Best Journaling Supplies Under $20: 8 Picks for Planners

Eight journaling supplies on one line, each labeled with its job: Micron, Mildliner, Fudenosuke, washi tape, Dot Liner, habit stamp, MONO Zero and dot stickers — One pick per job, each under $20; drawn in proportion.

Products compared

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Sakura Pigma Micron Pen (sizes 003–12)Sakura	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per item
Zebra Mildliner double-ended highlighter (WKT7)Zebra	Japan	Japan or Mexico (varies by pack)^*	Price range: $under $5 per item
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (hard and soft tip)Tombow	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per item
mt masking tape (washi tape), mt basic 1P, 15 mm single rollmt	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per item
KOKUYO Dot Liner standard tape glue (Ta-DM400-08N)KOKUYO	Japan	Thailand^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Midori Paintable Stamp Pre-Inked, Habit Tracker (35392006)Midori	Japan	Not stated^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Tombow MONO Zero eraser, round 2.3 mm tip (57305)Tombow	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item
Hobonichi TSUKI no IRO Transparent Dot Stickers (3.5 mm, 6 mm, 15 mm)Hobonichi	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $$$5–20 per item

Notes on these facts

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen (sizes 003–12): Made by Sakura Color Products Corporation (Osaka); sold in the US by Sakura of America. Made in Japan: Unsharpen gives Japan as the country of origin (read October 20, 2026). Sakura's Japanese product page for the Pigma 01 doesn't state a country. Digitec and Galaxus (Switzerland), cited earlier for Japan, blocked our access on that date. Source. Released: Sakura's Japanese Pigma page says it developed Pigma, the first water-based pigment marker, in 1982; Wikipedia agrees. We found no separate Sakura date for the Micron name.
Zebra Mildliner double-ended highlighter (WKT7): Made by Zebra Co., Ltd. (Tokyo); sold in the US by Zebra Pen Corporation. Made in Japan or Mexico (varies by pack): Hamster (Canada) lists Japan for the 5-pack MPN 78205, and Japanese-market retailers sell the WKT7 as made in Japan. Nordisco lists Mexico for the US 10-pack, item 78101, and Boston General Store lists a single Mildliner as made in Mexico. Zebra's Japanese product page doesn't state a country of manufacture, so check the pack. Source. Released: Launch year in Japan, per Zebra's company history and press releases (2009 launch, 15th anniversary in 2024).
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (hard and soft tip): Made by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo); sold in the US by Tombow USA. Made in Japan: LarryPOST (Australia) lists the navy-body black hard tip as made in Japan. Tombow's Japanese, US and European pages don't state a country, and we found no origin for the soft tip (WS-BS 150), so check the pack. Source. Released: Tombow Japan's 2018 press release says the black Fudenosuke went on sale in Japan in 2001 and in Europe and the US from 2015; the 10-color hard-tip range launched in October 2018.
mt masking tape (washi tape), mt basic 1P, 15 mm single roll: Made by Kamoi Kakoshi Co., Ltd. (Kurashiki, Okayama). Made in Japan: Kamoi Kakoshi's company page describes its head-office factory in Kurashiki and a second factory in Yakage, Okayama, shipping mt from Japan to the world. Maruzen Junkudo's listings for mt basic 1P rolls give 原産国 (country of origin) Japan, and Jenni Bick, Hunter Paper Co. and Tacto Studio say made in Japan. Source. Released: Kamoi Kakoshi's company history dates mt's launch to February–March 2008.
KOKUYO Dot Liner standard tape glue (Ta-DM400-08N): Made by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.. Made in Thailand: KOKUYO Store lists Thailand for an 8.4 mm × 16 m refill pack, and Simple Paper lists Thailand for its Dot Liner glue tape. We didn't find the origin stated for the Ta-DM400-08N body itself. Source.
Midori Paintable Stamp Pre-Inked, Habit Tracker (35392006): Made by Designphil Inc. (Tokyo). Country of manufacture not stated: Midori's Japanese online store doesn't state a country of origin on the Habit Tracker page (35392006). It gives MADE IN CHINA for several Half Size Paintable Stamps, but that isn't a statement about this stamp, so check the pack. Source. Released: Designphil's press release dates the launch of the pre-inked Paintable Stamp range, 20 designs including the Habit Tracker, to June 25, 2020.
Tombow MONO Zero eraser, round 2.3 mm tip (57305): Made by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd.. Made in Japan: STL Art Supply says the MONO Zero 2.3 mm eraser is made in Japan, and Officeworks in Australia lists Japan as the country of manufacture for its black round MONO Zero. Tombow's Japanese page doesn't state a country, and we found no reliable origin for the ER-KUR refills. Source.
Hobonichi TSUKI no IRO Transparent Dot Stickers (3.5 mm, 6 mm, 15 mm): Made by Hobonichi Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Made in Japan: Luiban gives Japan as the country of origin for the 6 mm set. Hobonichi's Japanese and English store pages don't state a country of manufacture. Source.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

The Sakura Pigma Micron 01 writes a 0.25 mm line, and its archival pigment ink is sold as waterproof and fade resistant.
The Zebra Mildliner has a 4.0 mm chisel and a 1.0–1.4 mm bullet tip on one pen; Zebra says the range reached 40 colors in January 2025.
A basic mt washi tape roll is 15 mm wide; current Japanese single rolls hold 7 m (23 ft).
The KOKUYO Dot Liner holds 8.4 mm × 16 m (52 ft) of dotted tape glue and takes refills.
Hobonichi's 3.5 mm transparent dot stickers fit inside one 3.7 mm square of the Hobonichi Techo grid; a set holds 576.

What are the best journaling supplies under $20?

A fine black pen, a muted highlighter, a brush pen, a roll of washi tape, dot glue, a habit stamp, a precision eraser and a sheet of dot stickers, each under $20. All eight are in our $ (under $5) or $$ ($5–20) bands. There’s no single #1, because it’s a kit; buy the Micron first, since almost every other supply goes on top of a black line.

Writing: Sakura Pigma Micron. Why it’s here: archival pigment ink that Sakura says is waterproof once dry, so Mildliners and the Fudenosuke won’t smear it; the 01 writes a 0.25 mm line.
Color: Zebra Mildliner. Why it’s here: 40 muted colors with a chisel and a bullet tip, so one pen both highlights and writes.
Headers: Tombow Fudenosuke. Why it’s here: a small brush pen for the headers a fineliner can’t do; the hard tip is the easy one to learn on.
Decorating: mt washi tape. Why it’s here: 15 mm rolls that tear by hand and peel off without residue, per mt, the quickest way to frame a page.
Gluing: KOKUYO Dot Liner. Why it’s here: the kit’s only way to stick paper in, a refillable dot tape glue for photos, tickets and receipts.
Tracking: Midori Paintable Stamp Habit Tracker. Why it’s here: it prints a month of habit boxes in one press, instead of ruling a tracker by hand.
Erasing: Tombow MONO Zero. Why it’s here: its 2.3 mm tip lifts one sketched pencil letter without touching the lines around it.
Marking: Hobonichi dot stickers. Why it’s here: tinted clear dots in three sizes for dates and to-dos; the 3.5 mm dots fit inside one grid square.

How did we choose these picks?

We compiled these picks from published sources, not hands-on testing: makers’ specs and claims from our single-product guides, US availability and price band. Each pick had to sit in our $ or $$ band and do one journaling job well, from writing and color to gluing and tracking.

How do these supplies compare?

Four are pens and tools you’ll use daily; four are add-ons for layouts.

Supply	Job	Key size	Japan list price	Band
Pigma Micron 01	Writing	0.25 mm line	¥220 (about US$1.40)	$
Zebra Mildliner	Color	4.0 mm chisel · 1.0–1.4 mm bullet	¥132 (about US$0.80)	$
Tombow Fudenosuke	Headers	142 mm (5.6 in) pen	¥165 (about US$1.00)	$
mt washi tape	Decorating	15 mm × 7 m (0.6 in × 23 ft)	Not used here	$
KOKUYO Dot Liner	Gluing	8.4 mm × 16 m (0.33 in × 52 ft)	¥510 (about US$3.20) before tax	$$
Midori habit stamp	Tracking	61 × 61 mm (2.4 in)	¥1,078 (about US$6.80)	$$
Tombow MONO Zero	Erasing	2.3 mm tip	¥495 (about US$3.10)	$$
Hobonichi dot stickers	Marking	3.5 · 6 · 15 mm dots	¥440 (about US$2.80)	$$

Japanese list prices are the makers’ own; US prices are higher, so we give the US band.

Mark widths drawn to scale at 1 mm = 5 px: Micron 01 line 0.25 mm, Mildliner bullet 1.0–1.4 mm and chisel 4.0 mm, Dot Liner tape 8.4 mm, mt washi tape 15 mm, and Hobonichi dots of 3.5, 6 and 15 mm — The mark each supply makes, side by side at one scale.

Which pen should you buy first?

The Pigma Micron, because almost every other supply here goes on top of a black line. Sakura says the pigment ink is waterproof and fade resistant once dry, so Mildliners and the Fudenosuke won’t smear it.

Pick the 01 for writing and the 005 for planner boxes.

What makes a layout look finished?

Tape, a stamp and a few stickers do more than any pen. A strip of 15 mm mt tape frames a page, the Midori stamp prints a month of habit boxes in one press, and Hobonichi’s 3.5 mm dots fit inside one square of a 3.7 mm grid.

Midori says the stamp’s oil-based black ink lets you color in with water-based markers without bleeding, and that it prints about 1,000 times. For bigger sticker sheets and more tape, see our best stickers and washi tape.

Which tools fix mistakes and hold things in?

The MONO Zero for erasing pencil guidelines and the Dot Liner for gluing in paper. Tombow says each click advances the MONO Zero less than 1 mm, so it lifts one sketched letter without touching the next.

The Dot Liner lays adhesive as dots, so the tape cuts cleanly when you lift it; KOKUYO says the series passed 200 million units shipped in June 2025. Our bullet journal starter guide shows where each tool fits.

Where are these supplies made?

Six are listed as made in Japan; the Dot Liner tape is made in Thailand and the Midori stamp’s origin isn’t stated. Several US Mildliner 10-packs say Mexico, so check the pack.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to start journaling?

A notebook, one black pen and one color. A Pigma Micron 01 and a Mildliner in a muted shade cover writing and highlighting; tape, stamps and stickers can come later.

Do Mildliners bleed through journal paper?

They can on thin paper. Zebra fills them with water-based pigment ink; test on the back page of your notebook and use the 1.0–1.4 mm bullet tip for lighter coverage.

Can you write on washi tape?

Usually, because mt tape is washi paper. We haven't tested which inks dry fastest on it, so try your pen on a scrap strip first, and let gel ink dry before closing the page.

Which Micron size is best for journaling?

The 01 (0.25 mm line) for everyday writing and the 005 (0.20 mm) for small planner boxes. Sakura makes ten black sizes, from 003 (0.15 mm) to 12 (0.70 mm).

Is the Fudenosuke hard or soft tip better for beginners?

The hard tip. Its firm elastomer tip is easier to control for small lettering; the US 2-pack, item 62038, includes one of each so you can try both.

Will the Midori habit stamp fit my planner?

It prints a month-long grid on a stamp body of 61 × 61 mm, which Midori sizes for a 70 mm square sticky note. At 61 mm wide it also fits a 105 mm wide A6 page.

How do you stick photos into a journal without bumps?

Use a dot tape glue such as the KOKUYO Dot Liner. Its adhesive is laid in rows of tiny dots, so the strip cuts cleanly and sits flat under a photo or ticket.

Sources (8)

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