Badges may make a profitable business or a productive pastime.
Anyone can do it with the right materials and equipment at hand.
Firstly you will need a specific badge-making machine that assembles and presses the different parts of the badge together.
These may be ordered online or available at local craft shops.
It can either be manual pressers or electric assembly badge makers that do production in big numbers.
Nevertheless, they both get the job done.
However, for the purpose of this article, we will assume that a simple manual badge maker is being used.
The first thing to consider in making a badge is the design.
You may customize these by either hand-drawing or using graphic editing software.
The most popular would probably be Adobe Photoshop, with free trials available online for download.
Before commencing with the creative process, draft concentric circles.
The innermost circle shall be the button face which is where the design goes.
The outermost circle is an allowance that will be folded in and hidden once the buttons have been pressed.
Also make sure that the design size or diameter matches that of the machine.
There are several websites where you can download templates to make the designing process much easier.
The designs are now ready for printing and cutting.
You can print out your designs using an inkjet or laser printer.
Ensure that you use paper that is no thicker than 120gsm because thick paper can tear the thin mylar covering the badge.
There are different ways of cutting your designs out.
The most basic and simple would be doing it manually by using a pair of scissors or box cutters.
This however takes up a lot of effort and time.
You can remedy that by making circular templates to guide your box cutter.
An adjustable rotary cutter is a machine that caters to different diameters for your button badges.
It is used by people who are on tight budget but do not want to pick up a pair of scissors.
Then again, the cutter is slightly difficult to use, sometimes inaccurate with its preset sizes, and may be time consuming.
A graphic punch is a more expensive but professional cutter that produces accurate results, is efficient and user friendly, and is highly durable as it does not use any blades that may become dull.
It can also punch bunches of more than 500 buttons.
Lastly, the volume press is another professional cutter that goes through 30 pages of buttons at a time.
Designs though must conform to the volume press' cutting diameter.
Now that the designs have been cut out, it is on to the last stage of making button badges.
Badge makers may differ in procedure but generally you put your cut-out design, the metal shells, and a thin clear plastic cover called Mylar into separate rings.
Arrange and stack these rings accordingly with the cut-out design in the middle then align them under the machine.
Pull the handle all the way down and release.
Remove it from the badge maker and attach the pin back to the metal shell.
This is what you use to attach onto your clothes, bags, or hats.
Voila! You have now completed one badge.
Repeat these steps and you are on your way to producing a successful set of button badges!
Anyone can do it with the right materials and equipment at hand.
Firstly you will need a specific badge-making machine that assembles and presses the different parts of the badge together.
These may be ordered online or available at local craft shops.
It can either be manual pressers or electric assembly badge makers that do production in big numbers.
Nevertheless, they both get the job done.
However, for the purpose of this article, we will assume that a simple manual badge maker is being used.
The first thing to consider in making a badge is the design.
You may customize these by either hand-drawing or using graphic editing software.
The most popular would probably be Adobe Photoshop, with free trials available online for download.
Before commencing with the creative process, draft concentric circles.
The innermost circle shall be the button face which is where the design goes.
The outermost circle is an allowance that will be folded in and hidden once the buttons have been pressed.
Also make sure that the design size or diameter matches that of the machine.
There are several websites where you can download templates to make the designing process much easier.
The designs are now ready for printing and cutting.
You can print out your designs using an inkjet or laser printer.
Ensure that you use paper that is no thicker than 120gsm because thick paper can tear the thin mylar covering the badge.
There are different ways of cutting your designs out.
The most basic and simple would be doing it manually by using a pair of scissors or box cutters.
This however takes up a lot of effort and time.
You can remedy that by making circular templates to guide your box cutter.
An adjustable rotary cutter is a machine that caters to different diameters for your button badges.
It is used by people who are on tight budget but do not want to pick up a pair of scissors.
Then again, the cutter is slightly difficult to use, sometimes inaccurate with its preset sizes, and may be time consuming.
A graphic punch is a more expensive but professional cutter that produces accurate results, is efficient and user friendly, and is highly durable as it does not use any blades that may become dull.
It can also punch bunches of more than 500 buttons.
Lastly, the volume press is another professional cutter that goes through 30 pages of buttons at a time.
Designs though must conform to the volume press' cutting diameter.
Now that the designs have been cut out, it is on to the last stage of making button badges.
Badge makers may differ in procedure but generally you put your cut-out design, the metal shells, and a thin clear plastic cover called Mylar into separate rings.
Arrange and stack these rings accordingly with the cut-out design in the middle then align them under the machine.
Pull the handle all the way down and release.
Remove it from the badge maker and attach the pin back to the metal shell.
This is what you use to attach onto your clothes, bags, or hats.
Voila! You have now completed one badge.
Repeat these steps and you are on your way to producing a successful set of button badges!