With computers becoming very integral in our letter writing and communication, pens and handwritten notes are becoming scarce. When someone does take the time to write, however, they need a pen that feels good in their grip and writes easily. Choosing office-friendly stick promotional pens and you’re likely to influence your potential customers while they take notes at a business meeting or fill out forms. Choose heavier, more elegant promotional pens to remind your clients of your business when they’re at home or sign a credit card slip.



Ballpoint Promotional Pens

Many of us take the ingenious invention of the ballpoint pen for granted. Invented and patented in 1938 by a couple of Hungarian brothers/creators in 1938, the ballpoint pen was picked up as a product of a company in Argentina in 1940. Replacing the delicate fountain pen, users were very exited to jot notes willy-nilly and not replace the ink for a year.

The patent ignored, a US company copied and marketed their own ballpoint pen in 1945. Carrying a price tag of $12.50US, the British company Miles-Martin was manufacturing and selling their own in the UK within a couple months. In the six-plus decades since their introduction, the price has dropped significantly, the quality is far better and the personalization possibilities have increased ten fold.

If you are considering promotional ballpoint pens for your business, consider that one ballpoint pen can write a line 4,000 to 5,000 miles long. They are far more likely to take a swim through a washing machine or be eaten by a family pet than actually run out. Make the time your potential customers have with your pen mean something. Bright colors may catch an eye or two but won’t win any fashion awards at the negotiation table. Choose bright inks instead of neon cases if your business is advertising to the three-piece-suit types.

The least expensive, maintenance-free ballpoint pens are still the favorite in the promotional pen industry. For as little as £0.08 a piece, these pens can be given out by the handful without making much of an impact on your budget. The ink in even the cheapest ballpoint promotional pens will outlast many rollerball or gel pens.

Rollerball Promotional Pens

While ballpoint pens may have a long life and low price point, they have a tendency to be tossed to the wayside or become clogged and unusable. Rollerball pens use a liquid (instead of gel) ink with a much smoother stroke and are preferred by many. These pens were introduced to the marketplace in 1980 and have continued to gain popularity and higher quality.

Roller ball promotional pens are likely to be more coveted and treasured than standard stick ballpoint ones are but will cost you a bit more. Starting at £0.82 a piece, you have fewer printing options (typically one color imprint is all that is available) and styles to choose from. What the promotion pen industry lacks in roller ball choices they make up for in writing quality, however.

Because the ink in rollerball pens is not water-resistant, it will run when wet. If your clients require security, like those that write checks by hand, or are frequently in moist conditions, like a water treatment facility, you may want to pass by the rollerball promotional pen option and stick to ballpoint or gel pens.

Gel Promotional Pens

Gel pens are the most recent addition to the writing tool industry. With a wider range of ink colors available, richer ink color and smoother than rollerball ink, a gel pen is easy to handle and a joy to write with. Starting at £0.71 each, gel pens save money over rollerball but not ballpoint pens. The life of gel pens is significantly lower than both a rollerball and ballpoint types – everyday use yields just three to five weeks of use. If you plan on seeing your potential client frequently, this might be a great promotional pen, just plan on bringing them one once a month.