Pastel highlighters make it easy to draw attention to important concepts without being overwhelmingly bright. In this guide, we go over our favorite pastel highlighters that add calming colors to your notes and print-outs.
We picked a handful of colors for each recommendation and used them in the writing samples below. These colors have lighter hues in comparison to typical highlighters. Our picks may come in other colors, some of which are more saturated.
Its flat, rectangular body won’t roll away, and its large size means it has an impressive ink reservoir. Since it comes in sets of four or six, you don’t need to pick out your own complementing colors.
Like other writing instruments in the FriXion lineup, they’re “erasable” with heat. By rubbing the highlighter ink with the rubber “eraser” on the back of the barrel, you can remove any mistakes. We’ve found that rubbing highlighted sections doesn’t lighten the printed text, but the paper can become discolored or wrinkle.
Students who are constantly highlighting thick textbooks should consider using the Pentel Fitline. Its chisel tip is flexible, so it stays flush with curved pages. It also has a bullet tip on the other end.
Mildliners are also available as double-sided brush pens and single-sided Mix highlighters. If you want to add a fun twist, try dipping them into Mildliner no Moto Ink Bottles.
Perhaps the Mildliner’s only flaw is that it smears most inks. We recommend pairing it with ballpoint pens or using it on laser-printed documents. You can also read our guide to see what pens work well with it.
The Stabilo Boss Original is also available in a ton of pastel colors, including nature-inspired hues. It has a chunky, flat body that’s comfortable to hold, and it won’t roll away from you, either. Like the Mildliner, these highlighters smeared gel ink, fountain pen ink, and inkjet-printed documents.
Unfortunately, the PastelLiner’s cap doesn’t post on the back of the barrel, so be sure to keep it in a safe place.
The double-sided highlighters have two chisel tips with contrasting colors. The inks are lighter than other pastel highlighters and don’t smear pen inks or graphite. The thin, flat bodies are comfortable to hold and won’t roll away if you set them down.
If you prefer contrasting colors, try Kokuyo Beetle Tip Dual Color Highlighters. They use the same tips as the Mark+.
Like the Kokuyo Mark+, the Sun-Star Ninipie has two tips on the same end—but one of them is a fineliner! You can highlight and take notes without needing to reach for a separate writing instrument and losing your train of thought.
The Monami Essenti Twin Highlighter has two chisel tips, one of which is only 2 mm wide and works well for highlighting marginal notes. Of course, it also has a wider 4 mm tip on the other end for larger text.
We also like Writech Retractable Highlighters. They use bleed- and smear-resistant inks, and the spring-loaded clips are easy to slip over notebook covers.
We tested each highlighter for dry time and showthrough. We used a yellow color, and if it wasn’t available, we used a similar hue (such as orange). Showthrough is when the shadow of the ink is visible on the back of a sheet. We didn’t experience bleedthrough—when the ink seeps through the paper—with any of our highlighters, but there may be bleedthrough on more absorbent papers.
For our tests, we used 75 gsm Kokuyo Campus Sarasara. This loose leaf paper is like a higher quality version of the filler paper you can find at office supply stores. It’s more resistant to showthrough and bleedthrough. Inks will take a little longer to dry on it, though.
Some highlighters can smear writing instruments. We always recommend using oil-based ballpoint pens because their inks are very unlikely to react to water-based highlighters.
However, if you prefer other writing instruments, we tested our highlighter recommendations with different inks on 75 gsm Kokuyo Campus Sarasara Loose Leaf Paper. Inks take longer to dry on this paper than on standard copy or filler paper, but not as long as other fountain pen friendly papers. Inks are less likely to smear when they’re allowed to dry, and we let each ink dry for five minutes before highlighting.
We used the following writing instruments for our tests. Other pens, inks, and papers may react differently.
For each test, we used a yellow color, and if it wasn’t available, we used a similar hue (such as orange). Other highlighter colors may affect inks differently.
Pastel highlighters call attention to important information without being distracting. What’s your favorite pastel highlighter? Let us know in the comments below.
Product | Tip Types | Shop Now | |
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Epoch Kobaru Sweet Tapir Scented Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Kokuyo Mark+ Dual Tone Highlighters | Dual Chisel | Shop Now |
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Marvy PastelLiner Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Monami Essenti Twin Highlighters | 4 mm Chisel / 2 mm Chisel | Shop Now |
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Morris Justclick Pastel Retractable Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Pentel Fitline Double-Sided Highlighters | Chisel / Bullet | Shop Now |
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Pilot FriXion Light Erasable Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Stabilo Boss Original Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Staedtler Textsurfer Classic Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Staedtler Triplus Textsurfers | Flexible Bullet | Shop Now |
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Sun-Star Ninipie Dual Tip Highlighters | Chisel / Fineliner | Shop Now |
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Uni Propus Window Soft Color Double-Sided Highlighters | Chisel / Fineliner | Shop Now |
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Writech Retractable Highlighters | Chisel | Shop Now |
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Zebra Mildliner Highlighters | Chisel / Bullet | Shop Now |