{"id":989183,"date":"2025-08-26T14:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/promopack.es\/custom-pens-model-and-printing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T14:49:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T13:49:01","slug":"custom-pens-model-and-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/custom-pens-model-and-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"Custom pens: how to choose the model and the printing method"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"vgblk-rw-wrapper limit-wrapper\">\n<p>To choose custom pens, first decide on the material (recycled plastic, metal or bamboo), then the printing method (pad printing for colour logos on plastic, laser engraving for metal and wood) and finally the quantity. If you already have a pen quote, Promopack cuts it by at least 10% with the same model and printing, and replies within 48 business hours.<\/p>\n<h2>Why is the pen still the most ordered promotional item?<\/h2>\n<p>Because it&#8217;s cheap per unit, easy to hand out and gets used. It&#8217;s also the item where the difference between a well-made order and a rushed one shows most: a pen that writes badly, or whose print wears off in two weeks, works against your brand. The quality of the mechanism and the ink matters more than the price of the printing.<\/p>\n<h2>Which model of custom pens should you choose?<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Material<\/th>\n<th>Where it fits<\/th>\n<th>Usual printing<\/th>\n<th>Bear in mind<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Plastic (ABS, recycled, rPET)<\/td>\n<td>Mass giveaways, trade shows, reception desks<\/td>\n<td>Pad printing, rotary screen printing<\/td>\n<td>A barrel in your brand colour makes one-colour printing cheaper<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Metal (aluminium, brass)<\/td>\n<td>Client gifts, signing, executives<\/td>\n<td>Laser engraving, pad printing<\/td>\n<td>Laser exposes the bare metal; the colour depends on the alloy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bamboo or wood<\/td>\n<td>Sustainability message, events<\/td>\n<td>Laser engraving<\/td>\n<td>Natural grain: each unit is slightly different<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cardboard or paper<\/td>\n<td>Short-lived eco campaigns<\/td>\n<td>Colour printing<\/td>\n<td>Less durable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>If the pen goes with a notebook in a kit, choose both with the same finish. We explain this in <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/merchandise\/custom-notebooks-and-stationery\/\">custom notebooks and stationery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Pad printing or laser?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pad printing<\/strong>: transfers ink using a silicone pad. It allows one or more colours, is the standard method on plastic and is also used on metal. The fixed cost is the plate per colour; the unit cost is low.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Laser engraving<\/strong>: removes the surface layer to reveal the base material. It uses no ink, doesn&#8217;t wear off and gives an understated finish. It only prints in one colour (that of the material under the coating), and on lacquered metals the contrast depends on the alloy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rotary screen printing<\/strong>: prints around the pen barrel, useful when the logo is long.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UV digital printing<\/strong>: full colour, even photos; more expensive per unit, suited to small runs with complex designs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Which print area and which size?<\/h2>\n<p>Each model has a maximum print area, usually on the barrel and sometimes on the clip. A logo with small text gets lost at 5 mm high; it&#8217;s better to use the horizontal version of the logo or just the symbol. Always ask for the product sheet with the area in millimetres and adapt the artwork to that space, in vector format with reference Pantone colours.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you compare quotes for custom pens?<\/h2>\n<p>A comparable pen quote states the exact model (or an equivalent reference), the barrel and clip colour, the printing method, the number of colours and positions, the quantity, whether there&#8217;s a case or individual bagging, and shipping. Because the unit price is low, fixed costs (plates, set-up, shipping) weigh heavily on small orders and barely at all on large ones: always compare the total delivered.<\/p>\n<p>With that specification, Promopack offers the same order at least 10% cheaper: same model, same method, same colours and same quantity. You upload your current quote, get a reply within 48 business hours and, if you like, a printed sample at cost only. If we can&#8217;t improve it, we tell you and you pay nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Promopack isn&#8217;t the option if you need 20 pens for a one-off gift: an online store with a configurator will get them to you sooner. If you don&#8217;t have a benchmark quote, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/new-quote\/\">request one from scratch<\/a>, stating the model, quantity and printing. Details of models and methods are in <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/merchandise\/custom-pens\/\">custom pens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Which mistakes make a pen order more expensive or spoil it?<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Choosing a white barrel and printing in three colours when a barrel in your brand colour with one-colour printing gives the same effect for less.<\/li>\n<li>Sending the logo as a JPG: it has to be vectorized and the order is delayed.<\/li>\n<li>Not testing the writing: ask for a sample and write with it.<\/li>\n<li>Forgetting that blue or black ink and the tip size (0.7 or 1.0 mm) also need choosing.<\/li>\n<li>Ordering just enough: at events more get handed out than planned; a 10% reserve stops you running out.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>In short<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Plastic for mass giveaways, metal for gifts, bamboo for a sustainability message.<\/li>\n<li>Pad printing for colour on plastic; laser for metal and wood, with no ink and no wear.<\/li>\n<li>Fit the logo to the print area in millimetres and send it in vector format.<\/li>\n<li>Compare the total delivered price: fixed costs weigh on small orders.<\/li>\n<li>Promopack cuts a custom pen quote by at least 10% with the same model and printing, with a reply within 48 business hours and an at-cost sample.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you already have a pen quote from your usual supplier, <a href=\"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/quote\/\">upload it here<\/a> and within 48 hours we&#8217;ll tell you how much you can save.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Which printing method lasts longest on a pen?<\/h3>\n<p>Laser engraving, because it uses no ink: the logo is in the material itself. Well-applied, varnished pad printing also withstands normal use, but can wear with heavy friction.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I print the logo in full colour?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, with UV digital printing. It&#8217;s more expensive per unit than pad printing and makes sense for small runs or designs with gradients. For flat one- or two-colour logos, pad printing is more efficient.<\/p>\n<h3>How do I know if my pen quote is expensive?<\/h3>\n<p>Compare it with another on an identical specification. Promopack does it for you: you upload your quote and within 48 business hours it tells you whether it can offer the same order at least 10% cheaper.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .vgblk-rw-wrapper --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Materials, printing methods and common mistakes when ordering custom pens for your company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":989322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-989183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-merchandise-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=989183"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989184,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989183\/revisions\/989184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/989322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=989183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=989183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/promopack.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=989183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}