Custom Notepads Printed with Your Logo

Scratch pads or adhesive notes: which one to order

A scratch pad is a stack of sheets glued along the top edge with a chipboard backer. You tear a sheet off and it goes with you. Scratch pads are the cheapest way to get a printed sheet into someone hands, and they are the right choice for trade shows, branch counters, hotel rooms, and any handout where volume matters more than shelf life.

Adhesive notes use a repositionable strip so the sheet sticks to a monitor, a door, or a file. Post-it® branded stock uses the same adhesive as the retail product, which is the reason it still holds after being moved several times. Off-brand adhesive notes cost noticeably less and are fine for a one-off mailing, but they lose their grip faster. Order the branded stock when the note is meant to carry a message that has to stay put, such as a renewal date or a service reminder.

Sheet count and paper stock

Most pads ship in 25-sheet or 50-sheet counts. A 25-sheet pad feels thin in the hand and runs out in a few weeks of normal use. A 50-sheet pad reads as a real desk item. If the pad is a leave-behind for a sales call, go with 50 sheets even if it means printing fewer pieces.

Standard stock on a quality pad is 60 lb. white offset paper with a chipboard back. Offset stock takes ink cleanly and does not feather. Lighter recycled stocks are available and cost less, but test a sample with a gel or rollerball pen before committing to a large run, because thin recycled sheets can show through to the sheet underneath. Many pads in this range carry FSC® certification, meaning the paper comes from certified forests, which is worth asking for when the buyer has a sustainability requirement to document.

Printing: one color, full color, and printing every sheet

A single spot color on the top or bottom margin of each sheet is the standard configuration and the most economical. Full color with bleed on all sides turns the sheet into a small piece of collateral and is worth it when the pad carries a map, a price list, a checklist, or a photograph.

Here is the part worth knowing before you pay for it: on most pads the imprint runs on every sheet, and that is where the cost sits. If you are trying to bring a quote down, ask about printing the artwork on the chipboard backer or the top sheet only. The pad still reads as branded on the desk, and the cost per pad drops sharply. Recipients rarely notice, and the money is better spent on more pads or more sheets.

Cube pads, magnet pads, and desk pads

Cube pads are printed on all four sides of the block, so the branding is visible even when the pad is full. They occupy real estate on a desk and are a good executive gift, but they are heavy to ship in quantity.

Magnet-backed pads stick to a refrigerator, a steel filing cabinet, or a service van door. They are the strongest performer for home services, real estate, insurance, pharmacies, and anyone who wants their phone number in a kitchen. If you want the magnet without the paper, see Magnets.

Desk pads are large-format and stay in one place. They give you the most printable area of anything in this category, which makes them useful for calendars, conversion charts, or product reference tables.

Artwork and ordering

Send vector artwork for one-color and two-color imprints, and a high-resolution file for full color work. Full bleed designs need the bleed built into the file, since the sheet is trimmed after printing. Keep critical text away from the glued head of the pad, because that edge is covered by the padding compound.

Paper products are usually among the faster items to produce, but full color runs with bleed and custom die-cut shapes take longer than standard rectangles. If the pads are for a dated event, confirm the production schedule before approving the proof rather than after. Browse the rest of the range in Office & Desktop.