Custom Promotional Pens & Writing Instruments

How to choose the right promotional pen

The right pen depends almost entirely on what you are going to do with it. For trade show handouts, conference bags and counter bowls, a plastic
click pen keeps your cost per impression as low as it goes — you are buying reach, and reach is a numbers game. For client gifts, employee milestones and anything handed over in person, a metal pen or an engraved pen does a different job: it gets kept on a desk rather than dropped in a drawer.

Between those two poles sit the pens most businesses actually order. Gel pens write more smoothly than a standard ballpoint and tend to get used daily, which is the whole point of a promotional pen. Stylus pens earn their place next to a phone or tablet. Multi-function pens and pen and highlighter combos suit office and education audiences. If sustainability matters to your brand, our eco-friendly range covers recycled and bamboo barrels.

Imprint methods, and which one suits your logo

We offer all the common decoration methods. Which one is available to you is decided by the pen itself, because the barrel material and shape determine what can be printed or cut.

Pad printing transfers ink onto the barrel. It is the standard choice for plastic pens and simple one- or two-colour logos, and it is the most economical option for large runs.

Laser engraving cuts your logo into a metal barrel instead of printing on top of it. It cannot scratch, fade or wear off, which is why it is the usual pick for executive gifts.

Full-colour printing reproduces gradients, photographs and complex multi-colour artwork that pad printing simply cannot hold.

Getting your artwork right

The imprint area on a pen is small — usually a narrow strip along the barrel. Logos that work on a billboard often fail here. Simplify where you can: drop the tagline, thicken hairline strokes, and avoid fine detail that will close up at a few millimetres tall. A single-colour version of your logo almost always reproduces better on a pen than the full-colour original. If you are not sure how yours will translate, send it over and we will tell you straight. Our anatomy of a custom pen guide walks through the parts of a pen and where decoration actually lands.

Minimums, setup and lead times

Minimum order quantities are set per product rather than across the store. They start at around 12 pieces on some styles and run up to 500 or 1,000 on others. The minimum for each pen is shown on its card as you browse, so you can rule products out without opening them.

Setup charges are not applied to everything. Many of the pens we carry have no setup charge at all, and where one does apply it is tied to that product rather than to the size of your order.

Production runs around 7 days from the point you approve your proof, plus transit time on top. We do not currently offer a rush service, so if you are working to a fixed event date, talk to us before you order and we will tell you honestly whether your date is achievable.

Brands we carry

Alongside our own range we supply branded writing instruments from BIC, Sharpie, Paper Mate, Pilot, Zebra, uni-ball and Parker. Recognisable pens get picked up and kept, which is worth paying a little more for when the recipient matters.

Looking beyond pens? We also carry highlighters, markers and mechanical pencils. Every order gets a proof before production — nothing is manufactured until you have approved it.