Express Printed Pens: What "Delivered This Week" Actually Means

Yes, you can often get printed pens within the week, if you choose a pen set up for speed, keep the print to one colour on one side, and approve your Visual Proof™ the same day. Our Express Curvy Pens are the place to start. Then check the delivery date on the product page and again in your basket, because the date you select at checkout is guaranteed.

"Delivered this week" is really a question about a date, and the product page answers it with a guaranteed one before you pay. This guide covers what makes a pen order quick, which of those things you control, where the clock starts, and how the guaranteed date works.

What does express mean on a printed pen?

That the pen, the print and the process are set up to be quick, with the conditions stated on the product page.

Our Express Curvy Pens are our bestselling Curvy Pen on an express service, set up for last-minute orders. That service is based on a one colour print on one side of the pen, up to a maximum quantity shown on the product page, with the order placed and the artwork signed off by the cut-off shown there. If your order goes beyond those conditions, with a second colour, a second side or a larger quantity, check the date the product page and your basket show for it.

The conditions are on the product page because they're the part that can change. Read them there rather than here.

What decides how fast a pen order arrives?

Five things, and you control most of them.

The pen. A pen set up for express turnaround against one that isn't. If you're comparing two pens, compare their delivery dates as well as their prices. Our express range shows everything set up for speed.

The print. The express service is based on one colour on one side. Each extra colour is another pass through the printer, a second side is another print job, and a full colour wrap is a different print process, so check the date for the print you choose. Our guide to how many colours you can print on a promotional pen explains each method.

The artwork. A vector logo goes straight onto the proof. A JPEG or PNG can often be cleaned up or redrawn by our in-house designers, and that's an extra step. Our guide to briefing a promotional products supplier covers what to send.

The approval. Your Visual Proof™ usually comes back in around 20 minutes. What takes longer is getting it signed off, so name one person who can approve it that day before you request it.

The delivery option. Where the pen supports them, your basket shows No-Rush, Standard and Express options for that line, each with its own date. Choose the one whose date lands before you need the pens.

How does the guaranteed delivery date work?

You see it before you order, and it locks once your order is placed.

Enter your quantity and choose your print options, and the product page shows the delivery date for that pen. Your basket then shows the delivery options available for that line, each with its own date. The date you select at checkout is a guaranteed delivery date rather than an estimated dispatch time, and it's locked once your order is placed, subject to normal payment and order conditions.

Delivery options are chosen per order line rather than for the whole basket, which matters if you're ordering pens alongside other products for the same event.

What can you change if the date is after your event?

Make the job simpler, or put the pens on the fastest option available.

Switch to the Express Curvy Pens, if you weren't already on them.

Simplify the print. One colour on one side removes the extra passes.

Choose Express, where the pen offers it, and check its date in the basket.

Put the pens first. If the pens are one of several products for the same event, delivery options are chosen per order line, so you can put the pens on the fastest option and anything that can wait on No-Rush. Check the basket total before you decide.

Can you get printed pens next day?

It depends on the pen, the print and the quantity, and the product page shows you the delivery date before you order.

Quick turnaround is what our Express Curvy Pens are set up for. Enter your quantity, keep the print to one colour on one side, and the product page shows the delivery date for that pen, with each option in your basket showing its own date. If one lands before your deadline, you can plan around it, because the date you select at checkout is guaranteed. If none does, the changes above are the ways to bring it forward.

What's the quickest way to order printed pens?

Six steps, all of them online.

1. Open the Express Curvy Pens, enter your quantity and check the delivery date.
2. Keep the print to one colour on one side.
3. Upload a vector version of your logo and request a free Visual Proof™.
4. Get the proof approved by one named person as soon as it comes back.
5. Add it to your basket and check out, selecting the delivery option whose date lands before your event.
6. Track your order in your account until it arrives.

If pens are one part of a bigger order, our guide to ordering branded tote bags against a deadline works the same way for bags. For the rest of the pens range, start with our guide to the best promotional pens for businesses.