraphy, but also great for drawing! This set comes with three different nibs, hard and soft. The Kuretake doesn’t bleed through my journal but if I am drawing and end up saturating the color too much (going over the line again a few times with the brush) it might ghost.

• Pentel Fude Touch Sign

Water-based brush pen thats made with 80% recycled plastic for helping the environment!

Best Brush Pens for Bullet Journal

Now let’s talk about the non-bleeding brush pens that are perfect to color your bullet journal pages!

• Tombow Dual Brush Pen

If you are looking for acid-free pens in your search for bullet journal pens that don’t bleed, then a great option for art journaling pens is the Tombow dual brush pens. You will find a set of these pens in nearly every Bullet Journal fans collection.

• Faber Castell Pitt Brush Pens

Looking for something extra special for your art bullet journal? Then the Faber Castell Pitt Brush Pens are amazing! These are more expensive than most other pens on this list but are worth every penny. Find out about them here.

Best Felt Tip Pens and Markers for Bullet Journal

Apart from the brush pens, we can also color the bullet journal pages with normal felt tip pens and markers. Here is my list of best markers for bullet journaling.

• Crayola pens

The good news when you are looking for markers that don’t bleed is that they don’t have to be expensive. These Crayola pens are perfect for adding color to your journal and are fun for Bullet Journal fonts.

• Crayola Supertips

Another great option is Crayola Supertips for bullet journals. They are finer than traditional markers and can also be used to do brush lettering.

• Paper Mate Flair

Another popular felt tip pen set is the one from Papermate. It has a rather fine felt tip point (0.7 millimeters) but will produce lines that are bright, bold, smudge-resistant! It is a water based pen that won’t bleed through paper.

• Pilot FriXion pens

We all make mistakes. Don’t let it ruin your day or spread. Try these Pilot FriXion pens that are erasable! Attention though; because they are erasable they will fade if exposed to heat. So if your journal stays in the sun or inside a hot car you will lose your scribbles. I only advise using them for things that you won’t mind eventually losing, such as page decoration.

Best Highlighters for Bullet Journal

Bullet journal highlighters are essential for easy organization… plus it is pretty satisfying getting to mark off those to-do lists with beautiful colored highlighters.

• Zebra mildliners

These Zebra mildliners are dual-tipped. Making them really versatile for your spreads. Check out my mildliners review here! Check out the beautiful pastel colour range

• Stabilo BOSS highlighters

One of the best pastel pens is these Stabilo BOSS highlighters in gorgeous pastel hues. The good news is that they aren’t expensive! Find prices on Amazon below.

Best Pens for Art Journaling

If you like to be a little artistic and play around with colors and medium, you will want to check out some of the pens below!

• Sakura Gelly Roll

The Sakura Gelly Roll is one of the best white pen for art journaling. It’s easy to create some fun and different looks with these pens.

• Uni-Ball Signo Broad

The Signo Broad pens are PERFECT for the oh-so-popular Blackout journal. All three white, silver, and gold color will be super bright on the black pages! I love them!

• Metallic Brush Pen

I can’t deny that I love a little bit of color. These brush pens are super bright and I love the shimmery effect plus they do not bleed or ghost your pages! I normally use them to correct mistakes in my journal too because they cover everything!!! These are very good pens for details and highlighting. The flow of ink is very bright and generous so the whiter is not transparent at all. However, they don’t dry straight away! Give at least a few seconds for the ink to dry otherwise it will smudge your page.

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Did I miss any of your favorite bullet journal markers that don’t bleed? I am always looking for more amazing best pens to bullet journal so please let me know in the comments below.

PIN FOR LATER!

Best markers that don’t bleed through bullet journal