What you are paying for with a Zebra pen
Zebra sits at the opposite end of the promotional pen market from a bulk giveaway pen, and the difference is not decoration — it is the refill and the barrel. These are pens people recognise from stationery shops and keep on a desk, which is the whole point of putting a logo on one.
The range here is small and deliberate. The F-701 is a stainless steel ballpoint with real weight to it, the closest thing in our catalogue to an executive gift that still writes like an everyday pen. The G-301 and G-402 are stainless gel pens — smoother on the page than any ballpoint, and the usual pick when the recipient will actually be writing with it. The Sarasa Dry X1 is the value option, with quick-drying ink that suits left-handed writers. The Sarasa Grand has a brass barrel and is the most gift-like item in the range.
When a branded pen is the right call
Use these where the recipient matters more than the count: client thank-yous, new starter welcome kits, board and committee packs, professional services follow-ups. A recognised pen carries an implicit message about how you do business that an unbranded barrel does not.
They are the wrong tool for a counter bowl or a conference tote. If you are handing out hundreds and cost per impression is the measure, our plastic pens start at a fraction of the price and do that job far better.
Decorating a stainless steel barrel
Metal barrels open up laser engraving, which cuts your logo into the steel rather than printing on top of it. Engraving cannot scratch, fade or wear off, and on a pen that is genuinely going to be used for years that matters more than it does on a giveaway. The finish is a tonal mark rather than a colour, so it suits a clean logotype better than a detailed multi-colour mark.
Where you want brand colours reproduced exactly, printing is still available. If you are unsure which will represent your logo better on a narrow steel barrel, send the artwork over and we will tell you straight. Our engraved pens range shows more of what the process looks like across other models.
Related ranges
For other recognised names see our BIC range, and for the wider selection across every price point, our full promotional pen range. If you are building a gift set rather than ordering pens alone, talk to us — pairing a pen with a notebook or drinkware is usually a better-received gift than either on its own.
