With such a wide selection of promotional products available, what is the best method for selecting the right logo pen for your marketing needs? Since these logo products will be a reflection of your business, the most important characteristic you’ll want to keep top of mind is quality. Sticking with familiar brand names such as BIC, Parker, Paper Mate and Pentel provide good assurance that the promotional pen you’re buying will be of top quality.

Promotional pens usually are available in 3 different construction types – plastic, metal and wood. As you might expect, plastic pens are the lowest priced with wooden pens being the most expensive. Don’t confuse quality with pricing, though. Plastic pens manufactured by well-known brands are always high quality.

There are 2 basic methods of getting your logo on pens - imprinting or laser engraving. Imprinting is a method where your logo is transferred to the pen’s surface by ink stenciled screen stretched over a frame. You might also hear this method called silk-screening. Laser engraving actually removes a portion of the outer skin of the pen exposing the inner pen’s color. Typically, laser engraved artwork will outlast imprinted.

When comparing pens, note the size of the imprint area. Depending on the complexity of your logo, you may need a pen that offers a larger imprint area. Also note that some pens offer different barrel colors, so you should be able to find a color of pen that contrasts nicely with your logo color.

In selecting the best company for producing your promo products, it’s important to look for the following characteristics. First, how long has the company been in business? Companies that have been in business the longest have proven their ability to meet their client’s needs and due to their longer relationships with pen companies may be able to offer lower pricing. Also look for credibility indicators such as membership in industry communities such as the BBB, and local Chamber of Commerce’s.

Note that there’s more to pricing than just the per pen price. Some companies charge setup fees, imprinting fees and extra charges if you want to receive a proof. Make sure you’re aware of shipping fees and estimated delivery date. Many of the higher quality companies will offer rush delivery for those procrastinators.

Finally, in the off-chance you receive defective merchandise, you’ll want to be familiar with their return/replacement policy. At a minimum, you should be able to return any pens that don’t meet your satisfaction for a replacement or credit.