The Complete Highlighter Pen Buyer's Guide to 2023

What is a Highlighter?

A highlighter is a writing tool that you can use to mark or highlight important texts in your documents. It is usually water-based and fluorescent, making the marked text stand out on the page.

Highlighter Pen Features

Highlighters are a great choice to improve your study and note-taking activities! It helps you be more organized and identify the essential reference point in notes, books, etc.

Students often use this for reviewers as it helps draw attention to the keywords needed for memorization and helps summarize long texts. Furthermore, highlighters are also used in creative and artistic settings, such as scrapbooking, as they can add a pop of color and highlight some aspects of a page.

Explore Highlighters

9 Most Popular Types of Highlighters

1. Gel Highlighters

The distinct characteristic of a gel highlighter pen is that it uses solid gel instead of water-based ink, which can be found on traditional highlighters.

The gel ink is thick, smoother, and more opaque than usual. This makes them ideal for highlighting text on darker or colored paper.

Standard features of this type are no-bleeding through a page, it won't smear easily, and it has a retractable tip that can prevent the ink from drying out and the tip from being damaged.

2. Pastel Highlighter Pens

What sets this apart from other highlighters is the unique, soft, and translucent ink that creates a delicate and subtle highlighting effect – contrary to traditional highlighters' bold and opaque ink.

This allows the text underneath to show through, creating a subtle and attractive contrast.

Pastel highlighters come in various colors, including light pinks, blues, greens, yellows, and more.

3. Glitter Highlighters

Shiny and sparkly – these are the common characteristics of glitter highlighters. You will notice the glitter particles when you glide the pen on the paper.

This adds a playful and unique touch to any project. You can use this for decorative purposes like scrapbooking, journaling, or simply on your notes.

Available in various colors that can be translucent and opaque.

4. Jumbo Highlighter Pen

These are highlighters that are larger than the standard ones. A few characteristics of these highlighters are a larger barrel and a wider chisel tip. These features make it easy for the users to hold, which is a broader highlighting surface.

On average, the size can range from 6 to 7 inches. The larger size also means they last longer, containing more ink than regular highlighters.

It is used in large-scale projects, for marking important information in big books, and for people with grip difficulties.

5. Multi Coloured Highlighters

These highlighters are highly versatile. It is described as a single highlighter pen with different colours.

To use this, you can switch or use 5 colours at once. This makes the highlighting experience easier, saving time since users no longer need to switch markers.

6. Erasable Highlighter Pen

You may have highlighted the wrong texts! With that, erasable highlighters are the perfect highlighter for you!

You can quickly correct your highlights with this highlighter with a marker on one end and an eraser on the other. This type uses a water-soluble pigment that you can erase.

At the same time, the raw materials for the erasers are solvent eraser tips. The special eraser can easily correct your highlight without damaging the paper.

7. Mini Highlighters

Opposite to jumbo highlighters, mini pocket highlighters are smaller than the standard size. Its design is portable and ideal as an on-the-go highlighter that you can easily slip into your pocket or pencil case.

Its size is usually half the size of a jumbo highlighter which is 3-4 inches only.

8. Pen and Highlighter Combo

This is one of the types that showcases portability – a combination of a ballpoint pen and a highlighter on the other end. With this, you can easily switch between writing and highlighting.

The pen end typically has a solid ink colour for writing notes. In contrast, the highlighter end typically has transparent, fluorescent ink to emphasize important information.

9. Eco-friendly Highlighters

Designed to have a minimal impact on the environment, eco-friendly highlighters are the best alternative to regular highlighters, made from non-renewable materials and contain chemicals that can harm the environment.

Top Picks of the Best Highlighter Brands

1. Sharpie Accent

Sharpie Accent is one of the most popular highlighter pen brands. It features a versatile chisel tip that you can use to create broad or fine strokes, which is excellent for general highlighting and underlining.

The ink is also famous for its fast drying and resistance to smudging and bleeding features, ensuring every highlight stays bright and bold.

Source: sharpie.com

2. BIC Brite Liner Highlighters

This budget-friendly option comes in a pack containing bright colors like yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange. It is popular because of its slim, comfortable barrel and provides a secure grip.

At the same time, the chisel tip allows for two different line widths, making it easy to highlight large and small sections of text.

Source: bic.com

3. Zebra Mildliners

Going for a highlighter with soft, pastel colored ink? Get this! Like any other paster highlighter, the ink is mild so that it won't bleed through most paper.

The main feature is its double-sided chisel tip that allows for broad or fine strokes. Not only is it aesthetic, but it is also eco-friendly, guaranteed that it is made with recycled materials and is refillable, making them a sustainable choice for eco-conscious users.

Source: zebrapen.com

4. Pilot Frixion Highlighter Marker

As mentioned in the different types of highlighters, erasable highlighters exist! This brand is best if you want a highlighter and an eraser in one comb.

You can conveniently correct your highlights with its eraser tip and water-soluble ink, leaving no residue. The ink is also water-resistant and fast-drying, ensuring your highlights stay put.

Source: pilotpen.eu

5. Stabilo Boss Original Highlighters

These are among the world's most well-known and widely used highlighter brands. They have a distinctive flat pocket clip and a comfortable grip zone, making them easy to hold and use.

This is also known for its wide range of colors, including nine bright neon shades and fourteen subtle pastel colors.

The highlighters have a long cap-off period, so the highlighter won't dry out immediately if you leave the cap off.

Source: stabilo.com

6. Interwell Highlighters

Interwell is a vetted highlighter pen supplier behind worldwide stationery brands.

This brand features various highlighter options at factory price direct for bulk custom orders. It can come in bright, fluorescent colors, or it can also be in pastel, neon hues. The ink used is a water-based ink that is quick-drying and smudge-proof.

Interwell highlighters are available in various tip styles, including chisel, bullet, and fine point. They can be customized in any design allowing users to choose the best style for their specific highlighting needs.

Customize Your Highlighters

The Common Colors for Highlighters

Yellow

This is the most classic highlighter color - the first color invented for highlighters.

Pink

This soft and playful color highlights notes and ideas in a creative or personal setting.

Green

A fresh and vibrant color that is great for underlining or circling important information in a document.

Orange

Orange highlighters are a bold and eye-catching color that is great for marking important points in a text.

Blue

Soothing and professional - these are the main characteristic of this color. Use it if you want a calm and relaxing tone on your notes.

Purple

Like green, this is also a darker tone, vibrant and playful color.

The Types of Highlighter Tips

Chisel Tip: This type is wide and flat. It is versatile as it can allow broad strokes for larger areas or fine lines for precise highlighting.

Fine Tip: This is thin and precise, unlike the chisel tip. It is best for underlining small texts or even encircling them.

Bullet Tip: Characterize as a rounded and firm tip. It can create bold, defined lines for maximum impact.

Brush Tip: Using this can create a blended effect. It is similar to a brush, and you can control the darkness or lightness of your highlight.

Check Before You Buy: How to Choose the Best Highlighter?

Ink Quality

Choose a highlighter with quick-drying ink, smudge-proof and fading-resistant. This guarantees that your highlights will remain visible and legible, even over time. Besides, it should glide smoothly on paper.

Tip Style

Highlighters come in different tip styles, including chisel, bullet, and fine point. Chisel tips are for broad, sweeping strokes. Bullet tips are best if you want a precise, fine line, while fine tips are perfect for detailed work, and super-fine tips are perfect for underlining.

Comfort

Choose a highlighter that gives you a comfortable grip and does not cause discomfort or strain during use.

Affordability

Highlighters should always be within your budget. An affordable highlighter helps keep costs down while still providing a quality product.