*Update* – Winner of the $15 Jetpens gift certificate announced below! :)
As long as I remember, I have loved writing in notebooks and journals. There’s just something about holding a pen in my hand and writing away into a notebook that I can’t resist. I still have notebooks that I’ve written in from the 6th grade! Don’t get me wrong, I love computers and being able to use it to type notes, emails, journaling, etc. But I do love pens and paper. Pens hold a special place in my heart! ♥
With a lot of scrapbookers and digi-scrapbookers doing Project Life this year, I thought I would do a roundup of my favorite pens for writing & journaling for you. There’s even a giveaway contest at the end of my post! :)
When I think of a good pen to write with, there are several attributes that I look for. Then pen should glide effortlessly over my paper. The pen should not skip while writing. I should not have to put much pressure on the pen for it to write smoothly. The pen should not smear and should dry relatively fast. When writing in a journal or notebook, the pen should not bleed through the page so that the other side of the page is unusable. I should be able to get a good grip on the pen and it should feel good between my fingers. A bonus if the pens come in different colors. And for archival purposes, the pen should be acid-free. (Most pens are nowadays.)
Sharpie Pens – one of my favorite journaling pens is the Sharpie pen in fine point. These Sharpie pens are felt-tip pens and they do not smell like a Sharpie marker. In fact, they don’t smell at all, which is a good thing. They come in many different colors too!
These felt tip pens from Sharpie won’t bleed through most papers, are smear resistant when dry, permanent on paper as well as water resistant. And the ink formula is acid-free and non-toxic. I find the tip size just right, as it writes a line not too fine and not too thick. I use these Sharpie pens to write in my Moleskine daily planner every day. My Moleskine planner has relatively thin pages and these pens don’t bleed through the paper, so I can write on the flip side of the paper without getting annoyed. With so many colors available, I can even color-code different appointments and tasks in my planner as well! I also often use these Sharpie pens to journal on my Project Life journal cards. In short, I big puffy heart love them!
Pentel EnerGel Deluxe – another favorite pen of mine for journaling is the Pentel EnerGel Deluxe. I have loved this pen for years. It writes extremely smoothly without a skip. The vividly-colored, acid-free ink dries quickly without smearing or blotting making it ideal for left-handed writers. When I write with this pen on Project Life journal cards, I can almost instantly slip these into the page protector pockets without my writing smearing. I love the strong colors and I like that the pen is retractable. The rubber barrel grip is nice on the hand too.
Uni-ball Signo 207 – these Uni-ball Signo 207 retractable 0.7 mm gel ink pens write very smoothly and comes in many colors. These are a recent discovery for me and so far I love the smooth ink flow and bold colors. I use them to write in my work notebook every day, task after task. These pens feature acid-free, fade and water resistant ink. Plastic body has a comfortable textured rubber grip for easy and comfortable writing.
Zebra Laflleche – the Zebra Laflleche are smooth-writing ball point pens with one special feature… they are scented! Six tasty colors are available including strawberry, blueberry, chestnut, chocolate, lemon mousse, and Maccha green tea. Water based pigment ink writes in bright colors and is water resistant. The pens are slightly too thin for me to feel very comfortable in my hands. But they write very smoothly and the scents are a fun touch. Unfortunately, as of this writing, these pens are very hard to find, they may have been discontinued.
Next I want to compare some black pens for journaling. The perfect black pen is like the little black dress. It is perfect for every occasion, classic, and timeless.
If you prefer a bold and thicker stroke, I would go with the Uni-ball Signo Impact. It is a thick-writing pen with strong black ink that rolls very smoothly. Other thicker pens include the Sakura Glaze (which dries with a slightly raised surface), and the Sakura Pigma Micron 08. For thinner lines, I love the Sharpie black pen, the Pilot Envelope Address Writing Gel Ink Pen in Extra Fine, the Pentel EnerGel Deluxe, and the Uni-ball Signo 207. All of these pens write very smoothly and would work well in your journaling endeavors.
Last but not least, I have some one-off pens that I like. You can get these in many colors, but these are the colors I have at hand for demonstration purposes.
I really like the Pilot Hi-Tec-C Gel Ink Pen in 0.5 mm. The tip is just fine enough for precision writing, yet has very smooth ink flow. This pen is very popular in Japan but is hard to find in the U.S. I got mine at Jetpens.com. If you love a broader-tipped smooth-writing gel ink pen, I highly recommend the Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Ink Pen. I have these in several colors and they all write very smoothly with broad strokes. I also really like the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.7 mm Gel Ink Pens. I found these in a local Japanese store and was delighted to find them cheaper at Jetpens.com. I especially love the Zebra Sarasa pen in brown, because a good brown pen is hard to find! For metallic gel ink pens, I love the Sakura Gelly Roll. I have several of the Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Gel Ink Pen and the Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Gel Ink Pen. I especially love the Gelly Roll Stardust in Marine Blue Star color, the glittery look is fantastic. Be aware, though, that these pens dry slower than most of the other pens I’ve talked about in this blog post.
I know some people don’t like to handwrite their journaling in their scrapbook pages or Project Life pages, because they don’t like their own handwriting. I found this article at the UPPERCASE blog that talks about pens that improve your handwriting! The author recommends several pens for different types of penmanship problems and I was totally intrigued. Give it a read and see for yourself!
Last but not least, one of my favorite stores on the internet to purchase pens is Jetpens.com! Jetpens offers a huge selection of awesome pens. You can even find hard-to-find Japanese pens there. I love that you can purchase any color individually there, so you don’t have to purchase a whole package of pens to get the 2-3 colors that you want. I also love that they offer free shipping on purchases over $25! Oh and they do carry my favorite scrapbooking adhesive there too! I buy the refills there in bulk. Jetpens often offers giveaways on their blog, Facebook, and Twitter pages, so follow them for some pen goodness. Here’s the good news: Jetpens has generous offered to give a $15 gift certificate to one person who comments in this blog post! So leave a comment and see if you’re the lucky one! :D Comments will close Thursday night at 11:59PM US Eastern time and a random winner will be chosen!
Christine (listgirl)
*Comments have been closed and a random winner has been chosen!
Congratulations Debra! Jetpens will send you your gift certificate via email!
Cristina says
I mostly use a Sakura micron 03 for my journaling – I picked it up at AC Moore and I really love the thin point, thin but not too thin. :) Thank you for posting samples of these! I wish I could try all these pens, but there’s no place for me to do that, so this is the next best thing!
sarabeth burke says
love this, thanks for sharing. i really need to get back into actually handwriting my journaling :)
happy scrappin’!
sarabeth
anna says
my favorites are Sharpie Ultra fine retractable in blue. I still love to write in cursive. I think it’s a dying art!
Sarah says
Thanks so much for this post Christine! For list keeping, journal writing, notes, etc. I’m totally in love with the Pilot Precise V5 rolling ball pens. I’ve been using these for years and have a few different colors (green and purple are my favorites). When I’ve journaled on scrapbook pages I’ve always used the ZIG Millennium pens. I’ve recently bought the black Sharpie pen based on some comments I’ve read. It’s not my favorite pen but I do love that it doesn’t smear all over my pinkie though like the roller ball pens do..I’m left handed so that’s constantly an issue.
Ashley B says
I’m doing Project Life for the first time this year. Thanks for the great post and the chance to win!
Heather T. says
Pens have always fascinated me–in Switzerland, where I grew up, the school gifts you with a real ink pen (with ink cartridges) once you can prove that you can write small enough. I used to love to play with the colors–green and purple being favorites. When I came to the States it was too hard to find cartridges, so I switched to other things. Currently, my favorite for writing are the Pilot Precise V5 extra fine pens, and for drawing I love the Microns, or the Copic Multi-liners.
Mimi says
Thanks for the descriptions and visuals! Love different colors!
Claire says
Wow Christine. What an awesome tutorial. Thanks.
Emily M. says
Great blog post…this will be so helpful to me! :) Thanks for the chance to win too!!
Valentine says
Thanks for the overview, it’s a great help for me!
Scot says
I love JetPens. I think I spend more impulse money there than I do on Amazon anymore. Right now I’m *adoring* two brands of extra-fine-tipped fountain pens: two Lamys and two Sailors. Got all sorts of inks. :-)
Amy says
I too love the Sharpie pens. My favorite pen right now is a Uni-ball Signo RT – their ink is so smooth!
Carolee says
Thanks for such an informative post Christine!
Tori says
I love the Uni-ball Signo 207. I didn’t realize that they came in so many colors. Thanks for the info.
Debbie K says
I’m a pen-o-phile too! I have way more pens than I know what to do with. One pen I’ve really been loving is the Uni-ball signo 0.28mm. It’s really fine but write really smoothly. I use in for my everyday office work but found I go to it for fine journaling in my project life album. thanks for sharing! LOVE jetpens!
Val says
Thanks for sharing. There is something about journaling with pen and paper that a computer can never replace.
Ellie A. says
Be still my HEART… I am a very know Pen addict ha & SUPER LOVE Jetpens! When I was little my mom worked at a pen factory & each Friday she’s bring us some new pens so that is where it started it all! All those colors of the rainbow sure makes me super happy! Thanks so much for the chance.
Mary C says
Fun review…lots of my favorites here, and cool colors and SMELLS! Thanks for the chance to win!
Candice in Colorado says
Um yea. This is a post sent from Heaven! I am an accountant AND a paper scrapper, so you can only IMAGINE how seriously I take my pens! Thanks for turning me on to this fabulous new site, facebook, and twitter pages to stalk! I am telling you….I’ll be stalkin’ win or no win! LOL! I am a big Uni Ball fan, but I am thinking I may just go check out those sharpies. I wasn’t a huge fan of sharpie for a long time because they weren’t archival safe back in the day. But I am guessing they are NOW. Going to check right this instant! Thanks, Christine!
xoxo,
Candi in Colorado
candice1973(at)comcast(dot)net
OKAY I AM OFF TO STALK JETPENS!
Jeremy says
Love Sharpie Pens! Thanks for the nice review of pens! Thanks for the chance to win!
Ray says
I used to use Microns for everything. They are awesome !
Anne says
I love a good pen too – thanks for all the suggestions b/c I never know which one to buy. I usually end up journalling with my drawing pens, but then when I need them for drawing I can’t find them!
Liz says
I’ve always loved the Micron pens and the millions of different colors they come in.
Charmaine says
The Uni-ball Signo 207 is my all time favorite pen. I have a massive stash in my desk and carry one in my purse and two or three in my work pocket at all times!!! Double extra puffy hearts for the Uni-ball Signo 207!!!!
Trish says
What a great pen primer! Thank you.
I write a lot, so love smooth writing pens the best. Fountain pens with broad juicy nibs and gorgeous inks are at the top of my list, though I have recently discovered the joys of writing with the Uni-ball Signo Broad UM-153 Gel Ink Pen you mentioned. Heavenly smooth on the paper in my Apica notebooks. Right now, I’ve been trading off between the Signos (in several colors) and a new VIsconti Eco Roller with stunning Murasaki-Shikibu ink from Iroshizuku (bought from JetPens).
Stacia says
Thank you for showing examples in your post! I have a several new ones to try in this list. I’m excited to try the Sharpies after the good review and the Pentel EnerGels look really nice too.
Lori N. says
I love pens. I just discovered those Sharpie pens, and love them too!
stampin_rachel says
What an awesome review of pens Christine! I will need to get some of those for my PL album.
Cheryl Y says
I love pens too ;) I have been looking for some colorful pens that dont go thru the papers. Thank you for doing this post. :)
Going to go check out some sharpie pens.
Ashley Brown says
Oh how I love pens! My husband does not understand why I have a whole drawer dedicated to my LARGE stash of pens! LoL! I see that I am going to definitely have to try some new ones! I use the Sakura Pigma Micron 08 for my Project Life and love it!
HeatherB says
I love this article Christine – thanks for showing all the writing in a line – easy to choose from this. And thanks for the tip on the Pentel EnerGel Deluxe – my son is a lefty and we’ve been wondering what to get for him I’ll give these a try. :)
Kimberlee says
Fun post. I am all about pens. My DD is lecturing me because I keep buying pen packs and we already have a ton. Now I need to test out some of the ones you mentioned. ;)
Jewelle says
I’m just getting ready to start Project Life so this information was very helpful, thank you!
Kata says
Nice review of pens! I really like the Hi-Tec-C for writing and drawing since it comes in so many colours!
MrDisco says
cool post. i’m a JetPens addict as well and just got 2 shipments of pens from them (though I had to resort to ebay to get the Zebra Laflleche as they’re now discontinued from their site). The Signo is a favourite of mine as well.
Cassi says
I too, am a lover of pens! Thanks for this great article. I really want to try those Sharpie and Energel pens now.
Judy says
I am a Project Lifer. I have used a Sharpie pen for the last two years in my PL book. I just tossed the pen I used in 2011 and started with a fresh new one. Love it. I have a love/hate relationship with most Gelly pens. They work great for a while and then stop flowing. Ugh! I also like the Pilot G-207. Have you tried that one? Love to win!
Christi says
Wow Christine! Awesome review. I am so glad I am not the only one who loves pens. (I love pencils too!) I’ve never purchased from Jetpens before but I just browsed their site and OMG I am in love. Have you seen those cute erasers? Love! I think it is super cool they offered a GC to their store as a giveaway.
Angie says
I love the sharpie pens! And I’m looking for something new for my PL…I’ve used the same ones for the last 2 years. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Alissa H. says
What a fun pen review! Thanks for letting us see them all. I love a good pen.
jeannie says
I’d love to try these new pens!! thanks for the chance to win.. Love you website, always!!
Jennifer says
I am still looking for the perfect pen! I will check out this site for sure.
Kim sackett says
Love your review and information!
Marci Mayberry says
I have had an obsession with pencils and pens since I was a little girl. Thanks for the chance to win some fun stuff!
windgefluester says
wow thank you for the article and the chance to win. I have starten now with paper scrapbooking and i really need some good pens :)
Tracey says
What a great article! Thanks so much for the comparison photos…tremendously helpful!
Keely says
Loved this post. I’m a pen hoarder with a never ending “want to try” list.
Mari says
Oh, thanks for the chance! I would love some new pens.
skylog says
nice post! oh, the wonders of jet pens. i think it is so hard to say which may be one’s favorite pen as i think it is such a personal choice…not to mention which pen for which task. personally, i have been a huge fan of the .4 hi-tecs for more detailed needs, but it is hard to beat the .5 or .7 jet streams (basic series). recently, i have been using (and loving) both the .5 and the .7 zebra surari. you should try them out if you have yet to do so!
i should note i have only used the black versions of the above pens.
Carmen K says
I LOVE PENS!
My favorite are the Stabilo Point 88 and Stabilo Point Visco. They are GREAT! They are a German company and expensive to get in America. When I went to Europe last summer I brought home 30 packs of the Point 88. I gave them to lots of people and everyone LOVES them. I always look for them in the US but they are hard to find. You NEED to try them. When I got my packs of the 88 they gave a free one of the point Visco. I wish I would have gotten more. I LOVE these as well! I guess I need to go back to Europe!
Michelle says
I love pens!! Thanks for this great post. I was never completely sure that Sharpie pens are acid free, so thanks for that info.
Colleen S. says
I loooooooove pens!! This is an awesome round-up Christine, thanks so much!!
Nicky H says
I love Sharpie pens right now, but I did NOT know they came in so many colors! And I didn’t know they were acid free. Bonus! My all-time favorite pens are blue Uni Jetstream pens, with the clicky top (not the lid). LOVE that pen.
Christa says
This is a fabulous post and something I have recently started to explore.. as a matter of fact went to AC Moore yesterday and bought a book on scrapbook lettering bought some more pens and some pencils Bought some Faber Castell Pitt black pens to try out.. I have always been a pen and paper horder!! What a great opportunity here.. thanks for the opportunity of a great giveaway.. going to check out some of those pens you mentioned.. one can never have enough I say!!
Michelle Huegel says
Thanks for the heads-up about Jetpens! will definitely check them out! I LOVE pens!
lmjrocko says
I love Sharpie Pens! I use them for everything.
Rona says
I could always use some pens!!! With 4 kiddos, somehow any and all pens are taken from my desk!
Susan Culhane says
I use Sharpie pens all the time but did not realize I could use this style to journal for Project Life. Very fun!
Felecia says
Great post! Love that you show the stroke of all the pens. Thanks for the great info, I’m always in the market for a great pen.
Cheryl says
Thank you for sharing all this great info! I love modern technology but am still very attached to writing things down. And when I journal, I do so with pen in one of my special journals (depending on the mood). I, too, am very picky about my pen. lol It’s good to know I’m not alone! HA.
Erin says
Ooh, I love pens. LOVE pens. Another good one is the Pilot recycled bottle ones. B2P I think it is? I hope I win!
Kathleen D says
Wow what a great review! Thanks for educating us about pens.
Marty Ward says
I really enjoyed this post, and your reviews and pen descriptions…..thanks so much
Darlene says
What an awesome review of these pens! I love that you showed each color and that you included the comparison of black pens. I’ve been avoiding those Sharpie pens because I assumed they smell like the original Sharpies (which give me a headache). I’m so thrilled that they don’t smell! And that they come in all those colors. I will definitely be using them for Project Life.
Deb M says
This is a great pen review! Thanks!
chelsey says
Loved this entry! I really want to check out the pens and handwriting link you posted!
Monika Wright says
I have several of the same pens you reviewed and there are way too many that I now want to try out…maybe with the gift certificate to JetPens? I agree, they ARE a great place to shop!
Melissa Rhodes says
I would love to try them out. My kids have gotten into my pen stash. They have used them and abused them. Thanks for the chance to win!
Hejay says
I can’t wait to check these out for myself!
Maryann Vander Heyden says
Pens and Markers are my obession… I just love them… The more the better…
Ronda Thomson says
I love pens, our daughters love pens and GD love pens awesome post great to see the examples thanks
Lori Harach says
Fabulous pens! Would love to give them a try.
Kathleen says
The choice of pens makes such a huge difference in the look of my handwriting. Seems odd but is so true.
Rúbia says
Thanks for the chance, Christine and girls! I hope this can be used for brazilians because I’m feeling lucky! lol
Debra says
I couldn’t wait for your blog post to be up! I love the Pentel EnerGel ones you showed, and of course those Sharpie fine tip pens! I can’t wait to try some of the others! I’ll have to go take a look at JetPens. I really like that you can buy some colors individually!!
Tammy says
Ohhh I love pens! and pins! what a great post!
Mary says
What a great review! Thank you! Off to the office supply!!
Lynn says
Thanks for the info and the sample cards. Great post!
JaneAnn says
Thank you very much for this pen comparison! Very Very helpful.
Theresa DuBois says
I admit, I also have a fetish when it comes to pens. In fact, I carry around a pouch in my purse containing 12 colored Pilot G-2 pens. I carry these pens everywhere I go. If they made more colors, I’d probably buy a bigger pouch and carry them along too. Funny thing is that I don’t carry any paper to write on. LOL!!!
Cindy Keeler says
THANKS for the great post!! and for a chance to try a few ;)
StaceyL says
I have always had a secret love of school supplies, especially pencils and pens. So this post just further shows that there should be a support group for those of us who LOVE supplies like this:) I was unaware I could use Sharpies . . .handy piece of info.
Amelia says
I love pens! Thank you for all the tips!
Heather says
Great roundup, Christine! Thanks so much for showing the differences with the pens! I have to admit, I’m a bit of a “collector” of pens. :)
Lauri Lyttle says
Excellent breakdown of popular pens! I use the Sharpie’s at work. I am a bookkeeper and they are fantastic for some of the handwritten work I do everyday. I just love them, they write smoothly and don’t bleed through the paper. The fine tips also make my numbers show very clearly which is important when I’m working from the handwritten work orders to run invoices.
Jen L says
oh, do I love pens. Now I am looking for pens that help my daughter write. So I will definitely be looking at that article. We went through nearly every pen in the house looking for one that was smooth for her to write her name on her valentines. She found the perfect one and her valentines came out really nice, well for a 5 year old. ;0)
rach m says
I am SOOO obsessed with pens, markers, cute pencils, etc! my husband always gives me the ‘eye’ when i come home with more! but i cannot help it! this post is wonderful!
Vicky says
I love pens,markers,stickers,erasers, you name it!I have a huge collection.Thanks for the chance to win!
bre says
So cool. I love pens and pencils. Thanks for the chance.
Kriste says
I LOVE pens and would love to have been there when you testes them all!!! What girl doesn’t need 20+ pens in her purse?
Angela L says
I, also, am a pen and journal-writing fiend! My fave is actually those little cheepie Bic pens because you don’t feel bad when you lose one. For expensive pens (comparitively speaking), I’m a Pilot V5 gal.
Deb K says
I am totally obsessed with pens!!! Would love to feed my addiction! ;)
Anne Q says
oooh thanks for the chance… I can always use more pens!!!
KR says
I LOVE the Sakura Glaze pen! It is so rich and shiny. Great post! Thanks!