ByRachael

Testing different pens on different paper thickness (80, 120, 140, 160 and 180 GSM paper)

Today’s post was requested by a reader, that wanted to see how much ghosting or bleed through a particular brand of pen had on different paper thicknesses. But I didn’t want to just rattle off a list of ranges within that pen brand, and send you on your way, without also considering the type of paper one is writing on. So, in this post we’ll cover:

  • What paper thickness you should be looking for when buying a bullet journal or notebook
  • What type of pens are the least likely to ghost and / or bleed through the page
  • What pens I recommend (my all time favorites)
  • Pens you should avoid if you really don’t want any ghosting or bleed through
  • Pen tests for different paper thicknesses so you can really see why paper thickness matters!

What paper thickness should you buy?

The higher the GSM number = the thicker the paper.

If you’re shopping for a bullet journal notebook (or a planner) and aren’t sure what paper weight is ‘good’ – my rule of thumb is:

  • Anything less than 120GSM = I probably won’t buy unless the rest of the notebook is pretty / has extra features (or is super cheap), there is likely to be heavy ghosting and some bleed through
  • 120GSM = expect some indenting for ballpoint pens and minor ghosting
  • 120GSM or more = should be ok, you might get unlucky with some minor ghosting
  • 160GSM = great, there shouldn’t be any ghosting or bleed through

The above guide is just that – a guide – because you never really know how the paper is going to go unless you actually try it out with the pens you’d like to use. That’s why I always do a thorough pen test when I get a new planner or bullet journal!

See these posts for some of my previous pen reviews

Which pens do I recommend?

Disclaimer: this list contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my affiliate links I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

My recommendations have changed many times over the years as I’ve tried more and more pens, but the pens that I always come back to are:

  1. Papermate Inkjoy Gel 0.7 – I’ve had these same pens for 7 years. The ink colors are vibrant and even more impressively – the ink hasn’t dried out!
  2. Pilot Frixion erasable – get the 0.7 pen tip if you don’t want indenting on the back side of the page
  3. Staedtler triplus fineliner – heaps of colors, write smoothly and come in a storage case, the ink in mine has lasted more than 7 years

Noteable mentions: Muji Gel, Pilot G-2, Stabilo Point 88 Fine, Pilot Pop-Lol, Creative Devotion, Kikki K fineliner…. Honestly I could list way more but, I shall resist. Because I already listed them all in this post 🙂 Rating every pen I own (100+!) (The pens you need… and the pens you don’t)

The best pens to avoid ghosting and / or bleed through

  • Ballpoint pens (but these can sometimes indent the back side of the page)
  • 0.3mm or 0.5mm tip pens (but sometimes the tips of these are sharp and scratchy to write with)
  • Fineliner pens
  • Good quality gel pens (like the Papermate Inkjoy Gel)

Is ghosting reduced if you use black pen?

No, it doesn’t matter what pen color you use, if there’s ghosting there will be ghosting for any color. While you might think it’s better to use a lighter color like yellow, pastel pens are usually really hard to see what you’ve written – I’d take ghosting over that any day.

Read more: Yellow pen swatches (and my recommended pens that have yellow ink you can actually see)

Pens you should avoid

  • Anything thicker than 0.7mm tip
  • Marker pens e.g. Uni Pis, Staedtler, Pure Color F C-Land, Tombow MUJI Hexa Pen
  • Gel pens from cheap stores (these always have bad ghosting and bleed through) – if you’re going to use gel pens, buy quality and well known brand names!

Testing the same pens on different paper thicknesses

If you follow my planner reviews and bullet journal notebook reviews, you’ve probably noticed that I try and test the same pens, highlighters, stamps etc. each time. This is so it’s easier for me to compare the paper quality. So let’s take a look!

80GSM Paper

This used to be basically the only paper option for dot grid notebooks around 8 years ago when I started bullet journaling. Back when the Leuchtturm was considered the ultimate bullet journal notebook. Thank goodness there are more notebook options these days – the paper quality in the Leuchtturm notebooks is awful!

Pen testing in the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook (80 GSM paper)

Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal Notebook review ryder carroll pros and cons pen testing ghosting bleed through paper quality honest opinion newbie bujo leuchtturm 1917 bullet journal notebook pen test notebook review ghosting bleed through papermate inkjoy flair marker pens stamps frixion highlighters

leuchtturm highlighters ghosting bleed through pros and cons zebra tombow mildliner erasable which are best for bullet journaling

leuchtturm highlighters ghosting bleed through pros and cons zebra tombow mildliner erasable which are best for bullet journaling tips

Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Notebook Review

120GSM Paper

Apart from the nice rainbow colors to choose from and a B5 page size option, I’ve never understood why the Leucchturm dotted notebooks are so popular. The paper doesn’t get any better in their 120GSM option either:

leuchtturm weekly planner review monday start horizontal paper quality pen test ghosting bleed through highlighter stamp fine tip gel leuchtturm weekly planner review monday start horizontal paper quality pen test ghosting bleed through highlighter stamp fine tip gel pros and cons

Leuchtturm 1917 Weekly Planner Review

The only exception to the above that I’ve found is the paper in the Clever Fox notebook. For some reason their 120GSM paper is actually pretty good with very light ghosting for pens and highlighters:

clever fox dotted journal notebook review pros cons highlighters pen testing bright white paper budget planner daily weekly monthly clever fox dotted journal notebook review pros cons highlighters pen testing bright white paper budget planner daily weekly monthly thick paper affordable

Clever Fox Dotted Notebook Comparison: Original versus 2.0 Journal – which is better?

140 GSM

The only dotted notebook I’ve found with 140 GSM paper is the Vivid Scribbles.

vivid dot journal review dot grid sewn bound bright white paper 140GSM no ghosting or bleed through video flipthrough pen testing numbered pages cheap affordable amazon notebook_12

Only some ghosting from the MAMBI stamps. No ghosting or bleed through for any of the pens and highlighters.

vivid dot journal review dot grid sewn bound bright white paper 140GSM no ghosting or bleed through video flipthrough pen testing numbered pages cheap affordable amazon notebook_13 vivid dot journal review dot grid sewn bound bright white paper 140GSM no ghosting or bleed through video flipthrough pen testing numbered pages cheap affordable amazon notebook_14

160GSM Paper

There has (thankfully) been more 160GSM dotted notebooks released in the past few years. Some of my past reviews (in no particular order):

  1. Archer and Olive
  2. Scribbles That Matter Pro
  3. Slow Journal
  4. Notebook Therapy
  5. Buke Stationery
  6. Tekukor
  7. Amanda Rach Lee
  8. Seqes
  9. ESC. Goods

Click here to download the comparison. Existing blog subscribers can find this in the free printables library.

70 dot grid notebooks comparison free printable download all about planners

As an example, here are the results of a pen test in the Amanda Rach Lee Notebook which has 160GSM paper.

amanda rach lee dotted notebook pen test pros and cons bullet journal 5mm highlighters pens stamps

No ghosting or bleed through for highlighters and pens (even the thick marker pens). There is a tiny bit of ghosting from the Happy Planner stamp (not very obvious and wouldn’t stop me from using the back side of the page).

amanda rach lee dotted notebook pen test pros and cons bullet journal 5mm highlighters pens stamps no ghosting or bleed through 160 gsm

In comparison, here are the results from a pen test in the Archer and Olive, which also has 160 GSM paper.

archer and olive dot grid notebook for bullet journaling 160gsm bright white paper no bleed through or ghosting pens or highlighters gold foil edging_10

archer and olive dot grid notebook for bullet journaling 160gsm bright white paper no bleed through or ghosting pens or highlighters gold foil edging_07

Notebook Therapy also has 160 GSM paper and it had some ghosting for the highlighters and dot markers.

notebook therapy review stencils book bound dot grid bright white 160 GSM aqua tsuki dolphin days pen testing tombow dot marker highlighters frixion erasable

This is why I always do a pen test!

notebook therapy review stencils book bound dot grid bright white 160 GSM aqua tsuki dolphin days pen testing ghosting bleed through

180 GSM paper

I’ve only found one notebook that had paper thicker than 160 GSM and that is’ Buke Stationery’s 180 GSM notebook. There is a big difference in the feel of 160 GSM to 180 GSM paper. The 180 GSM paper feels closer to cardstock. For the DIY covers I make I use 200 GSM which is thin cardstock that can run through my printer.

So how does a pen test stack up?

Same results as a 160 GSM notebook. And if you’re thinking about using watercolors on 180 GSM paper, I’d re-think that. You will blunt the tips of your brush pens very quickly. There is more resistance when writing and the paper doesn’t feel as smooth.

I don’t recommend 180 GSM paper, just stick to 160 GSM.

buke stationery dot grid notebook review 180gsm thick paper no ghosting or bleed through pen testing hardcover cheap best quality paper value for money bright white_10

buke stationery dot grid notebook review 180gsm thick paper no ghosting or bleed through pen testing hardcover cheap best quality paper value for money bright white_11

What notebooks do I recommend if you want no ghosting or bleed through?

Any on my list of notebooks with 160 GSM paper. In no particular order:

  1. Archer and Olive
  2. Scribbles That Matter Pro
  3. Slow Journal
  4. Notebook Therapy
  5. Buke Stationery
  6. Tekukor
  7. Amanda Rach Lee
  8. Seqes
  9. ESC. Goods

What planners do I recommend if you want no ghosting or bleed through?

This one is a little harder to answer, as most planner companies only offer 100GSM paper. I can deal with this as long as the paper is smooth to write on and bright white (Plum Paper, Limelife Planners).

The only planner I’ve found with thick paper is the Inkwell Press which is 140GSM. I am yet to find a paper planner that has 160GSM paper… Maybe soon!

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testing different pens on different paper thickness 80 120 140 160 180 gsm which had ghosting and bleed through bullet journal notebook

Posted In: Bullet Journal, Bullet Journal Reviews, Bullet Journal Tips, Finding planner peace, Planner pens

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2 Comments

  1. Hello,
    The best pens that I have found is the “LePen” There is no bleed on any type of thin paper.
    I use these pens for journals and making my homemade greeting cards. I use these for the message on the front of my cards as well as the greetings inside of my cards.

    Reply

  2. Just bought a clever fox planner and those dated and undated planners are 120 gsm. let you know how it is when I get it.

    Reply

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