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Custom Buttons - Ever Wonder How They Are Made?

buildawebsite | Jul 12, 2011 |

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We all love going to some new, exclusive event or place. A new museum opening, or perhaps a rock concert! Or maybe some famous, celebrity birthday party (but; we're not all that lucky!!)

You may have noticed that sometimes, certain events, parties, or places always seem to have fantastic buttons (the pinback, shirt buttons) created exclusively for the event! These custom buttons really let the event stand out and serve as a permanent souvenir to mark the event's passing. They might have a witty saying, or some commentary about the place, or even just bright, beautiful imagery to draw attention.

But, whatever the purpose of the event, and whatever the text, style, or images on them, custom buttons are a really fun way to commemorate nearly anything, and are actually a pretty inexpensive way to either advertise for your business, or possibly just have something fun to make with the kids.

So, how are those custom buttons made?

Custom Button Blanks

Credit: custombuttons.com

The blanks that are used to create custom buttons will typically be metallic (and SHOULD be, if the button is designed to last a very long time. The advantage of a good quality, metallic custom button blank is that it can support a pin-back configuration (the "poke through the shirt" type of button) or, a clothing-friendly magnetic configuration (a magnet on the inside of the clothes can hold the button securely in place).

Custom Button Machine

Credit: custombuttons.com

The button machine is a fairly simple device, actually. It is used to stamp down hard, and affix the printed image to the button blank. The lever presses the foot down into the plate. The printed image must be pre-cut from a die to the proper size for the button blank it is being attached to. The button machine itself is designed to make it easy to create custom buttons for all occasions, and once it is pressed, the image is permanently affixed to the button blank.

Creating Custom Buttons

Creating custom buttons begins with basic planning. Mainly, the button creator will decide on the size of the button they wish to create. There are standard "round" buttons, that are actually the most common. The common round button is availably typically in sizes from 7/8" (0.875 inches, pretty small indeed!) all the way up to 6 inches (the size of a small lunch plate!!). Round buttons are more common, of course, but squares, rectangles, and even ovals are also possible!

The image designer will fit their image inside of a template. The template will be "to size", to help the image designer with this process. There is a "safe line" that the majority of the image must fit inside of (this serves as a border; anything outside of the safe line is considered to be in the area that begins to "fall" off the side of the button. In the case of a common round button, the graphic designer must keep in mind that the image will be viewed on a disc-shape, instead of a square. The graphic will usually be designed with the shape of the custom button in mind.

Once the image is set inside of the template, multiple prints are then made, and a special die is used to clean-cut the printed image. At this point, there will be many copies of the image, but they will all be on flat paper, still waiting to be affixed to the button itself.

The button maker will then take the cut image, place it on the button machine (along with a button blank), and pressing the foot down firmly will allow a shiny, new custom button to pop out! A great button maker will always observe their work as this proceeds and ensure that the buttons are being made to high quality. As the button maker develops their craft, making custom buttons becomes a very mechanical, rapid process.

Creating custom buttons can be fun, and the process itself is not entirely difficult (although it can take a great amount of practice.