We all remember using pencils in school as children. There is a certain nostalgia associated with wooden pencils and the products and the accessories that often accompany them like erasers, pencil sharpeners and paper. As we progressed in school and then into adulthood, we began to use pencils less frequently as pens became our writing tool of choice. Promotional pencils are still very popular promotional gifts especially for schools, training, building and conferences. Following is a list things to consider when purchasing promotional pencils.

1. Are the pencils to be used by children?: If so, you will need to consider the size of the children's hands and what they are going to be doing with them. Wooden promotional  pencils are available in small and large sizes and with coloured leads. Do you want the eraser to be part of the pencil do you want to giveaway large printed erasers as well?

2. Do I want my pencils sharpened?: Most wooden pencils are supplied unsharpened. You can request that your logo printed pencils be sharpened before they are despatched. Costs for this service vary from supplier to supplier so look around.

3. Is this an eco friendly promotion?: Promotional pencils are making a real comeback and one of the main reasons for this is that they are eco friendly. The wooden pencils are of course biodegradable. If you ask for FSC wooden pencils, you can be assured that the wood used to produce them is also from well maintained sustainable forests. There are also a number of recycled plastic pencils available.

4. Wooden or mechanical pencils?: Wooden promotional pencils win hands down in items sold. That does not mean that mechanical pencils would not be better for your promotion. One bonus that mechanical pencils offer is the fact that your advertisement, the reason you gave the pencils away in the first place, will not be sharpened away. Plastic mechanical pens are often supplied in a set with a rollerball pen or a ballpen.

5. What about special promotional pencils?: There are a number of them out there. Promotional pencils made of black wood, pencils made with recycled plastic cups or tin foil or paper, pencils with four colours of lead in one pencil. There are numerous possibilities to explore.

6. How are the promotional pencils to be used?: Flat or three sided pencils are excellent for builders who could be working up high. These logo printed pencils will not fall to the ground near as easily. Pencils for conferences, schools and training companies do not require flat sides so the selection of pens is much bigger.

7. How are the pencils to be personalised?: Some wooden promotional pencils can only be printed one colour. Others can be printed in brilliant full colour. There are also some pencils that come with bright silver or florescent paint or rainbow designs already on them. Deciding what you are trying to achieve with regard to print will rule a lot of pencils out from the beginning and save you a lot of time searching. Please note that if your logo and message are very important to you, ensure that the most important information is printed at the unsharpened in or your details could be sharpened away half way through the pencil's writing life.