Which Way Is Up When You Turn Over Your USB Sticks

Promotional USB memory sticks are incredibly popular at the moment with millions being given away every year. Their popularity is being fuelled by falling prices, larger memory sizes, ease of use and the demise of the CD.

Companies that give them away are also catching on to the benefit of pre-loading them with their sales brochures, presentation slides and media files. By doing this they not only save significant print, transportation and storage costs but they give their customers something that is inherently useful and something that has a high perceived value.

There are lots of different models, shapes and styles of USB memory sticks available today and most of them look stunning when printed with a company logo but it does pay to take the time to choose a colour/style that compliment the brand being printed on the USB stick.

Most companies that buy printed USB sticks will get both sides of the USB stick printed but not everyone gives a great deal of thought to which way up the logo will appear when the stick is turned over. You’d think there would only be one right way of doing it but, depending on how you turn the stick over in your hand, it will either end up the correct way up or upside down.

The standard way USB sticks are printed is the opposite way to which credit cards are printed – if you take a credit or bank card and roll it over in your hand from top to bottom the text is upside down but, if you rotate it from left to right it is the correct way up. USB credit cards and USB memory sticks work the opposite way.

The images here illustrate how USB credit cards (and sticks) are printed as standard. You can get them printed so they work just like a credit card but you’d need to specify this when you place any order.

It’s a small point but it’s something that does vex some people so it’s worth appreciating the subtlety of it and making sure you if you order USB sticks printed on both sides that you get the text printed how you want it.