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July 25, 2019

How I use different types of pens when planning

If you’ve been following my blog for a while I think it’s fairly obvious that I hoard pens…. So why do I have so many? Besides the fact that they’re cheap and different brands come in different colors, I prefer to use different pens for different things:

When I use each type of pen

Fineliner pens

  • When I can take my time to write slow / neat (as they tend to scratch through whiteout correction tape if I make a mistake)
  • When I need lots of colors – not sure why it is but fineliner pens always seem to come in big pen packs (Staedtler Triplus Fineliner, Caliart etc.)
  • Color coding (again, because there’s tons of colors)
  • Ombre weekly spreads (same reason as above)
  • When I’m trying to color match a washi tape or planner sticker – they tend to come in more unique shades e.g. purple-pink instead of just hot pink

Related: What type of pens write best on correction tape? (gel pens vs. ballpoint vs. marker pens)

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Related: My Favorite Fineliner Pens for Planning & Bullet Journaling

Gel Pens

  • When I have room to space things out (i.e. can have large gaps between text as gel pens are more prone to smudging)
  • When I want a pretty spread (Gel pens tend to have vibrant ink than other pen types)
  • Wider variety in tip sizes – some brands e.g. Pilot have multiple tip thicknesses for the Pilot Pop’lol all the way from 0.3mm to 0.7mm
  • For rainbow spreads (the BLOT and PaperMate Inkjoy are almost an exact match for my rainbow planner stickers)
  • When I’m using good quality, thick paper and don’t need to worry about ghosting and bleed through

Related: Planner Necessities: My Top 3 All-Time Favorite Gel Pens

blot gel pen review cheaper alternative to papermate inkjoy rainbow retractable teal medium tip

Ballpoint

  • When I’m using thin paper and want to avoid ghosting and bleed through
  • When I want to write quickly
  • When I’m travelling (ballpoint pens are cheap and readily available so it’s not as sad if you lose them)
  • When I want to write a lot (ballpoint pens last ages before drying out)
  • Tend to be more water resistant than the other pen types on this list
  • Less prone to smudging
  • Write best on washi tape (as they’re less prone to ink smearing)

Related Planner pens I don’t recommend (prone to smearing, bleed through etc.) 

papermate inkjoy retractable ballpoint pen medium rainbow color coding affordable no bleed or ghosting 1.0mm-min

Erasable pens

  • Bullet journaling (I won’t use any other type of pen when ruling up bullet journal spreads)
  • For anything and everything!
  • Just be careful not to leave your planner in a hot car. Most erasable pens erase using friction (heat)

pilot frixion ball erasable pens rainbow color coding favorite planning supplies stationery light green dark green no smear medium fine tip

Related: My all time favorite planner pens: Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Review

Dual Tip Marker Pens

  • For headings
  • When I’m writing big (as the thicker tip stands out)
  • Thick paper (as they’re more prone to bleed through)
  • If I’m travelling i.e. take 2 pens for the space of 1!

Related: Favorite Twin Tip Markers for Planning (Roundup)

tombow twin tone markers dual tip planner pen colorful fine tip color coding twin tip review worth the money brush lettering

Read more about my favorite pens in this post:  Ultimate list of the best planner pen brands and how to choose colors for color coding 

More planning supplies

  • 5 expensive pen brands that are worth the money (I have no regrets for splurging on them!)
  • 5 Planner supplies you should never skimp on
  • 10 Planner supplies that will help you plan your week faster

Planning tips

  • 6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity
  • Color coded monthly meal planning using sticky notes 
  • The Process Behind Making a Printable Planner

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  • Planner pens I don’t recommend (prone to smearing, bleed through etc.)Planner pens I don’t recommend (prone to smearing, bleed through etc.)
  • Color coding your planner: how to choose which colors to useColor coding your planner: how to choose which colors to use
  • My all time favorite planner pens: Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens ReviewMy all time favorite planner pens: Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Review
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Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

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