Ask any high school kid and they will tell you the one thing that is the most exciting about school is prom. What is the big deal right? All they are doing is dressing up real fancy and going to an event where there is music, dance, and food and of course the best dressed male and female. Although it may seem like a petty thing to adults, prom night means everything to high school kids.

According to the dictionary, those little gifts that guests receive at weddings, bridal showers, baby showers and proms are called favors. Those items are basically tokens of appreciation, love, kind regard or remembrance. Anyone who has had the experience in organizing proms would be aware of the overwhelming choice of favors that are available on the market. However, over the years, the most popular prom favors has been prom glassware which can be margarita glasses, shot glasses, Irish cups, Pilsner glassware, brandy sniffers, champagne and toasting flutes, whiskey on the rocks glass (also known as the lowball glass), white wine and red wine glasses. The prom committee go through a lot to make the event a memorable one for all their friends and what better way to make it memorable other than giving out glassware as prom favors?

Why are these prom favors so popular? Probably because it will forever represent the prom night which also signifies the transition of the kids from adolescence to adulthood. Basically, it symbolizes a rite of passage. Although there are many misconception about giving out glassware that are used to serve alcoholic drinks as prom favors, these glassware merely represents the fact that these teenagers are growing up, that they will be stepping out into a new world.

These glassware are usually personalized to bear the school’s name, year of graduation, and sometimes even, the names of each and every senior who will be graduating. Since it has been creatively personalized for each senior, it makes that item even more memorable. The students could also personalized the glassware further by themselves by simply using glass marker pen.

Prom glassware has been the most popular favors at proms also because they are cost effective. There are many companies that even sell glassware gift sets, so everyone gets each type of glassware, all of it personalized. Plus, the companies give huge discounts when these glassware are ordered in bulks. The committee would not have to worry about going over budget and spending too much on prom favors.

Also, glassware can be used for almost anything. Who said these prom favors are only meant or drinking from? Shot glasses can also double up as candle holders, lowball glasses can be placed on study desks to hold all that stationeries. Margarita, red and white wine glasses can be used to hold sweets. Unlike those personalized key chains that are usually hidden in a bunch of car keys and pens that run out of ink after awhile, giving out glassware will last long, as long as you do not break it.

Let’s face it we all have days where we feel like we got up on the wrong side of the bed. Whether it’s because of an oncoming sickness, lack of sleep, dreary weather or some other factor, everyone has a bad day every once in a while. Because these days are expected we all prepare for them and we try our hardest to cheer ourselves up. No matter what causes your day to be less than perfect, there are some factors that may be able to cheer you up and put a smile on your face!

If the weather outside isn’t the best and you’re feeling the winter blues, studies have shown that having color in our lives can truly play a large role in how we feel and interact on any given day. As you may have imaged darker colors are said to bring our moods down and keep them there. Dark reds, blacks, and deep purples are not the colors you want to see on a day that just isn’t going your way. Of course you can’t change your color scheme at work so why not improvise with colorful pens?

Colorful pens are a great way to cheer yourself up and to add some color to your day. Since the pens will have a permanent home somewhere on your desk you will always have something there to add a nice touch of brightness. Colorful pens can easily take your mind off of the bad and can remind you to look on the brighter side of things!

Color Can Help!

Pens can be bought in all different colors and designs. You can even find colorful pens that come customized with pick-me-up sayings that you need on those tough days! Of course this doesn’t mean go out and buy every color of pen you can find, but purchase some that are designed in colors that you’d enjoy seeing. Blues and greens are known for being lively, relaxing, and happiness-inducing. By the end of it all you make an excellent purchase when buying pens as they are an everyday item.

It may also be a good idea to share your colorful pens and gift them to others. Maybe someone in your office is having a bad day or your child in grade school is facing the blues. With a colorful pen you can brighter and cheer up anyone’s day effortlessly.

Promotional Products are one of the hottest marketing trends companies are using. Although it is not a new concept, the recession has pushed businesses to be more resourceful with their budget, and promotional products (http://www.discountmugs.com/) offer great advertising opportunities at a low price. To market with custom printed products, however, is not as simple as many would think.

1. Know your target market- One huge mistake many companies make is misunderstanding their target market. ( http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/marketing/a/targetmarket.htm ) Many businesses lose track of their main customer base, or attempt to use promotional products to reach someone outside of their current market. What a waste. Promotional products are most effective when other people see them, drawing them into your company or making current clients want to return. If going out on a limb trying to draw a new market, you are gambling with a 50/50 chance your products might fail. In a time of recession, use your marketing budget wisely, and promote to those you know will work.

2. Order promotional products your target market will actually use- Have you ever seen the amount of wasted promotional products left at trade shows, events, or promotional activities? Many companies are not used to using promotional products as a marketing technique, so when they do, they don’t treat them like a real marketing strategy. In order for custom printed items to work for your company, you must truly think about how much your clients would appreciate what you give them. Handing out custom printed sports bottles, (http://www.discountmugs.com/)  might seem like a nice gift to give out, but unless the majority of your customers have some athletic purpose for them, it’s a huge waste of money. However, sports bottles printed for a marathon race is worth more than any billboard or magazine article. Think about your target market, and how much they will actually use your pens, coffee mugs, or t-shirts- a carefully chosen promotional item can do wonders.

3. Make your custom printed design get the most out of your money- Last week I saw a coffee cup a man was using that was clearly intended to be a promotional product, but failed miserably at actually promoting the company or event). The coffee cup was personalized with what looked like a logo shaped as a building, in a color hard to see, and no text whatsoever. Sure, this might have seemed like a good idea to whoever designed it, simple and sweet- except totally ineffective. I’m not suggesting that you load up your products with obnoxious neon green text, but be sure that your design is printed in a visible color, with your company or event name and at least a phone number, website, or slogan to explain exactly what it is you do. For example, a pen with a small child logo and simple text “Christian Learning Center- A place for Children to Grow- (phone number)” is worth plenty more than a measly coffee cup with a hard to read logo on it. Design your graphic carefully, it will be worth it in the end. ( http://www.davidairey.com/what-makes-a-good-logo/ )

There you have it- three very simple tips that can make the difference between a wasted budget and successful, appreciated promotional gifts. (http://www.discountmugs.com/) Custom printing your pens, tote bags, coffee mugs, and ball caps just got a whole lot easier.

One of the most important aspects of a business is marketing and advertising. Companies spend thousands of dollars each year on marketing teams, promotional strategies, and advertising projects. The outcome of these marketing strategies can sometimes make or break a company’s success. Without getting the proper exposure, you lack a strong customer base, fail to meet financial goals, and can essentially fall apart due to the fact that you are just not getting the business you need to maintain your company.

So what if there was a way to boost your marketing at a low price? That’s why companies are all turning to promotional products. You see them everywhere these days- tote bags with your grocer’s name on them, sports bottles given out by athletic sponsors, personalized pens when you visit a church, a free keychain from car dealerships- almost every company needs some sort of promotional item to get their names noticed. The reason why promotional products are chosen so often over commercial advertising, like magazines, tv spotlights, and web ads, is because not only are they much easier on your budget, but they allow people to associate your company with convenience, popularity, comfort, or whatever it may be.  

Some of the most popular promotional products used is the business world today are the classic items we have been customizing for years, just with fun twists to make them unique. Some of these commonly used promotional items are:

1. Pens

2. Ceramic Mugs, Travel Mugs

3. Tote Bags

4. Sports Bottles

6. Notebooks and Portfolios

7. Glassware

These are just 7 of the many items companies are using as promotional items. DiscountMugs.com makes this process easy.  At everyday low prices, you can customize any of their hundreds of products with whatever design you want. Thanks to the wonders of technology, personalizing promotional products for your company can happen in just a few minutes. Check out all of the cool products you can get: http://www.discountmugs.com/

Starting and maintaining a business in today’s world can be expensive. Without the proper investing, planning, and budgeting, many businesses tank at the mercy of the economy. One of the most expensive aspects of maintaining a healthy business is marketing and advertising. The costs ad up quickly- payroll for a marketing team, graphic designers turning out ads- the cost of just getting your ad visible is enough to put a small business out of the market completely. So where’s the solution for the business owners of today? DiscountMugs has the answer. 

With many companies trying to find marketing techniques in today’s recession, DiscountMugs has lowered prices on all of their items drastically, and is announcing their three cheapest promotional items. Starting with a list made of their top most affordable items from each category, they took the top 3 from that list and is sharing their secret with you! 

1.  Customizable Ballpoint Pens- Low As $0.08! http://www.discountmugs.com/nc/promotional-pens/994/value-stick-pen.htm

Could the price get any better? Stylish and durable plastic pens with colorful tops, these popular pens are a must-have item for promoting any company or event with.  Great for handing out at special events, for office giveaways, promotional items for tradeshows, and more, these pens can be personalized with your company’s logo, name, or event favorite motto to share with your clients.

 2.  Personalized Shot Glasses- Low As $0.32 http://www.discountmugs.com/nc/personalized-glassware/67/5121cl-2-oz-custom-shot-glasses.htm

Made out of the highest quality glass, DiscountMugs offers you the option to customize your shot glasses with your company name, funny saying, or event information easily! You can even have the bases of your shot glasses colored to match your company logo or event decor. Shot Glasses are memorable and unique giveaways everyone would love and remember.

 3.  Colorful Sports Bottles- Low As $0.58 http://www.discountmugs.com/nc/sports-bottles/1472/wb20-20oz-white-super-value-sports-bottles.htm

Great for company events, corporate picnics, office gifts, and promotional giveaways, these sleek 20 oz. customizable water bottles are one of the most popular promotional items sold at DiscountMugs.com. Available in nearly every color you can possibly think of, these affordable sports bottles make getting your companies name noticed easy. Add your favorite design, company mission statement, or inspirational logo to make your company’s marketing techniques unforgettable.

 Made out only the best quality materials, and printed right here in the USA, these stylish and unique promotional items are the perfect way to promote your company in an affordable, memorable way. No need to spend hundreds on marketing strategies that yield the same results- DiscountMugs offers you the same opportunities at everyday low prices. So the question seems to stand- why pay more?

Promotional products not only provide an effective marketing campaign, but they also provide a great way for businesses to stay in the forefront of the minds of their customers.  According to a recent article by Ethan Woods, “a study conducted by Baylor University suggests that customers who receive a promotional product with a sales letter will view your company and its sales reps 52 percent more favorably than customers who receive a sales letter without a promotional product.”

After reviewing these statistics why would companies not choose to include promotional products as part of their advertising initiatives? In addition, Woods said, “when a representative delivered the sales letter, the representative was viewed as being more competent by 16 to34 percent than representatives that did not bring promotional products”.

A fairly inexpensive promotional item such as a pen can increase your sales and enhance your customer likability dramatically.  That’s an eye opening discovery considering that businesses pay thousands of dollars for ad campaigns when adding a simple custom pen to mailing list can have the same effect.  This means that investing in promotional pens with your company name, logo, and/or slogan on them can actually make a huge difference to your advertising campaigns.

The fact of the matter is, people love free stuff, no matter how simply the product.  This shows that companies are willing to go the extra mile to appease consumers, which translate in your business practices.  Consumers need promotional products that have a high perceived value rating. The better the promotional pen, the more it will be used and the more favorably the user will view your business.

We have all styles, colors, textures and designs of Pens available at DiscountMugs.com. Here are some of that we offer:
Metal Pens:
Made from high quality metals our pens are durable with effortless styles and designs. Our high end personalized pens feature a sleek heavy weight designs that are balanced and easy to hold.  Businesses can have their logo or special message screen printed or engraved onto these pens.  Many of our customers also take advantage of our library of clipart and fonts or utilize out team of graphic designers to create a unique logo customized to meet your standards.

Metal Pens

Plastic Pens:
Some of our most popular customized promotional products amongst consumers in all industries are our plastic pens.  Plastic Pens are popular because of the affordability and longevity of these durable items.  Also, these pens come available in a wide variety of colors and styles.  They are easily customized by either laser engraving or imprinting.

Plastic Pens

Pens in general, whether plastic or metal, are ideal for promotional purposes because of their ultra-modern designs, quality features, and outstanding affordability.  At DiscountMugs.com we are committed in providing stellar customer service and great prices.  We Make It Your Own!!

Ever need to write down information but there wasn’t any pens to be found?  From cell phones to laptops you would think that pens would be virtually non-existent.  Not true.  Sometimes the simplest of inventions permeate throughout time making its mark on the world.   There is no replacement or alternative for the pen.

At DiscountMugs.com we have an amazing Pen inventory that is breathtaking.  We wanted to take this opportunity to explain to you our favorite customer the difference between our customization options.  Our customers order their Personal Pens from us because of how effortless it is to customize the pens.

To customize your own  pen, download the template for your design and place your logo within the imprint area. Upload the finished version to our Web Site to get your order processed promptly and efficiently. You can also select your imprint from our gallery of clipart and fonts in any color combination of your choice.  The imprinting process is a more traditional way of printing on pens.  Initially invented by the Japanese imprinting is a process still used today by many manufacturers and by DiscountMugs.com.

Imprinting allows for more variety of colors and style compared to laser engraving.   The process is really simple, just upload a digital image to the screen printing machine and the pen is stamped with the image. In addition you can get your pen Laser engraved. Laser engraving is the process of using lasers to engrave the pen.  This technique can be quite complicated.   It uses a computer system that drives the movement of the laser head.

This produces a very defined and clean finish to our pens.  There is no contact between the laser engraving machine and the actual pen.  This makes the finish clean and precise.  It’s also a preferable option compared to other engraving machines which uses tool bits that connects with the surface of the pen.

We look forward to helping you with your order of promotional pens.  It’s a simple way to promote your branding and company image.  At DiscountMugs.com we like to provide you with more information about all of our customized promotional products.  All of our products come with the best product color option and custom imprint color options.  We have a wide variety of choices to fulfill your ever need.

At DiscountMugs.com….We Make It Your Own.

At DiscountMugs.com one of our more promotional products are our promotional pens.  They are cheap and easy to use as a promotional product.  It’s an inexpensive way to promote your company and they are so fun to giveaway because people love free pens.  We offer an inventory of different types of pens to choose from with different designs.  We offer plastic, metal, laser engraved, gel, and even leather pens.

Retractable Ball Point Pen

Many people choose pens based on price and quality which are standard guidelines by which to purchase any product. However, there are some designs and features that make promotional pens unique like extreme affordability, high-end appeal or eye-catching designs. While these are not the most popular pen products purchased they are often more effective than contemporary promotional pens. Here are examples of pen types that are both distinctive and exceptional.

Pearl Pen

For instance Value Stick Pens can be sold in bulk for as low as seven-cents apiece. These pens still offer standard features and designs with multicolor printing options but at an incredibly low rate. With pens this affordable, companies will be able to distribute promotional pens and store additional pens for future distribution. This many promotional pens will allow companies to distribute promotional products throughout a vast group of potential customers even on a modest budget.

Executive Marble Pens

Then there is the Roller Ball Pens.  These pens have a water based ink compared to the ball point pens which have oil based ink.  This allows it to absorb into paper quicker and have more fluid movement across writing surfaces.  This pen was developed to bridge the gap between ballpoint pens and traditional fountain pens.

Carabineer Pens

Finally there is the gel pen.  Most people get confused on what exactly is a gel pen.  Well a gel pen is simply uses thicker ink than regale pens.  The thickness allows for a better the ink to show up better on dark papers and on slick smooth surfaces.  The only drawback of gel pens are that it uses more ink and require a more frequent refill than ballpoint pens.

Value Pens

There are so many pens offered at DiscountMugs.com that we are sure you will find one to fit your promotional needs.  Check out our inventory or just tell us what you think in our comment section.

AT DiscountMugs.com….We Make It Your Own!!

Wedding season is among us but with the current economic downturn, plenty hopeful brides are looking for ways to scale back on wedding cost. Generally the average wedding in the United States cost a minimum of $29,000.  That’s more than some people make in a year!

As newlyweds, budgeting and coordinating finances is a must.  Managing a budget to avoid spending more than you planned on your wedding day is very noble to say the least.   This is where you get creative and find ways to cut costs. Here are some tips to help you save:

1. Do not, repeat, DO NOT, have your wedding in June.  That is “Wedding Season” and most vendors hike their prices up to combat booking conflicts between couples who want the same day.
2. Have your wedding on an off day, like a Thursday or on Sunday.
3. Charity.  Donate your wedding dress, tux, and accessories.  Its tax deductible, DUH!
4. When haggling with vendors describe your event as a family gathering rather than as a wedding.  As mentioned above, vendors up the price because they know how special that day is.
5. Choose a location that comes with all the fixings you would generally rent such as, chairs, tables, silverware etc.
6. Instead of going all out on accessories, borrow some from a friend or family member.
7. We all love flowers but they cost mucho bucks at weddings.  Cut down on flowers and use them where necessary.
8. Book ahead of time.  Reserve wedding locations as early as possible.  It’s generally cheaper than when you try to book it closer to the event.
9. Share the cost of decorations and rentals with the couples that are using the same facilities before and after your ceremony.
10. Cut the guest list. Unfortunately this might hurt the most, but it is more beneficial on your wallet.

Weddings are a special moment in life that sometimes breaks the bank.  For newlyweds managing finances efficiently is a key in maintaining a healthy marriage.

Additionally DiscountMugs.com offers the cheapest Wedding Favors in the industry.  From personalized shot glasses to customized pens, we can guarantee you that special wedding favor for that special day because at DiscountMugs.com…We Make It Your Own.

When thinking about the history of pens, one seems to forget that pens are synonymous to paper?  You can’t have one with the other! So where exactly did pens come from?  What are pens made out of?  But before we get into tidbits about paper, please pick up personalized pens from DiscountMugs.com.  We make the best pens for fairly cheap prices or rather the cheapest prizes ever!

Papyrus Plant

OK, the word paper (papel in Spanish) comes from the term that the Greeks used to describe an ancient Egyptian writing material called papyrus.  Papyrus was created by beating over and over strips from the papyrus plant.  But before modern paper came into popularity it is believed that originally paper originated in China around the 2nd century AD.  Some historians note that there is evidence that paper existed even before the Chinese discovered it.  The first paper making pulp process was urbanized in China during the 2nd century by the Han court eunuch Cai Lun.

It is named one of the “Four Great Inventions of Ancient China” along with gunpowder, printing, and the compass.  Paper proved invaluable to China during the Golden Age.  It was used as a cheaper option to other materials like silk.  Paper allowed the Chinese to sell more silk which effectively took them into the Golden Age.

Ancient Papyrus Paper

As trading grew popular in China, the use of paper spread like wildfire into the Islamic world.  In the 13th century paper got popularized in medieval Europe.  The first water powered paper mills were built and papermaking using machines was introduced.   As the industrial revolution came about, the production of paper changed the culture of exchanging information.  It became a cheap way of exchanging information in the form of letters and advertising.  Additionally Industrialization made newspapers and books inexpensive to construct.
In 1844 two inventors, Charles Fenerty and F.G. Keller invented a machine that pulped wood (basically straining) for the use of paper making. This would end the nearly 2000-year use of pulped rags and start a modern twist for the production of paper printing and eventually all paper made out of pulped wood.

Paper Making Machine

Since the invention of the pulping machine, paper became a necessary part of our everyday lives.  You can’t have one with the other, no pens, no paper.  BUT please take into account our precious resources on earth.  Use and recycle paper and plastics wisely.  In the mean time, check out our promotional products and pens.  Only @ DiscountMugs.com, we make it your own!