Are you looking to make a statement with your own custom-printed buttons? Whether for a special event, political campaign, or just as an expression of yourself, creating and wearing your own personalised buttons is easier than ever. With the right materials and tools, anyone can make their professional-looking custom buttons in no time. Read on to find out how!
What you need
Your design, printable materials, a printer, scissors or a sharp knife, plastic casings or a button machine
Create a design
Creating the perfect design for your custom button is the first step in making a statement with your personalised buttons. With plenty of free online resources and elements available, creating a unique design that reflects you or your cause is easy. Whether you’re looking for an image, text, or both, there are countless options to choose from. You can even combine multiple photos and texts into one cohesive design. No matter what type of custom button you want, creating the right design will help ensure your message stands out!
Choose your material
Once you’ve created the perfect design for your custom buttons, it’s time to decide which materials will make them look the best. Most custom buttons are made on either paper or cardstock, but you can also use coloured vinyl and other thicker materials depending on what type of button machine or casings you use. Buttons are usually available in standard sizes and are mostly round. This means you can even look for pre-cut printable sheets that have the exact dimensions of your buttons. To make it super easy, look for materials with an adhesive back as it can help you align your printed design.
Make your design print ready
Making your design print ready is an important step in creating custom buttons. It involves ensuring that the artwork you have created meets the specifications of your printer and button machine, so that when printed, it looks exactly as you want it to. This requires ensuring all colours used are in CMYK format, properly converting fonts to outlines and exporting vector artwork. All these steps help provide a professional finish for your custom buttons.
Print your design
Printing your design is a crucial step in creating custom buttons, and it’s important to use the right materials and printer for the best outcome. Using a high-quality printer with the correct settings will help ensure your printed design looks exactly as you want. Be sure to use printable materials so that your artwork aligns correctly when printing. Using thicker materials like vinyl can also help give your custom button an even more professional finish. With careful planning and preparation, you can create beautiful personalised buttons that express your identity!
Making buttons without a machine
You do not need a machine to make your own buttons. Instead, you only need empty plastic casings that come with a pin and fill them yourself. Here's how:
Get plastic casings
If you don't have access to a button machine, pre-made plastic casings with a pin are an easy way to make your own custom buttons. These can be found in craft stores, online retailers, and other speciality websites. The plastic casing is usually round or square and comes with a metal pin attached that makes great custom buttons for clothes. To use these casings, all you need to do is cut out your artwork according to the size of the casing and insert it into the back of the frame before attaching it to your clothing or accessory.
Cut your artwork
Cutting your design is an important step in creating custom buttons. If you have ordered pre-cut materials, this step is effortless as all you need to do is remove the backing and apply your artwork directly to the button. However, if you are using standard paper or vinyl, then a Xacto knife or scissors can be used to cut out your desired shape for each button. It's important to ensure that each piece of artwork fits properly into the plastic casing to look professional when finished.
Insert your design
The last step is to insert your design into the plastic casing. Once inserted into the casing, all that's left to do is clip them shut for an instant update to any accessory or clothing item! Plus with this method of making custom buttons, updating your designs is easy - just switch up the artwork whenever you want!
Making custom buttons with a machine
Of course, the other option is to go super professional and use a custom button-making machine. Here is what to keep in mind when choosing this option.
Order your equipment
Making custom buttons with a button machine is the perfect way to create professional-looking, high-quality buttons. To get started on your own project, it's essential to first order your equipment, such as the button machine and individual parts for making each button. With these materials in hand, you'll be ready to craft eye-catching designs that express yourself or promote your cause!
Cut your artwork
Once you’ve ordered the necessary equipment, cut out your custom design according to the size of the button. Again, pre-cut materials make this step very easy. If you opted to non-cut materials, use scissors or a Xacto knife to create a precise cut.
Add the backing, design and top layer
Once all the parts for creating your custom button are on hand, it’s time to load them into the button machine. Depending on the type of machine you have, the loading process can vary. To ensure that everything fits correctly and looks professional when finished, be sure to read the manual or instructions that come with your button machine.
Press down
The last step in creating custom buttons with a button machine is to merge the parts together. Once everything has been placed correctly, it’s time to press down firmly on the button machine. You’ll know when the process is complete once you hear a clicking sound that indicates all parts have been securely merged. Congratulations, you’ve successfully made your own custom buttons!
Making custom buttons with a professional printer
Making custom buttons with a professional printer is another great way to get the perfect design for any occasion. With a professional printer, you can easily submit your design and order them online, leaving all the hard work to the professionals. This type of service is perfect for creating large orders of high-quality custom buttons that are sure to impress.