What kind of badge is best for me?

From all the options available, how can I work out which is the best type of badge for me?

We know that the choice can be bewildering, which is why our advisers are on hand to help. When you telephone or email, your questions will be replied to by genuine badge experts, trained and knowledgable about the products.

To give you a little help, here is a rundown of the main categories of badges that we supply.

Button Badges

Button badges are full colour badges, pressed together by machine. They are usually circular, but we do offer one square and one rectangular option too. They tend to be familiar as the type of badge found on birthday cards, or as low cost promotional or reward badges.

The advantages of button badges are:

• Low cost
• You can order from just a single badge upwards.
• Full colour print is standard, and multiple designs can be included within an order.
• The turnaround time can be very fast.

Cloth Badges (Embroidered / Woven / Printed Fabric)

Embroidered badges and woven badges are similar products made using different techniques. The term ‘embroidered’ means that the design is embroidered to a background fabric, while ‘woven’ indicates that the design is formed by a process of weaving different threads together.

The visible differences in the final badges are that embroidery has a slightly more traditional feel, the stitching of the design being noticeably raised above the background fabric. With woven, the surface is flat and smooth. The woven threads are also finer than they are for embroidery, which means that small details are more defined and easier to replicate in a woven badge.

It is also possible to print a cloth badge. This is usually accomplished by printing in full colour to a plain woven background.

For any of the options, the size and shape are completely bespoke, and they can be supplied suitable for sewing on, or with an iron-on backing.

Enamel Lapel Badges (Enamelled and Similar Types)

Premium lapel badges are often collectively referred to as ‘enamel badges’. In fact the ‘enamel’ is the material which forms the blocks of solid colour within an enamelled badge (each colour block being surrounded by fine lines of metal).

Similar badges can also be made in metal alone, or with a print replacing the enamelling process.

Whichever method is used, each order of lapel badges is created to be entirely unique – in shape, size, and of course in the underlying artwork.

Name Badges (Personalised or Identification Badges)

If individual identification is required, we have a range of name badge options available.

The premium choices are printed full colour to a solid PVC base. The print coverage is 100% of the badge, so the background can be any colour you need! The badge can be left as printed, or a protective dome can be applied to the surface of the badges. We recommend the dome for hard wear, regular usage, or environments with chemicals or cleaning products such as a hospital or a hairdressers.

If budget is tight, we can also supply button name badges. The cost is lower, but the choice of sizes and shapes is different. Button name badges can be ordered with either a standard pin or a magnet for clothing fitting.

Finally for individual photograph identification, we can also supply ID cards at a standard size of 85mm x 55mm.