The Best Lefty-Friendly Pens and Writing Supplies

This may be the best time in history to be left-handed.

The days of psychologists advising parents to train left-handedness out of their children are over. Although lefties used to be regarded with suspicion, few people today would argue that they are more sinister than the average person. Despite these gains, the left-handed 10% of the world’s population still have to adapt to tools and systems designed for right-handed people. The most pervasive example of this is writing.

Writing from left to right as in English, Chinese, and most other modern languages is ideal for right-handed writers, but difficult for left-handers. Lefties’ hands naturally move across the line of writing and smudge the ink. Some languages like Chinese and Japanese can be written vertically, but even then, the stroke order for individual characters moves from left to right.

In the spirit of International Left-Handers Day and in appreciation of left-handers everywhere, we present several writing implements that are especially suited for left-handed writers. Watch the videos below for a quick look, and keep reading for more detailed recommendations.

Some writing instruments are specifically designed for lefties, but the right features can help even righty-friendly products solve left-handed problems. Choosing these tools can make your life significantly easier.

Avoid smudging with ink that dries before your hand moves across your writing. Pens that write smoothly or feature special ergonomic left-handed grips help prevent cramping and fatigue. Smooth writing and fast drying times can seem contradictory, but some pens balance these competing demands remarkably well. Check out our picks below.

If you have trouble with hand fatigue or cramping, look for pencils with ergonomic features. Triangular pencils often help lefties hold pencils more comfortably and facilitate a tripod grip.

Lefties looking for a more comfortable writing experience should avoid typical wire-bound notebooks that can dig into their wrists. Top-bound notebooks, notebooks with lay-flat bindings, and specially-made left-handed notebooks with the binding on the right side are all excellent options.

Some lefties don’t want to give up their favorite writing tools for ones with more lefty-friendly features. Others see improvement from switching, but aren’t quite satisfied. Supplement your writing materials with well-chosen accessories to address your specific challenges.

Left-handers often use a variation of one of three different hand positions to write. Underwriting, in which the hand stays below the writing line, is the best for most people. Those who received lefty-specific writing instruction usually use this method.

Underwriting has the least potential for smearing and nib problems, so people who use this style can use almost any pen they like. Lefties using Italic nibs will naturally produce the opposite angle as right-handed writers. They may use nibs specifically angled for left-handed calligraphers to avoid this.

Two other writing methods are overwriting (hooking) and sidewriting.

Overwriting is the most common method used by left-handers and is often the result of trying to imitate right-handed writing. Overwriters hook their hands over the line of writing. This often causes hand fatigue and smudging. Some people minimize ink smears by bending their wrists more sharply to keep their hands off their writing for a longer period of time.

The rare sidewriting style keeps the hand in line with the writing. People who use this style push the nib across the paper more than those who use the other styles, so it has the most potential for paper snags as well as ink smears.

If you’re having trouble with your current writing style, we suggest giving underwriting a try. To help you get started, here are a few basic tips.

The tripod grip is at the heart of underwriting.

Our writers draw on their personal expertise, consult our in-house subject matter experts, and do extensive research to make our guides as accurate and comprehensive as possible. We then test every finding that makes it through the research stage. Only the techniques and tools whose performance we personally confirm make it into our guides as recommendations.

There are lots of ways to tackle left-handed challenges. We hope our suggestions gave you some ideas, but now we want to hear from you. Are you left-handed? Let us know what pens and notebooks you use in the comments!