The mouse mat is definitely up there on the list of the most popular promotional items. This is of course partly due to the increasing reliance of the world on computers and other technological advances, but there are some other great features of printed mouse mats that make them a definite winner in the world of promotional items.

Utility

The best promotional items share one key feature in common—they are practical items with very obvious utility. Pens are for writing with and coffee mugs are for drinking out of, and so on. There’s no chance that you’ll look at a promotional pen or mouse mat and wonder what on earth you’re supposed to do with it. The second feature of the utility of the mouse mat is that there are few things that can serve as an effective replacement. In a pinch, any hard and flat surface will be acceptable, but only a mouse mat offers the precision surface that is required for long-term effective mouse use.

Size and Print Area

Pens are perhaps the most common promotional item around, due in part to their low price, but their biggest downfall is the small print area they offer. Printed mouse mats are a relatively inexpensive item that offers much more in terms of print area. The average pen won’t fit much more than your company name and contact information—in very small text—but the large size and print area of the mouse mat offers so much more. You can add your company name, logo, contact information, a slogan, and images if you desire.

The mouse mat is also of an ideal size and thickness to be easy and convenient to carry around in large amounts — if you’re handing out printed mouse mats at a convention or trade show, you can comfortable carry a large number of them in a bag if you’re walking around event handing out your promotional items. The weight and proportions also make them easy and inexpensive to mail; even more so if you choose mini mouse mats or mouse mats that are specially designed to be very thin.

Variety

The variety of the mouse mat is not only in terms of the way in which you can customize them. There’s a wide range of printed mouse mats available—round mats, square mats, and mats in a variety of fun shapes. You can even have your mouse mats created in your own specially-designed shape if you choose. There’s even more variety with added value mouse mats that include other functions that the recipients of your mats will find useful. Multi-purpose mouse mats include those with integrated calculators or clocks, pockets for holding business cards, and wrist rests designed to reduce the strain of repetitive mouse use.

Value for Money

Mouse mats are rather more expensive than a cheap plastic pen—but there are plenty of options for well under ?1.00 per item and all the advantages of promotional printed mouse mats make them great value for money. Multi-purpose mouse mats are even better value for money, not only because you get multiple functions in the same item, but also because the utility of the multi-purpose mouse mat ensures that recipients will use them for much longer than they might have otherwise.