Promotional Pens, Logo Pens & Advertising Pens

Putting your logo and ad message on a promotional pen is one of the most sensible advertising investments that can be made — logo pens can be a very cheap form of advertising.

There are many different types of logo pens available in the realm of promotional products. Logo pens can be made of brass or plastic. They can be cheap promotional pens or they can be very expensive. The styles of logo pens can range from classic to contemporary. There are ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, gel ink pens, highlighters and markers, all of which can be imprinted with your company logo and promotional advertising message.

The method in which your logo is imprinted on the pen can also vary. Engraving is the method of choice for an elegant brass pen intended to give a high perceived value, while most plastic pens are silkscreened. A silkscreened imprint on a logo pen is usually cheaper than engraving.

Ink and Point Choices

An important distinction between pens is the type of ink cartridge inside the pen. Ballpoint pens, rollerball pens and gel ink pens each use a different type of ink as well as a different ink delivery system. Many promotional logo pens are available with a fine or medium point. Each type of pen writes differently and has a different "feel."

Gel ink pens contain a thick, smooth-flowing ink, while rollerball pens normally use an alcohol-based ink which flows quickly and dries almost immediately.

Ballpoint pens are normally available in the widest variety of inks and point styles because they are the most popular, and generally are the least expensive. Cheap promotional pens are usually of the ballpoint variety.

Stainless Steel or Tungsten Carbide?

The points of most ballpoint pens are made of either stainless steel or tungsten carbide. Stainless steel is the most common type of point available and is usually cheaper than tungsten carbide.

The main difference between a stainless steel and tungsten carbide point is density and durability. When a stainless steel ballpoint pen is dropped and lands on the tip, the tip of the ballpoint will pit and crater, and the ink will glob and stick when it is used for writing.

Stainless steel behaves this way because it’s a relatively soft metal. When a cartridge is made with a tungsten-carbide ballpoint and is dropped, the ball will not pit. Tungsten carbide is also used for drill bits because of its toughness. It’s a much more robust metal and has, as part of its nature, random microscopic grooves, which, under a microscope, look like a giant ball of fibers. These “fibers” actually act to pull the ink from the cartridge and lay it out smoothly and evenly.

When shopping for promotional pens that are to be imprinted with your logo, you should look for pens that are available with an ink cartridge containing a tungsten-carbide ballpoint. They won’t pit or crater. The tungsten-carbide ballpoint glides the ink onto the paper in a smooth fashion. The way a pen writes is very important to its overall perceived value. It’s often okay for a cheap promotional pen to write like a cheap promotional pen, because it’s just a cheap promotional pen. When we buy a higher-priced logo pen — say one with a grip that costs around a dollar — we want it to perform and write well.

You Get What You Pay For

When two different manufacturers offer what looks like the same pen, with one of the pens being unusually cheaper than the other, there is often a reason. The cheap promotional pen can be a “knock-off” of the other pen and is usually made in Asia. The knock-off is almost always of lower quality. If price is the only thing that matters, go with the one that fits your budget. But if quality does matter — and it always does — make sure you try out and compare both pens. You’ll find that there’s a great difference in the quality of workmanship and materials, not to mention the quantity and quality of the ink cartridge itself. Both pens may do what they’re supposed to do, which is write, but they’ll probably write very differently. The cheap promotional pen is not much of a bargain if it ends up in the garbage can. Low price is always the number-one concern, until after the purchase, when the priority suddenly changes to: Does the pen perform? And how does the cheap promotional pen reflect upon the company that purchased it? Remember that the logo pen has your company name on it.

What To Imprint

The right slogan can really tie pens together with a particular promotion. Sometimes a logo or slogan is all a company wants imprinted on its pens. When that logo is nationally recognized, it may be all that’s needed. But for smaller companies taking part in a marketing campaign, a slogan brings it all together, and the pen carries the message everywhere.

Where To Imprint

When deciding what to imprint on a logo pen, it’s important to know the imprint areas available and any limitations there may be. Pens are small in diameter and have small imprint areas. Some promotional pens have a larger area available for the imprint than others. Brass logo pens will typically have a very small area available for your imprint, particularly if the logo is to be engraved.

You should also know how many colors can be printed on a particular logo pen. Not all pens can be imprinted with a multicolor imprint, and not all suppliers can print more than one color on a pen.

Uses for Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, Banks and Other Businesses

A pen given as a signing gift can commemorate the special occasion of a memorable document. An imprinted logo pen makes a wonderful keepsake for purchasers that are buying a new house or new car. When logo pens are given by a real estate agent or mortgage broker, that pen can hold special memories while it keeps the agent’s name easily at hand. Now the logo pen can be used as a reference for giving invaluable referrals to that agent or broker. Even a cheap promotional pen can serve this purpose.

Then there’s the cup of pens on the counter of a bank or other business. The pens are easily within reach and always available to fill out a form or write a check. Good quality, cheap logo pens are a great choice for this sort of use, since they’re there to serve a purpose and they tend to disappear quickly. When promotional pens are left out in large numbers, there’s always a pen for customers to use when they need one.

How “Stolen” Pens Can Work for You

Pens have a habit of traveling from hand to hand and person to person. We usually can’t recall of how or where we picked up a particular logo pen, but use it nonetheless. How many times does a person at a restaurant walk off with the pen he’s given to sign his credit card bill? It happens all the time, and that’s exactly what we want to happen! When a pen travels from person to person, the message and logo imprinted on that pen travels as well. Pens are “mini traveling salespeople.” Make those pens do their job by carrying your business name, logo and contact information, and the investment will be worthwhile. Promotional pens can be a very cheap form of advertising.

Some businesses go as far as to add the slogan line, “Stolen from —” at the top of their imprint to show their customers that they know the pens are going to be taken, and that it’s OK!

Too many businesses, however, simply buy bulk pens and don’t bother to imprint them. They will often buy cheap pens — usually the cheapest pens they can find — because they know that so many of the pens will be taken away by customers. They can’t see paying for a quality imprinted logo pen when those pens won’t stay around anyway.

The logic of this all-too-common situation is really puzzling. That same business could invest a few cents more and buy logo pens custom imprinted with their name, address and phone number and still have room to list the services they offer.

Clip Imprints

Don’t overlook the option for a clip imprint. The clip of the pen is always in view when a logo pen is placed in a shirt pocket. The clip is also a great place to highlight a web site address or phone number. Many promotional pens are available with an imprint on the clip, usually for a slight extra charge.