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June 4, 2019

Pen Comparison – is there actually a difference in ink color between brands?

Most pink pens have a similar pink color for the body of the pen. So you’d think they all have much the same ink color… but not necessarily. While some pens look like carbon copies both in appearance and ink color (PaperMate Inkjoy Gel 0.7 and the BLOT Gel pens), some actually come out a very light shade of pink. And then there’s different ink thicknesses.

Since I have so many pink pens (as it’s the color I tend to use to code blog posts in my planner), I grabbed most of them and did some swatches..

pen comparison different shades of pink is there a difference in quality are expensive pens worth the money favorite pen brands

As you can see I’ve done quite thorough… research…  (i.e. shopping!) to compare many well known brands.

best pens for planning is there a difference in quality cheap expensive pen brands ultimate pen swatches test review

Some of the well known brands have cheaper alternatives.. which have much the same ink color. E.g. Papermate Flair UF and the Inklab fineliner.

I certainly notice cheap pens like target generic brand gel pens, Daiso etc. tend to dry out faster, but when they’re so cheap it’s to be expected.

While the Kaisercraft gel pens write smoothly and have a nice glitter effect to the ink they dry out way too quickly (especially for the price).

The Caliart pens are like the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner. Both look like a 0.7mm thickness however are only 0.38mm and 0.3mm respectively… yet another reason I buy so many pens! Half the time they don’t end up the right shade or thickness that you thought they’d be.

pen ink comparison are they all the same shade is there actually a difference in quality pen swatches ghosting bleed through

Pen Testing

Pen testing in the Plum Paper Planner.

Left page

pen ghosting swatches bleed through ballpoint needle tip fine tip paper quality

As you can see, most of the marker pens are prone to bleed through. The thicker gel pens are usually prone to ghosting. Ballpoint are typically the least prone to ghosting (and tend to be cheaper than gel pens).

Right page

pen ghosting swatches bleed through ballpoint needle tip fine tip

favorite planner pen brands pen ink color comparison are expensive pens worth the money

There’s quite a lot of swatches in the above photos, so if you’re a bit overwhelmed, here are some recommendations:

Some of my favorite pen brands

  • Papermate
  • Pilot
  • Staedtler fineliners
  • Schneider Topliner (it feels like the pen writes itself – just glides across the page – one of the best pens ever to write with)
  • MUJI gel pen
  • Ooly color connect
  • Stabilo fine tip
  • Caliart
  • Inklab (like a cheaper version of the flairs)
  • KACOGREEN Pure
  • Paperchase
  • Sharpie Pen
  • Uni Pi’s dual tip – the fat end tends to bleed through paper but the colors are really bright and the yellow is one of my favorite yellows)
  • Tombow twin tone – bright colors and dual tip

Some pens I don’t recommend

  • Staedtler ball 432M (ballpoint) – prone to ink skipping
  • Smiggle – for the same reasons as the Staedtler – the 2 look eerily similar
  • Needle tip (too scratchy and the ink is prone to skipping)
  • Pentel – super expensive and I don’t really see a difference in quality
  • Parkoo erasable pen – the ink is prone to skipping
  • KOKOYU Ball – ink almost always skips
  • CHOSCH – even though it’s 0.5, the ink is too thin – more like a 0.3mm

So many different shades of pink!

favorite planner pen brands pen ink color comparison are expensive pens worth the money cheap quality review

pen brand comparison review ink quality colors price cheap versus expensive ghosting bleed through quality pen swatches

Pink isn’t the only color where the ink color varies – blue tends to vary a lot too.

cheap versus expensive pens does it matter better comparison pros cons gel ballpoint papermate frixion sarasa fine tip planning-min

And if you need a reason to justify pen shopping, different shades of the same color are ideal for ombre spreads!

combine work and personal in the same planner ombre blue monday start weekly spread horizontal 1 page

Ombre weekly spread in the Life Inspired Plans Planner

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More pen reviews:

  • The best white pens for writing on black paper
  • Favorite Twin Tip Markers for Planning (Roundup)
  • Pens & Highlighters Smear Testing: Which ones don’t smear 

Found this post helpful? Pin it!

pens is there actually a difference between different brands shades of the same color brands should you pay more for expensive brands

pen brand comparison is there a difference in ink style appearance needle ballpoint cheaper alternatives cheap versus expensive

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  • 5 expensive pen brands that are worth the money (I have no regrets for splurging on them!)5 expensive pen brands that are worth the money (I have no regrets for splurging on them!)
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Posted In: Planner pens · Tagged: best pen brands, best pens for planning, expensive versus cheap pens, favorite planner pens, favorite planner supplies, pen brands, pen ghosting, pen ink color, pen ink comparison, pen review, pen swatches, pen testing, planner pen, planner pen brand

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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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