Best Pens for Planners
You have a planner you love, so you want to make sure you’re using the best pens for your planner. Pens may seem like one of those super simple things in life, but the truth is that if you want a really good pen you can’t just grab it out of the pen cup at your bank. Those pens are trash. If you take the act of writing in your planner seriously (as you should), then you need a seriously amazing pen to make the experience of writing even the most mundane of grocery lists enjoyable.
If you’re a planner nerd, then you need one of the following types of pens. (Or all of them.) These are the best pens for planners.
Le Pen
Available on Amazon.
The Le Pen pens are super fine-tipped, so they’re a dream to write with. If you use a planner with thin lines and columns (like the liveWELL Planner) then you’ll absolutely love these. The fine tip makes writing easy, and looks great if you like to write in all caps for a clean aesthetic.
Another bonus (in my humble opinion) are the color options. Instead of only providing vibrant, near-neon colors, Le Pen balances the lighter pinks and purples with jewel toned reds, blues, and greens. It’s a bright color-hating, color-coders dream (I would know because I just described myself).
Stabilo
Available on Amazon.
Stabilo is basically the godmother of pen companies. They’ve been in business forever, and their pens actually last a crazy long time (I have a coworker who has some from childhood that still write!). Stabilo offers a wide range of pen packages, and they all have some of the best ink colors I’ve ever seen. If you love bright, true colors then you’ll love these. The color on the outside of the pen actually does match the ink color, so you get exactly what you’re expecting.
Stabilo pens have point 88 tips, so they are fine-ish. They’re not the finest point ever, but they’re smooth to write with and look great on the page. Sometimes it can be hard to write with a fine-point pen in a hurry, but I’ve found I can quickly scribble anything down with these. If you want to color code with all the colors of the wind, these are the pens for your planner.
Staedtler Triplus Fineliners
Available on Amazon.
The Triplus Fineliners are serious pens. These are for the people who take their work/writing extra serious. In fact, the Triplus Fineliners might just be the best pen for your planner. The extra fine tip allows you to be extra detailed in your planning, helps you maximize on space, and lets you write down all of the notes or numbers you need to accompany a design. For maximum results, use them to map out ideas in the notes section of your planner.
Pilot G2
Available on Amazon.
Now, if you want a good pen, but refuse to spend a ton of money for such a small thing (hey, no judgment here), then the Pilot G2 is for you. These are available at pretty much every Walmart, Target, and Walgreens, so they’re easy to find. The Pilot G2 is a gel ink, roller ball pen that literally glides across the page. It comes in black, red, and blue ink most often, but you can also find it in brighter colors if you know where to look (hint: OfficeMax).
The only catch is that the ink can run and smear with certain types of paper so it’s important to let it completely dry before closing the notebook or running your hand across it. Despite its flaws, you really can’t get a better pen for a better cost.
Paper Mate Flair
Available on Amazon.
When it comes to having the most robust color options, Papermate Flair pens take the cake. These are a must-have if you like to color code in your planner. Plus, they’re super easy to find. These are felt tipped markers, and actually fine-tipped as well. You only need to watch out for the amount of pressure you use to write. If you press down really hard every time, then the tip will flatten out over time and become less fine.
The Flairs are the bomb, though. Papermate also has a good habit of releasing new colors every so often (like in the summertime), so you get plenty of opportunity to find new colors to add to your color coding rotation.
Pentel EnerGel
Available on Amazon.
If you like a more classic pen, then try the Pentel Energel for your planner. They have a .7 tip, come in a simple, classic color range, and have a convenient, cushy grip. Think old-school red, blue, and green pens that actually write super smooth. They’re also refillable, so you can save yourself a little money and have less waste when the original ink runs out.
Uniball Signo
Available on Amazon.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money for a pen, but still want the best pens for your planner, then try the Uniball Signo. They glide smoothly across the page, come in a variety of colors, are affordable, and have a .7mm tip. The colors are extra bright for those that love a good, colorful planner, and the ink is thick so it doesn’t run.
And there you have it. The top seven best pens for planners. With these pens, you won’t have to worry about ink drying up, weird colors, bleeding through, or not getting what you paid for. What pens do you use in your planner? Let us know!