How do you get 500 branded desk giveaways ready for a national trade show in a month, when your brand is on the line?
DURABLE (UK), the workplace products brand, needed 500 branded giveaways for The Workplace Event at the NEC: miniatures of their hero DURABIN recycling bin, turned into a desk pen pot. They had used another supplier before and the quality was not there. We ran a free printability and optimisation audit on their CAD, matched a PLA to their brand green (grey bodies with grey and green lids, just like the real bins), embossed the DURABLE logo into every one, and delivered all 500 within a month, in time for the show, with a batch of branded keyrings added free. They have told us they will be ordering again later this year.
Who is DURABLE (UK)?
DURABLE (UK) Ltd is the UK arm of the German workplace products manufacturer Durable, based in Wimborne, Dorset. Their DURABIN recycling bins, DURAFRAME info frames and workplace signage are used in offices across the country. When their marketing team wanted a giveaway that would stand out at The Workplace Event at the NEC, they wanted something unmistakably theirs: a desk version of the DURABIN, in their own colours, that people would actually keep.
Visit DURABLE (UK)500 giveaways that had to look the part, ready in a month, after a supplier that let them down.
A trade show giveaway only works if it looks the part. DURABLE wanted 500 desk pen pots modelled on their hero product, the DURABIN recycling bin, right down to the grey body and colour coded lid, with their logo on every one, ready for The Workplace Event at the NEC in Birmingham. Miss the date and the giveaway is worthless.
They had also had promotional pieces made before and the quality was not there. As their marketing team put it, when your brand is on the line you want someone who can deliver, and to a good standard. So the brief was really two things: make it look genuinely like a Durable product, and make 500 of them, on time, without a single batch that lets the brand down.
A free printability audit, a PLA matched to their brand green, and the DURABIN logo in every piece.
DURABLE already had CAD, so we started with a free printability and optimisation audit: going through the model and adjusting it so it prints cleanly, consistently and fast across a run of 500, rather than fighting the geometry on every part. We matched a PLA to their brand green and made the pots up the way the real bins are: grey bodies with grey and green lids, so each one reads instantly as a Durable product. The DURABLE logo is embossed into every piece, part of the print rather than a sticker that peels. Printed in two parts, the body and a lid with two holes for the pens, the run came off our Poole printers in batches, checked for a consistent finish, and was delivered inside a month, comfortably ahead of the show. We added a batch of branded keyrings as a thank you.
From their CAD to 500 on the stand. Here's how we ran it.
Every project at our Poole workshop follows the same structured process, whether it is a one off prototype or a branded run of 500. No surprises, just clean execution.
Free printability audit
We took DURABLE's CAD and ran our free printability and optimisation audit, adjusting the model so it prints cleanly and consistently at volume.
Step 1Brand match
PLA matched to Durable green; grey bodies with grey and green lids, and the DURABLE logo embossed into every piece.
Step 2Batch production
All 500 printed in batches across our Poole machines, each one checked for a consistent finish the brand could put its name to.
Step 3Delivered for the show
All 500 delivered inside a month, ahead of The Workplace Event, with a batch of branded keyrings added free.
Step 4
500 delivered, a happier brand, and a reorder on the way.
DURABLE had 500 giveaways ready for the NEC, all on brand and printed to a standard their previous supplier had not matched. They left us a public review, referred us on within the business, and have told us they will be ordering again later this year.
| 3D Printing Express (what we did) | Previous supplier | |
|---|---|---|
| Finish across 500 units | Consistent and checked to a brand standard | Quality fell short last time |
| Brand accuracy | A true mini DURABIN: grey body, colour lids, embossed logo | Generic giveaway |
| Design help before printing | Free printability and optimisation audit (worth £129) | Not offered |
Amazing quality. We needed a product miniature for an expo activation and the process was so smooth, and the quality of the end result was amazing. Turned many heads. James and Freddy were great with communication through the process.
Gallery From the project
4 photos · 3D Printing Express, Poole
Questions about 3D printed promotional products and branded giveaways
Common questions about branded 3D printed giveaways and small production runs. Our workshop is in Poole, Dorset, and we print for brands across Bournemouth, Wimborne, the South Coast and the whole of the UK.
Can you 3D print branded promotional products for trade shows?
Yes, it is one of our favourite jobs. For DURABLE we printed 500 branded desk giveaways for The Workplace Event at the NEC, modelled on their own product and finished in their brand colours. 3D printing means no moulds and no huge minimum order, so a few hundred pieces in your own branding are affordable and can be ready in time for the date.
Can you match our brand colours and put our logo on the parts?
Yes. We matched a PLA to Durable's brand green and embossed their logo into every piece, so the branding is part of the part, not a sticker that peels. Send us your brand colour and logo and we will show you a sample before the full run.
How fast can you turn around a few hundred units?
This run of 500 was delivered within a month, comfortably ahead of the client's show date. Turnaround depends on size and quantity, but because we print in batches across several machines we can hit fixed event deadlines. Tell us your date and we will tell you straight whether we can make it.
What is a free printability audit?
If you already have CAD, we will review it free and tell you how to make it print better: cleaner, more consistent and cheaper at volume, before you commit to a run. For DURABLE we optimised their existing model so all 500 came out to the same standard. It is worth £129 and it is free with your project.
Need branded giveaways or promo pieces for an event? Send us the brief.
We print branded promotional products, trade show giveaways and small production runs from our workshop in Poole, Dorset, for clients across Bournemouth, Wimborne, the South Coast and the whole UK. Matched to your colours, your logo embossed in, delivered to your date. You'll hear back from the two founders, not a form reply.