Pen branding
How pen branding works
A pen is branded on equipment set up for the shape: the barrel is held and rotated or clamped, and the mark is applied to the flat of the barrel or to the clip. Plastic barrels are usually pad printed, metal barrels are usually laser engraved so the mark cuts through the finish to the metal beneath, and a wrap around the barrel is screen printed.
The method follows the material rather than the other way around, and so does the result: printed ink on a plastic barrel can be any colour, while an engraved metal barrel gives one tone and cannot be coloured at all.
What pen branding suits
Pens are the most ordered promotional item in the trade and the most constrained to brand, because the usable area is narrow and curved. Company name and logo fit comfortably; a strapline and a web address usually do not.
Products and materials it works on
- Plastic pens, printed on the barrel or the clip
- Metal pens, engraved through the finish
- Styluses and multifunction pens
- Boxed pen sets and gift sets
- One or two colour marks at small size
Lead time, minimum quantity and artwork
- Lead time
- Confirmed with your quote, against stock and quantity
- Minimum quantity
- Depends on the product and the branding method
- Artwork
- Vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF), simplified to the logo and the name. Set type no smaller than the barrel can carry and keep elements apart, because ink spreads slightly on a curve and an engraved line has a physical width of its own.
Other branding methods
Embroidery
Screen printing
Laser engraving
Sublimation
Pad printing
Digital printing
Debossing and foiling
Doming and badges
Vinyl heat transfer
Ask us to price your order
Add the products you want to a quote list, tell us the quantity and how you want them branded, and we come back with pricing. Nothing on this site carries a price because every job is costed on the product, the quantity and the decoration.