Has everyone purchased their planners for the year yet? Many of you are probably thinking of trying out the trendy bullet journal, adding color to your usually plain planner, or documenting your day with illustrations. However, planners often use very thin paper to make them slim and lightweight. Since you write in your planner every day, you probably want to know which pens won't bleed through! To answer that need, we've thoroughly compared Kuretake's lineup of color pens! We hope you find your favorite one.
Differences between water-based dye, water-based pigment, and oil-based inks
There are three common types of ink for "pens." You probably have an idea that oil-based inks can write on anything, and water-based inks are for writing on paper. However, many people might not be familiar with "dye" and "pigment." Let's look at the differences between these three types of ink.
Water-based dye ink
・Dye (colorant) is dissolved in water (solvent).
・Produces vivid colors with transparency.
・Less likely to become muddy when mixed.
・Often has weaker water and light resistance.
Water-based pigment ink
・Pigment (colorant) is dispersed in water (solvent) (not dissolved).
・Tends to become muddy when mixed.
・Generally has excellent light and water resistance.
Oil-based (dye) ink
・Can be mixed, but prone to bleed-through.
・Relatively good water resistance, but somewhat weak light resistance.
For thin planner paper, water-based dye or pigment pens are more suitable than oil-based inks, which are prone to bleed-through.
About pen shapes
Also, within water-based dye and water-based pigment pens, there are various nibs and pen shapes.
【Brush Pen】
A brush pen is made of bundled bristles, closely resembling the tip of a traditional calligraphy brush, and is ideal for expressing variations in line thickness.
【Soft Brush Pen】
A soft brush pen has a sponge-like nib that comes to a single point. The nib is slightly elastic, making it easy to create variations in line thickness, and it's easy to use even for those unfamiliar with brush pens.
【Hard Nib Pen】
A hard nib pen has a slightly firm tip and can be used like a regular pen, making it recommended for those who are not comfortable with brush pens.
Water-based Dye vs. Water-based Pigment Ink Bleed-Through Comparison
① Paper used for comparison
The paper used for this comparison consists of four common planner types you've likely seen in stores, plus copier paper.
② Pens for comparison
Since oil-based inks are prone to bleed-through, this comparison will only feature water-based dye and water-based pigment inks.
We selected 11 types from Kuretake's extensive lineup of color pens. The lineup is as follows:
(1) ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Main Unit Price: 200 yen (excluding tax)
*Fluorescent colors are water-based pigment inks.
A brush-type color brush pen. Can be used for a wide range of purposes such as illustrations, designs, and comics.
The brush allows for both fine lines and broad strokes!
(2) ZIG Clean Color FB Main Unit Price: 150 yen (excluding tax)
A soft brush pen for easy coloring. Recommended for beginners due to its affordable price. Can be used for manga and illustrations.
(3) ZIG Art & Graphic Twin Main Unit Price: 250 yen (excluding tax)
Recommended for those who want to draw dynamic illustrations with a flexible soft brush. This single pen handles both coloring and line drawing for illustrations. It's a twin-type marker with a soft brush and a 0.8mm fine tip, ideal for design, illustrations, stamping, and card making.
(4) ZIG Art & Graphic Twin RB+F Main unit price: 350 yen (excluding tax)
A twin-type marker with a brush tip and a 0.8mm fine tip, ideal for design, illustrations, sketches, and card making.
It allows for various expressions such as gradients, color mixing, and blurring. The highly responsive brush tip is recommended for more intricate and delicate beautiful works.
(5) ZIG Clean Color f Main Unit Price: 100 yen (excluding tax)
*Fluorescent colors are water-based pigment inks.
This twin-tip marker is perfect for both fine writing and highlighting schedule entries. Its compact size makes it convenient to carry in a pen pouch. With a wide range of colors, you can freely enjoy changing colors for different schedule items or organizing them by your favorite colors.
(6) ZIG Clean Color f Metallic Main Unit Price: 150 yen (excluding tax)
The shimmering metallic colors appear beautifully even on photos and dark paper. The sophisticated metallic shades are eye-catching, making them perfect for adding a highlight to important points.
(7) ZIG Clean Color f Chalk Pastel Main Unit Price: 150 yen (excluding tax)
Gentle colors with a fun, rising chalk texture. They also show up beautifully on dark paper.
(8) ZIG Memory System Wink of Stella Main Unit Price: 150 yen (excluding tax)
A glitter pen that sparkles. Perfect for letters, diaries, planners, scrapbooking, and more... Let the shimmering words decorate your special days.
(9) ZIG Memory System Wink of Stella Brush Main Unit Price: 380 yen (excluding tax)
A color brush pen with plenty of glitter. The glittering letters and illustrations are perfect for decorating notebooks and letters, adding a glamorous touch with a quick swipe. The ink flow can be adjusted by pressing the body of the pen.
(10) ZIG Memory System Wink of Luna Brush Main Unit Price: 450 yen (excluding tax)
A metallic color brush pen that shines beautifully even on dark paper. With a thicker brush tip, it's perfect for writing with varying line weights and coloring illustrations. It's especially useful during the New Year's card and Christmas card season. The ink flow can be adjusted by pressing the body of the pen.
(11) ZIG Memory System Writer Main Unit Price: 200 yen (excluding tax)
This water-based twin-tip marker allows you to switch between broad (1.2mm) and fine (0.5mm) lines with a single pen.
*Results may vary depending on usage environment and writing method.
*Always test on an inconspicuous area of your planner before use.
【Verification Method】
We compared the ink bleed-through to the back of the paper when writing 1 to 5 times over the same spot.
Water-based Dye Pen × Paper
While all pens bled through on copier paper, planner paper, being thin, is likely designed to resist bleed-through. Only Planner B showed slight bleed-through, but for most planners, none of the lines bled through completely. Furthermore, on Planner B, (1) Real Brush, (2) Clean Color FB, and (4) Art & Graphic Twin RB+F showed almost no bleed-through. This difference is primarily due to variations in ink flow. Even with the same water-based dye ink, the amount of ink released differs depending on the pen's structure. The soft brush type (3) Art & Graphic Twin has a higher ink flow, making it perfect for creating watercolor-like gradients and illustrations, but it is prone to bleeding on thin paper. Water-based dye pens allow for free gradients and color mixing. If you want to draw in your planner, for those who prefer authentic brushwork and delicate touches, (1) Real Brush is recommended. For soft brush enthusiasts and illustration beginners, the easy-to-use (2) FB is recommended. (4) Art & Graphic Twin RB+F is a twin-type with a brush tip and a 0.8mm fine tip, so one pen is enough for both writing and illustrating. The brush tip, even more responsive than Real Brush, is a must-try.
Water-based Pigment Pen × Paper
Water-based pigment pens, with the exception of Stella Brush, barely bleed through!
Stella Brush is a glittery brush pen with lamé, but due to the high ink flow, it tends to bleed through. It's a good idea to remember that brush pen types can bleed more easily depending on their mechanism, as some have a high ink flow.
Water-based pigment pens also have the characteristic of being fade-resistant due to their excellent lightfastness. They are also highly water-resistant, making them perfect for planners you want to carry around for everyday use.
Finally...
How was it?
If you want to draw, water-based dye pens like ZIG Clean Color Real Brush or ZIG Clean Color FB seem suitable for planners, while water-based pigment pens are better for writing.
With the start of a new year, why not challenge yourself to create your own wonderful planner this year?
↑I tried decorating navy and black stickers with Clean Color f Metallic. I want to stick one on a day with an exciting plan to make it stand out.
↑Coloring inside an embossed sticker with Stella instantly makes it cute and sparkly.
↑With Real Brush, you can draw delicious-looking curry like this.
The content published in the press release is current as of the announcement date and may differ from the latest information.