The Best Gel Pens for Your Brand: Sleek, Smooth, Stand-Outs

Pens are the quintessential giveaway item, whether you hand them to diners with their restaurant bill or pass them out at trade shows. But if you want to make your pen a stand-out, you’ll need to make it extra special — and one way to do that is with gel ink. After all, the best-quality gel pens are worth holding on to…and are sure to get used again and again.

When clients pick up your custom gel pens to start writing, they’ll immediately appreciate the luxurious feel of the smooth gel ink on paper. And, ideally, they’ll take your pen with them as an enduring reminder of your brand.

What is a gel pen?

The gel ink in gel pens is smoother, more vivid and more water-resistant than standard ballpoint ink. Gel pens also come in a rainbow of ink colours, so they’re great for art and colouring, or just staying colour-coded and organised.

What’s the difference between a rollerball, ballpoint and gel pen?

If you’re wondering about the different types of pens, here’s a quick overview. Unlike gel ink pens, which use a gel-based ink, rollerball pens feature a water-based ink and ballpoint pens have oil-based ink. Because of their different inks, these types of pens have a different feel when you write. A ballpoint pen is precise, but much less fluid than a gel pen — and a rollerball falls somewhere in the middle.

Gel Pen Guide

Beyond their smooth ink, gel pens have other stand-out features, too. Here are some other pen features and different types of gel pens to look for when you’re browsing the best gel ink pens for your brand.

• Soft Touch Finish: Many top gel pens feature a barrel with a rubberised coating, which creates a smooth, comfortable feel in customers’ hands. Choose a gel pen with a soft touch finish to give customers a pen that feels as good as it looks and writes.
• Stylus Tip: Make your promotional gel pen even more versatile by choosing a design with a stylus tip. This will give customers the option to use your pen on more than just paper — think touchscreen devices like tablets and phones. And remember…more use means more visibility for your brand!
• Rose Gold Trim: Rose gold trim is trendier than ever, and many of the gel pen types at Pens.com feature rose gold accents. Show customers that you keep up with what’s trending by choosing a pen design that’s (rose) gold medal worthy.
• Speciality Ink Colours: Your promotional gel pens are sure to stand out when you choose a neon or metallic ink colour.
• Gel Pen Gift Sets: Give them more than just a logo gel pen with a full set! Artistic types are sure to appreciate having multiple ink colours to choose from.

What are the best brands of gel pens?

And at Pens.com, you’ll find some of the best brands of gel pens — including our own collection of pens featuring Gelebration ink, a unique gel ink blend that’s designed to give the writer a bold line every time.

Here are some of the top gel pen brands you can browse at Pens.com.

• Uni-Ball: Uni-Ball has been around for decades, and the brand specialises in performance pens with water-based ink — the same kind of ink that makes a gel pen, a gel pen. 
• Paper Mate: Paper Mate is one of the best pen brands out there, and launched their InkJoy line in 2012. InkJoy are some of the best quick-dry gel pens, so customers don’t have to worry about smudged ink.
• Sharpie: Though perhaps best known for their permanent markers, Sharpie makes some of the best gel pens, too.
• Pentel: Though Pentel might be best-known for inventing the felt-tipped pen, their Energel collection features pens that contain a hybrid liquid/gel ink.
• BIC®: BIC is one of the best-known pen brands out there — so you can trust that their gel pens are second to none.
• Parker™: Parker has been making luxurious pens for over 100 years…and naturally, they have some of the best luxury gel pens on the market. 

Best-selling gel pens at Pens.com

If you’re curious about what branded gel pens other Pens.com shoppers are loving, check out some of our top gel pens.

1. Soft Touch Athos Gel Pen

This custom gel pen has a rubberised finish for a comfortable grip, and features our exclusive Gelebration ink — designed to provide the smoothest flow with the boldest line.

2. Soft Touch Hughes Gel Stylus Pen

This is another one of our best gel writing pens, and features a built-in stylus and our signature Gelebration ink.

3. Full Colour Soft Touch Accent Gel Pen with Coloured Stylus

The soft touch finish on this pen’s barrel ensures it feels as good in customers’ hands as the gel ink does on paper.

4. Maria Gel Pen with Rose Gold Trim

The rose gold trend is here to stay — and this customer-favourite gel pen only gets better with a stylus tip and soft touch finish, too!