Guide to Choosing a Promotional Pen

  • June 18th, 2026
  • 5 minute read
  • Bagmasters Team

Promotional pens are a low-cost giveaway that nearly every business, regardless of size, should consider incorporating into its marketing budget. With pens, you can gain repeat brand exposure in and outside your company's office. Everywhere the pen goes, your clients and prospects will be reminded of your brand. These giveaways have the lowest costs per impression of any other promotional product and are a must-have to maintain brand visibility.

There are numerous promotional pens available in various colors, styles, and sizes. When exploring options, it’s always best to consider your budget, audience, and marketing goals. In this guide, we'll teach you how to choose the best custom pens for marketing campaigns, events, and more. Here's everything you need to know:

Why Custom Pens?

There are many reasons to consider incorporating promotional plastic pens into your marketing budget. Whether you’re looking for fancy custom pens to have around the office or cheap promotional marketing pens to hand out to event attendees, there’s always a reason to have some by your side.

Here are a few reasons why:

  • Low-Cost: In some cases, you can invest in cheap promotional pens for less than 10 cents a pen. There aren’t many promotional products with the same ROI you can get for that cost.
  • Usable and Functional: No matter the occasion, you can feel confident that people will find a use for the pens you give them.
  • Fun Ways to Brand: The best custom pens come in different colors, styles, and materials. This means you have a unique opportunity to fully customize your pens to complement your branding initiatives.
  • Great for All Occasions: You can hand out the best custom pens to your customers, employees, eventgoers, or students. No matter the occasion or marketing goals, you can feel confident that your audience will use and enjoy the pens you give them.

How to Choose Custom Pens for Marketing

When shopping for custom logo pens, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. There are countless different options available, including promotional gel pens, metal pens, and high-quality executive pens. There’s a big variation in pricing as well. The cost of a typical promotional pen can range from $.50 to as high as $20 or $25 a pen.

Here’s what you’ll need to consider when choosing custom pens for marketing:

Establish Budget

The first thing is to establish your budget and determine how much you're willing to spend on adding your logo to a pen. This will help you narrow down your options and determine which styles are within your budget.

Determine Campaign

Next, consider the use case. Are you looking for everyday pens you can keep in your office and hand out to clients? Do you need a novelty pen for a children's event? Maybe you're handing out a high-quality promotional pen as a holiday gift to clients and partners. The goal of your marketing campaign will help you narrow down your options.

Consider Audience

Lastly, you want to choose an option that your audience will actually use and like. Consider your audience's likes, interests, and dislikes. For example, if you work in a corporate setting, your audience would likely prefer a high-quality metal pen over a colorful plastic option. If you work on a university campus, a pen that is the same color as your school color will likely be a popular choice.

Top Five Best Promotional Pens for Businesses

Are you shopping for promotional pens with your logo? We compiled a list of the best custom pens for businesses, clubs, organizations, and universities. Here’s a look at our top choices:

1. Executive Pens

Executive pens are the best fancy promotional pens. These higher-cost pens are great for celebrating milestones, corporate gifts, or surprising your high-paying clients with a gift. These pens are typically heavier and have a high-end look and feel. They are usually made with aluminum, brass, or metal.


The Venetian Pen

  • Available in over six different colors
  • Option to silkscreen or laser engrave your logo
  • Low-cost giveaway with a high-quality look and feel

Custom Wizzard Executive Pen

  • High-end, name-brand pen with a sophisticated look and feel
  • Available in six different professional colors
  • Features a sleek, plastic construction and blue gel ink

2. Stylus Pens

Stylus pens are one of the best cheap pens for small businesses. They feature a stylus on the top or the bottom of the pen and are great for working professionals always on their tablets or phones. The stylus makes it easier to use these devices without smudging the screens. These pens are considered low-cost pens and great to have around the office or as an event giveaway.


Custom Printed La Jolla Stylus Pen

  • Available in nine different metallic colors
  • The perfect 2-in-1 giveaway for events
  • Features a sleek metallic barrel and polished chrome accents

Yoga Stylus Pen and Phone Stand

  • Includes a stylus on the top and a phone stand
  • Available in eight different color options
  • Great low-cost pen for giveaways, events, and universities

3. Rollerball Pens

Rollerball pens are arguably one of the most popular fancy custom pens for corporate gifts and employees. They are available at different price points and provide a next-level writing experience. These pens require little to no pressure, so you can confidently write letters, notes, and messages without smudging the ink. These are typically great for employee new hire kits, raffle items, gift baskets, and client gifts.


Luna Roller Ball

  • European rollerball pen with black ink cartridge
  • Comes in a presentation box
  • Option to silkscreen or laser engrave your logo

Custom Printed Granite Rollerball Pen

  • Heavyweight brass rollerball pen
  • Features a cap-off design
  • Stylish and functional with a professional look and feel

4. Novelty Pens

Looking for something fun and out of the box? Consider a novelty pen. These pens are great for anyone looking to stand out from competitors and leave a playful impression on their target audience. They typically come in bright colors, fun shapes, and playful designs.


Up Your Standard Jotter Pen

  • Choose from over 22 different playful and fun color options
  • Comes with a one-color, one-location imprint
  • Soft touch surface and fine point gel

Awareness Moptoppers Screen Cleaner With Stylus Pen

  • Three-in-one pen with a stylus and a screen cleaner
  • Great for spreading awareness for breast cancer awareness month
  • Features an awareness ribbon clip and a mop top hair

5. Eco-Friendly Pens

Eco-friendly pens are perfect for the eco-conscious consumer. They are made with recycled materials and are great for events, giveaways, and university giveaways. When you brand an eco-friendly option, you're showing your customers that you care about the environment and doing your part to make the world a better place, one pen at a time. These pens come in post-consumer materials, bamboo, and other recycled materials.


Oasis Recycled Bottle Pen

  • Choose from over eight different color options
  • Made with 80% recycled PET material made from recycled plastic bottles
  • Comes with the choice of black or blue ink

Eco Paper Pen

  • Comes with a one-color, one-location imprint
  • Available in four different color options
  • Made of a recycled paper barrel with wooden clip

How to Order Promotional Plastic Pens

Ordering custom logo pens through Bagmasters is a simple and easy process. Once you decide on a style, here’s how the ordering process works:

  • Decide on a pen color
  • Choose the decoration method and imprint locations
  • Provide the quantity needed
  • Enter your desired in-hand date

Once you’ve placed your order, send us your artwork for the design. We accept PDF, AI, EPS, and PSD artwork files. If you don’t have any artwork, our team can also help with redesigns, mockups, and touchups. When ready, we’ll put together an art proof for your approval and send your order to production. If you have any questions about ordering promotional marketing pens, contact our team today.

Find the Best Promotional Pens From Bagmasters

No matter the marketing campaign, your brand can always benefit from a custom business pen. Pens are a crowd favorite that are loved and used by many. Whether you’re planning an event or handing out giveaways during client meetings, these giveaways are the perfect go-to for any occasion.

At Bagmasters, we have one of the largest collections of custom pens and writing instruments. We also do all our decoration in-house, at our facility in Corona, California, to ensure a pristine, high-quality imprint. Explore our pen collection today to start branding!

Bagmasters Team

The creative team at Bagmasters collectively works on articles to help give insight into the latest trends in marketing and promotional products.