5 Best Pens for Moleskine Notebooks, Journals and Bullet Journals

In this guide, we’re looking at the best pens for Moleskine notebooks. If you’ve treated yourself to a nice notebook, either for journalling, sketching or any other use, it’s worth using a worthy pen.

Your pen needs to be good enough to look great, and not let you down while you write, draw or scribble. On top of that, you want to tackle one of the biggest issues that you may achieve when journaling; bleed.

Use certain types of pen and ink, or choose the wrong pen for your Moleskine, might ruin the whole notebook. If you’re anything like me, the idea of having to rip out a sheet of your beautiful notebook will bring on cold sweats. So, whether you have a standard Moleskine notebook, or a Moleskine journal like a Bullet Journal, the pens in this guide can help.

Choosing a Pen For Your Moleskine

It’s not just a case of finding any old pen you have laying around and starting to write. this is especially the case if you want to keep your Moleskine notebook for years to come, and be able to read it back.

Avoiding Bleed

Moleskine notebooks are good quality, and the paper is great. However, it is not as heavyweight as some other models. The very best notebooks you can buy usually contain paper that is 90 gsm or 100 gsm (grams per meter).

The makers of Moleskine notebooks don’t publish the gsm. It’s probably around 70-80 though. This means that some fountain pens and bigger rollerball pens might cause some bleed or feathering, impacting other pages of your notebook.

All of the pens on our list keep this in mind, and used correctly, shouldn’t bleed through.

Features of Pens for Moleskine

What are you looking for when buying pens for Moleskine paper journals and notebooks?

You probably want something that dries pretty quickly. However, there are plenty of people who find that gel pens and fountain pens do a great job.

Ink should ideally be acid-free, and provide quality so that it can last years. One of the best things about Moleskine notebooks is the fact you can keep them for years or even decades. You want the ink to stand up to the task.

You should also opt for a thin nib. 0.5mm and below are generally the sizes we stick to.

So, the best Moleskine pens tend to be:

• Quick-drying.
• Long-lasting, but without bleeding onto other pages.
• Not overly sharp. Sharp pens can tear through the paper and cause feathering on the overleaf.

Moleskine Pen Reviews

On to our pen reviews, and the top pens we’ve experienced when creating our list.

Cross Townsend Lustrous Chrome Ballpoint Pen – High-End Pen

If you are looking for a classy, high-end pen that can come with you to meetings and last you a lifetime, the Cross Townsend Lustrous Chrome pen is of exceptional quality.

It’s a lifetime mechanical pen so you can replace the insides and allow you to replace the ink and keep the pen for a lifetime.

The 1930’s art deco design is classy and distinguished. This makes a great gift, especially when you pair it with a Moleskine or other notebook.

To ensure that you have a pen that won’t bleed through, choose a slim nib. You can choose between Ballpoint, Fountain, and Rollerball styles so that your pen can be a classy accomplice for life, no matter what you are drawing or writing on.

Uni-ball Signo Um-151 Gel Ink Pen – Best Gel Pens for Moleskine

If you are looking for quick-drying gel pens then Uni-ball Signo pens are ideal. These Japanese pens are good for journaling as well as art, and taking notes.

The Signo Um-151 pens come with a 0.38mm tip which is perfect for the paper in your notebook. They do have something of a “scratchy” and rough feel that divides opinion. You’ll either love it or hate it, but within 10 minutes of use, you will probably be used to it.

The ink flows quite quickly. This can mean going through the pens a little quicker than some other models. That said, they’re usually sold in very affordable 10-packs of black pens. They’re great for signatures, highlighting, and any other use.

The most important thing is that they dry quickly, with very little bleed and no smudging. The ideal choice.

PILOT Precise V5 – Best Rollerball

This Pilot V5 is one of the bestselling roller balling pens on the market. The V5 feels fantastic to write with.

The ink formula used by Pilot gives an incredible flow and the rollerball means it is smooth, with no skips on the writing. We don’t know how they do it, but Pilot creates a smooth rollerball, and they feel fantastic for art, signatures, and drawing.

We don’t need to tell you about the quality that Pilot offers. They’ve been making pens for over 100 years. They have some great gel pens too, which dry quickly.

The rollerball pens are good value for money, and they don’t cause any bleed or feathering. According to the manufacturer “rubber grip with traction pockets and airplane safe system to prevent leaks”.

You can buy in sets of 2, 4, 8, 12 or 14. The more you buy, the more you tend to save.

Writech Retractable Gel Pens Quick-Dry Ink – Best Colored Pens for Moleskine Notebooks

Colored pens are fantastic for journaling and art. They can also allow you to highlight in your notebook.

This 10 pack provides 10 classic and vintage tones. They’re great for a variety of different organizers and journals.

On top of this, the Writech gel pens fit our criteria of being quick-drying along with a 0.5mm nib and bullet for smooth and continuous ink flow. Many people use these gel pens for art due to the quick-drying and the fact they don’t smudge.

The ergonomic grip feels good, and the retracting tip helps to prevent loss and keep your pen in good condition.

The manufacturers also provide a guarantee, so they’ll repair or replace if you aren’t satisfied. combine these with some black gel pens and you have a great start to your journaling or note-taking in Moleskine books.

BIC Cristal Xtra Smooth Ballpoint Pen – Cheap Option

Not everyone who is looking for a pen for their Moleskine notebook wants to spend a lot. Bic pens are great for those on a budget. The Cristal Xtra Smooth ballpoint pens are reliable, without being anything to write home about (pun intended).

These have a 1.0mm nib which might be a bit bigger than ideal for Moleskine, especially if you are doing intricate art or journaling. However, they won’t bleed through or leave any feathering on the paper, so you don’t need to worry about what will happen to your gorgeous new Moleskine. You can also see how much ink supply you have left.

You know what you’re going to get if you buy Bic. Decent quality, but disposable, at a budget-friendly price tag.

Conclusion

As long as you follow a few simple guidelines, you can find pens that are reliable for your notebook. Remember that while Moleskine paper is good quality, it is not the thickest or highest gsm paper, so bleed can become an issue if you aren’t careful. A thin nib, with a quick-dry ink, can provide the best pen for use with a Moleskine notebook.

The good news is that all of the options on this list are suitable. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a quality pen, either.