Promotional Mousemats At The Start of The PC Era
Promotional mousemats are one of the defining and most popular promotional gifts available. They tick all the boxes when it comes to promotional gifts and marketing a company or organisation, offering a great print area, full range of materials and print options in an everyday product that will get seen and used often.
So where does the humble mousemat originate from? Well believe it or not, it took the development of another early PC peripheral, the computer mouse, to lead to the innovation we know today as a ‘mousemat’. It was in 1968 that the first mousemat came to the public’s attention during a PC mouse demonstration by Douglas Engelbart. The control console included a keyboard and inset portion for the mouse. The mousmat pad made its stand-alone debut a year later.
A mousemat essentially provides a flat surface on which a promotional mouse can be used and generally increases the friction of the rubber ball inside. Today most PC mice are optional using an optical image sensors to replace the rubber tracker ball. Whilst optical mice do function well on plain (non-reflective) surfaces, a mousemat is still required to ensure their smooth operation and movement.
Off course in addition to improving the overall movement and flow of a PC mouse, a mousemat also protects the surfaced used by the mouse from scratches, and general wear and tear.
There are many mousemats or mousepads available today and they vary in their generally thickness (normally 3mm to 5mm), materials used and their surface textures. The most popular type of mousemat was a vinyl covered board but this has gradually been replaced by foamed-backed or more rigid PVC-based mousemats. Optical mice can generally be used on either type but a more rigid based mousemat seems to offer the most efficient usage.
A development within the last two years has been the introduction of eco promotional mousemats made from recycled materials. This can include mousemats made from recycled plastics (drinks bottles) as well as paper and recycled card.
The other benefit of promotional mousemats from a marketing point of view is their weight or lack of it. This makes then ideal for general giveaways at corporate events and exhibitions as well as for use in direct mail campaigns.
Posted in Promotional Gifts, Promotional Mousemats
