Resource Center » Who Invented the Promotional Pen?
Abraham Singer of Amsterdam Printing & Litho may have been the inventor of the promotional pen.
Did Abraham Singer of Amsterdam Printing & Litho invent the promotional pen? It is hinted in the company’s history that he could have been the inventor, but it is not clear. However, this entrepreneur of the late 1800s and early 1900s could have been the first person to print a company’s name on a pen for promotional purposes.
 |
Presently, it seems as if every bank, real estate office, business, and organization has pens with their names printed or engraved on them. The pens range from inexpensive all-purpose pens to exclusive precision writing instruments. Companies give them to their customers and clients, but they also give quality pens to their employees as part of recognition of accomplishments. |
Abraham Singer was a man with a vision for the needs of society. Print was the main source of mass communication at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, and Abraham Singer met the need of the public with the printing business he started in his Amsterdam, New York apartment. His innovative talents were demonstrated in the first quarter of the twentieth century when he recognized the efficiency of printing a company’s advertisement on paper to spread a specific message. He then started printing advertisements on writing pads. Because writing pads are just one step away from pens, it is possible that printing advertisements on note pads could have led Singer to print advertisements on pens.
| If you consider this evidence along with Amsterdam® Printing’s own claim that they invented laser engraved pens, then it seems possible that the key motivator could have been Abraham Singer. His dedication to simple and overlooked promotional ideas has grown Amsterdam® Printing. Now the company has many other promotional products, but the pen remains a central product with a large selection. |  |
However, because pens are so widely used, it's possible that promotional pens could have been invented by someone else. Someone created the bone shaped pen for veterinary offices and someone created house shaped pens for real estate offices, but it is a safe assumption that Abraham Singer’s visionary ideas at least contributed to the invention of the promotional pen.
Perhaps Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, was the unrecognized inventor of the promotional pen. Who can say that he did not use his interest in engraving to write the name of his printing press on writing instruments? Johannes Gutenberg, like Abraham Singer, was a man who recognized and met the communication needs of society with the printed word.
 |
The forethought of Johannes Gutenberg could have prompted him to invent a promotional pen, but there is more evidence that points to Abraham Singer as the inventor. Even though it may never be known for sure, both of these men are instrumental in the printing industry and have inspired legacies. |
Product & Industry History
How Did the Frisbee Get Its Name?
Who Invented the Koozie?
Who Invented the Promotional Pen?
Who Invented the Promotional Calendar?
History of Advertising Graphics
History of TV Ads
The Great Exhibition of 1851 and Beyond
The World's Fair: New York 1964
U.S. Copyright History
History of Coffee
