What are the best planner supplies for printable planners? As you know, I make printable planners for teens, tweens, and their moms. I love to use my own planner, and I also print out lots of other printables at home. Let me share what I’ve learned are the best planner supplies!

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If you are new to printing out your own printable planners, you are going to need to start with the basics.

If you haven’t chosen which printable planner you want yet, you can print out one of my free printables to get you started. Or if you want more, check out the Nourishing Tweens Etsy shop to purchase a low-cost printable planner.

Paper for Printable Planners

If you are printing printable planners at home, you are going to want to use a heavier paper than what you would use for day-to-day printing. My favorite paper is this 28 lb bright white paper.

By using a heavier paper, you are able to print your planner (or other printables) double-sided without the colors showing through. Plus, you’ll be able to use pens in your planner without the color bleeding through to the other side.

Since this paper is a bit more expensive than standard copy paper, I would recommend that you keep both in your house so that you can switch back and forth depending on what you’re printing.

The Best Printers for Printing at Home

I highly recommend the Epson Ecotank printers! These printers use refillable tanks for the ink instead of cartridges. It’s such a better long-term deal. We used to have a printer with ink cartridges and it was so expensive to replace them! The Epson Ecotank printer is much more budget-friendly. I have the ET-3830 model. We use it for printing, scanning documents, and making copies. Our family prints A LOT and this printer is able to withstand a lot of use.

If your family is not as high-use as ours, then you could go with the Epson 2800 model, which has less features so it’s less expensive. As I write this, it’s currently on sale for less than $200 on Amazon.

The combination of the Epson Ecotank printer and the HP 28 lb paper is fantastic for my printables! My pages come out clear and bright and I’ve never had any issues with smearing or anything like that. The printable pages can print out double-sided with no wait time for ink drying. I love them and I think you will, too!

Planner Binding

You’ll need to decide how you want to keep your planner together. Most people just use a binder. However, you can also use the Happy Planner method. I’ll explain what you need for both.

Happy Planner Discbound Style

I love the Happy Planner method. I discovered it a few years ago, and it’s so handy. Of course, you can also just buy the whole Happy Planner and be done with it – or better yet, you can buy a Happy Planner Big (the 8 1/2″ by 11″ letter-size one that I use) and then print out some planner inserts to customize it just the way you want.

The reason why I love the Happy Planner style is that its discbound method makes it easy to add, remove, and rearrange pages. Many planners you buy are bound in such a way that you can’t do that. And I think it’s a fun change from a binder!

If you want to start from scratch and print out all the printable planner pages yourself, then you’ll need to get a cover and the discs. This set comes in several different colors and sizes. Make sure you get the letter-size style:

You also can start by purchasing a Happy Planner that already has pages. You can then print out the additional printable pages you want for customizing. This is just one example:

Click this link to see all the Happy Planners available on Amazon. The link will take you to the Happy Planner Big choices, which are the ones that are letter-sized, and therefore most easily compatible with home printing.

You’ll also need to get a Happy Planner hole punch so that the pages you print will be compatible with the discbound system. Make sure you are getting the size for 8 1/2″ by 11″ paper.

You’ll also probably want to get some dividers for your planner. I bought this set and I love it – they are sturdy plastic, and they come in several different color options. You can label them however you want.

Or, you may prefer this style of divider that is already ready to be made into a calendar. You can set up your planners for the year and easily be able to flip to the month you need.

Binder for Planners

Many people like to use binders to put together their printable planners. It’s the easiest way to do it, since most of us are already familiar with using binders.

First, get yourself a cute binder! Think about how big you want it to be. It depends on your needs. If you want to be able to fit in a year’s worth of calendars and weekly and/or daily planner pages, as well as keep track of chores, budget, business, etc., then you should get a 2-inch binder. If you’re going to have a simpler planner, then 1-inch binder is probably fine. I recommend getting the type of binder that has a cover that you can slide a sheet of paper into so that you can personalize your cover.

If you’re using a binder to make your planner, then you’re going to need a 3-hole punch.

And, you’ll need some dividers. Avery is a good brand that I find to be reliable.

These dividers have pockets, which could be extra helpful in your planner if you need to keep track of things like receipts.

Which are the Best Pens to Use in Planners?

Obviously once your planner is all set up, you’re going to want to write in it! So which pens should you get for your planner?

Years ago I learned that Zebra Sarasa pens are THE BEST pens for using in planners and journals as they don’t smear and the colors are vibrant. As a left-handed person that is a big issue for me! When I write with Zebra pens not only do they not smear on the page, they also don’t turn the side of my hand into an abstract art piece like pretty much every other pen does!

I like the 0.7mm size – they are fine enough for writing small, but not so fine that I can’t read my own writing (yes, I’m getting older). When I first tried these pens, I bought several different brands and sizes. I found the Zebra Sarasa 0.5mm too fine to see the results clearly (in a light color – maybe they’d be fine for a dark color), and I had the same thoughts on the often-recommended Staedtler Fineliner. Those would be a good choice for you if you are looking for something extremely fine.

I love my set of Zebra Sarasa pens like this:

Zebra is also known for their beautiful Mildliner Highlighters. These are so fun to play with! If you like to decorate your planners, these are perfect for creating lines, coloring in shapes, etc. I use them to create dividing lines between sections on my planner pages. I have a set of Mildliners like this that is double ended, so you can create bold lines with one side, and write or decorate with the other:

Cute Decorations for your Planner

The printables you choose for your planner can determine whether or not you want to get some decorations to add to the pages. If you download some of my pretty free daily planners like these ones or these ones, then you won’t really need decorations because they are already pretty!

But if you choose a plainer printable planner template like this one, or this academic planner, then you may want to decorate!

Stickers for Printable Planners

I love the stickers that Happy Planner makes. Here are some examples:

Washi Tape for Planners

Washi tape is another fun addition to your planner. It comes in endless choices of colors and designs that you can use to customize your planner. Here are some choices:

Can You Think of More Supplies for Printable Planners?

I’m pretty sure I’ve gone over all the supplies you need for a printable planner, but if you can think of more, or if you have any questions, please comment below and ask!

Need some printables to get started?

Click here to see a list of all my freebie printables!

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