Discover the Best Pens for Bullet Journal for You [2023/4]
If you’re into the bullet journal craze, you know that there are a ton of pens out there – ballpoint pens, gel pens, markers, and more. But which are the best pens for bullet journal?
There are a lot of factors that go into answering this question: budget, personal preference on tip size or ink color (if black ink only), and more. That’s why we put together this list of our fantastic pens for bullet journaling!
The list includes factors like comfort level (i.e. ease of writing), ink colors and compatibility with things like the popular box method. Our list of best bullet journal pens will give you some further guidance as to what type of pen is best for you.
What Are the Best Pens for Bullet Journal?
When it comes to your bullet journal, you may have a particular brand or kind of pen that works best for you. But, if you’re a beginner, or if you just prefer to try out a bunch of different pens before settling on one, then this list is for you!
We had a lot of fun putting together the list and hope it helps you find the right pen for your bullet journaling needs. Just keep in mind that there are so many different kinds of pens out there that it’s not going to be easy to narrow down your choices.
That said, we have made a list below of some of our favorite pens, as well as some helpful information to help you make your decision.
What to look for:
Here are some of the things you might want to look for when picking out a pen for bullet journaling:
Tip Size – i.e. if you like to write small, thin letters, go for a smaller tip size. If you like to write large, chunky letters, go for a larger tip size.
Reliability – Does it dry quickly? Does it bleed through? Does it show through? Does it clog up?
Ease of Use – How easy is the ink to control? Is the pen smooth or scratchy to write with?
Aesthetics – How does the pen look and feel in your hands while you use it.
Comfort/Ease of Writing – Do you like the way it feels when writing?
Color Selection – How many options are there for color selection? (in my view, the more, the better)
Cost – Value for money.
Flexibility – Does it work with different journaling methods? Does it have a fine point or a broad tip?
Best Pens for Bullet Journal
Here ’s a quick rundown of some of the best pens for bullet journaling. We’ll go into more detail below.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Best Fineliners for Bullet Journal
Probably the most popular pen for bullet journaling is the fineliner, which is great for beginners because they are just so versatile and do not require special care although they’re suitable for every level. You can achieve beautiful, detailed art with a fineliner and the result is always very clean and sharp.
Sakura Pigma 30062 Micron Blister Card Ink Pen Set
Overview
You basically can’t go wrong with these ones. They are the finest fineliners out there, with professional precision and crisp, rich black ink. These pens are waterproof, fade resistant, bleed free, pH neutral and quick drying.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Professional precision
- Crisp, rich black ink
- Waterproof and fade resistant
- Bleed free
- Dry quickly
- No smear
- Incredibly accurate
- Ink stays on paper
- Comes in more than 85 sizes
- Varied color selection
Is this for you?
This is one of the best pens for bullet journal. From doodles to hand lettering and anything in between, these pens can do it all. That’s why they’re so popular for bullet journaling and we highly recommend them.
The Best Colored Pens for Bullet Journal
These colored pens or markers usually come in a wide assortment of colors that are often combined to create different shades. They are great for coloring and are often used in bullet jounaling combined with other types of pens to add color to your art. The best colored pens run smoothly and evenly and do not bleed or smudge.
Papermate Flair Felt Tip Pens
Overview
Paper Mate is a fantastic brand, and these pens for bullet journal will allow you to keep writing on the other side of the page (no bleed-through). Great for colour-coding anything in your bullet journal like a planner. Excellent for coloring complicated patterns too.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Better than most felt pens when it comes to bleeding
- Tips won’t fray after repeated use
- Rich, vibrant colors, always on fashion
- Ideal for journaling and coloring in general
- Fade-resistant and no smear
- Quik drying ink
- Expressive lines
- Odorless
Is this for you?
Although not the cheapest, you will love writing and coloring with these. Their Point Guard prevent tips from fraying, every stroke produces beautiful lines. A fantastic all rounder pen for bullet journal if you like to color planners and other art.
The Best Fude Pens for Bullet Journal
Fude pens are a different ball game. These are a type of brush pen in general used in Japanese calligraphy. Great for art-on-the-go, they can have fibre tips or real brush tips.
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen
Fude pens are perfect for beautiful calligraphy and hand-lettering. You can control srokes with precision and the flexible brush tips will allow for you to create different drawing techniques.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- With the soft and the hard tip
- With flexible brush tip
- Pigmented black ink
- Tips are water-based
- You can draw very fine lines or thicker strokes by just changing the brush pressure
- Incredibly good value for money
Is this for you?
If you love calligraphy and beautiful journaling then these Fudenosuke brush pens are the perfect ones for you.
The Best Brush Pens for Bullet Journal
These pens are ideal for illustrations, brush lettering, doodling and anything you might want to sketch. They have a flexible fine tip and a brush tip. The dual brush tip makes them ideal for calligraphy and writing.
Tombow 56185 Dual Brush Pen Art Markers
Overview
Brush pens are very popular in bullet journaling because they offer a nice balance between control and expression. The smaller tips can give you a finer control and the wider tip can give you a fluid range of expression.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Flesible and durable brush tip
- After blending the tip cleans itself
- Durable; the brush won’t lose shape after extensive use
- For bold or medium strokes, depending on pressure
- The fine tip will give consistening lining
- No bleeding, odorless, not toxic
Is this for you?
These are perfect for your bullet journaling experience. For hand lettering, beautiful drawings, embellishments, intricate designs and general illustrations. You simply can’t go wrong with them.
The Best Highlighter Pens for Bullet Journal
Stabilo Boss Original Highlighter Set
Overview
Highlighters are a great tool to have in your bullet journal arsenal as they are a great way of decorating your art. I have owned many highlighters and it seems I can never get enough of them.
While typically used in a different way (to highlight something) they offer a particular appeal when it comes to bullet journaling. Highlighters usually come in a variety of colors and have different tips. They will make your bullet journal pages unique and attractive, I definitely recommend using them to your heart’s content.
The most popular ones are the chiselled tip highlighters. We chose the brand Stabilo Boss, with a chisel tip of 0.5mm.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Stabilo Boss has never failed me before while cheaper brands have (they tend to go dry or stop working)
- This is one of the best brands around
- Water based ink with tips that last a long time (mine are still working after 10 years of repeated use)
- Lovely, bright, happy colors to choose from
- Refillable (although I’ve never done this myself)
Is this for you?
Highlighters are a must when it comes to bullet journaling. They can be used to create gorgeous looking illustrations, highlight passages and write on your pages without damaging the journal. I highly recommend getting a set for your bullet journal, they’re inexpensive and come in a wide variety of colors.
The Best Pens for Art Journalling
Uni Posca Paint Markers Set
Overview
Art pens that can be used on any surface can be very handy as, perhaps, as part of your bullet journal experience, you might like to do some art.
Being able to cover different surfaces allows you to be creative and imagine unique ways of making your journal look different. For these purposes, you need to know the best art pens for bullet journaling and we chose the Uni Posca paint markers set for this pusrpose.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Water based, waterproof and non-toxic
- Set of 15 vibrant colors to get you going
- Ink that doesn’t bleed
- Can be used over dark color
- Colors can be blended together
- Flexible tips
- Spread evenly in one coat
- Don’t leak, run or dry up
- Last a very long time
- Consistent quality with every use
Is this for you?
These pens are so much fun! They are great to add a little bit of art to your bullet journal. I highly recommend them.
The Best Professional Inking Pens for Bullet Journal
Bao Core Fineliner Color Pen Set
Overview
With vibrant colors and pens that glide through your paper, these are an excellent choice for everyone looking into collecting the perfect pens for bullet journaling.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- 10 assorted colors
- Good for beginners and more experienced bullet journalers
- Waterproof
- High-quality nib
- Smooth writing
- Great for intricate illustrations
- No bleed if you know how to use the pen correctly
Is this for you?
These a super precise pens at a great price. What’s there not to like? They are simply fantastic for bullet journaling.
The Best Blender Pens for Bullet Journal
Tombow 56187 Blendable Art Markers
Overview
These lovely brushes will provide two sets of art markers. Pens have soft brush tips as well as the finer bullet tips. The lines will come out looking really sharp.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Perfect for journaling, doodling and fine art in general
- Waterbased, no bleed, odorless
- Very good for both professionals and beginners
- Available in all imaginable colors, I just chose the pastel ones but there are a myriad of colors to choose from, which is wonderful
Is this for you?
These pens are better than many of their kind as they won’t fray that easily. You can go thick or think with the same tip. A lovely addition to your collection.
The Best Fountain Pens for Bullet Journal
Caran D’ Ache Chevron Ecridor
Overview
This Swiss made fountain pen, fitted with a piston ink pump, will feel like luxury in your hands. With perfect hold, weight and balance, you will take your bullet journaling experience to the next level.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Rhodium-coated steel nib
- Internailnal guarantee for life
- Piston ink pump or ink cartridge
- 3 nib sizes to choose from
- Comes in a beautiful box
- Incredible quality in your hands
- Finely engineered pen
- Pure class, a joy to use
Is this for you?
With an exceptional nib, your only problem will be which nib size to choose from. The pen is light and the writing, beautiful. This pen is an experience not to be missed.
The Best Everyday Writing Pens for Bullet Journal
Uni-ball Jetstream RT Retractable Ballpoint
Overview
Nothing wrong with very inexpensive every day writing pens! The Uni-Ball Jetstream Retractable Ball Point Pens are excellent for your everyday bullet journal needs. Need say no more.
Highlights (What I Liked)
- Comfortable grip
- Quick drying gel pen
- Smudge resistant
- Water and fade resistant ink
- No “skipping” when writing
- Convenient clip
Is this for you?
These are probably the best pen you can buy for the price. Dries almost instantly, you don’t need to exert much pressure for the beautiful line to come out effortlessly. Smooth, reliable – makes writing easy!
Which Types of Paper to Go For?
You might have wondered about the kind of paper to use in your bullet journal. There are many types of paper out there and ultimately it comes down to personal taste. Some people prefer the light feel and look of graph paper while others like very simple blank lined sheets to draw on. The best thing is to explore your options and choose one that will suit you best.
Why Haven’t You Mentioned Faber Castell in Your Choices?
Faber-Castell is one of the world’s largest supplier of office products. Their supplies are of great quality and very high-end. They’re an #1 seller of pens and markers, and have high-quality art materials like pencils, crayons, etc. Faber-Castell have a wonderful selection of pens, we just couldn’t add everything on the list!
Achieving Great Flow When Journaling
Sometimes you want to add bold strokes, somethings smooth writing is the preferred method, at times pop of color or detail drawings, precise marks, clean lines and an assortment of beautiful colors – the number of needs and requirements for your bullet journal is what makes it so exciting. If you want to get the best experience out of your journaling, i.e. In order to achieve great flow while journaling, you need the right tools. Achieving great flow can be hard work when you’re using the wrong type of pen or pencil for the job.
White Paper vs Black Paper vs Colored Paper – Oh My!
One thing is choosing pens for journaling and another would be choosing the right type of paper for your needs. Each of these three types has their own advantages and disadvantages and ultimately, it comes down to what you want or need out of your journaling session. Comic artists, for example, might want to use white paper in order to achieve a certain look, whereas a different type of artist might not want their pen marks to show through the paper and instead use colored paper.
How Important is Faux Calligraphy When it Comes to Bullet Journaling?
Faux Calligraphy is an increasingly popular technique in art and design circles. It involves creating a real-looking lettering style that is based on the real thing but with certain stylistic differences. Some of these differences include adding extra flourishes, spacing and a heavier look to the lettering. I personally don’t know how to use the technique and I don’t let this stop me from getting creative.
Vivid Colors vs Pastel Color vs Mild Color – Keep it Consistent!
Different colors bring your journal to life so of the things you have to consider when it comes down to choosing the right color for your bullet journal is what kind of personality you have. Also, consistency is key. I have been designing websites for many years now and inconsistency when it comes to a color scheme is one of the biggest mistakes people make.
Is There the Perfect Bullet Journal Pen?
Yes and no. It depends on so many things: your genre, your drawing skills, your writing skills, your desired look and feel, the paper you use and even the type of ink or product you use all come into play when it comes to choosing the right pen. The perfect pen is a subjective thing. There’s no such thing as the perfect pen for everyone but that’s what makes it so great: you have options.
Happy Bullet Journaling!
Remember that all types of journaling are a great self-care practice for improving your mental health. If you’re new to the art of journaling or have never tried it, now is the best time to start.
