OWJones 1,981 Posted May 11, 2013 Tomorrow morning is Race for the Cure and I've been working all week to get everything ready and just wrapped up the final batch of pink ribbons and I'm glad, because the event has even started and I'm sick of Pink Ribbons already... Just in tonight's batch there are 60 Oracal soft pink ribbons (with the heart cutouts), 60 Oracal pink ribbons (ditto), 30+ layered FDC raspberry ultra metallic over Oracal white ribbons, 7 hot pink rhinestone transfers (two of which were later turned into rhinestone decals), and 1800 tiny pink ribbons, with a 50/50 split between soft pink and pink in sets of 10 (one for each fingernail). Plus I did HPV t-shirt design with company name and info plus one of the rhinestone transfers on that shirt. There are hundreds more similar decals already made. I'm pretty sure I'll be finding those tiny cutouts from the fingernail decals everywhere for the rest of my life - the pop off the backing when you poke them with a needle and are like fleas - they jump everywhere... Now I need to go through and put labels with company name, phone # and URL on the back of each item... 8 hours until the event starts and counting... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted May 11, 2013 I forgot the dozens of buttons (12 different designs), too... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokem 35 Posted May 11, 2013 The Buttons are wonderful Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted May 11, 2013 beautiful work Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted May 11, 2013 The Buttons are wonderful Thanks - they're awesome money makers - total cost to make is around $0.13 each and they easily sell for $2 each. Almost all of the artwork is from MyVinylDesigner.com 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SignJunky 10 Posted May 11, 2013 how did you make the buttons? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted May 11, 2013 how did you make the buttons? I have a Badge-A-Minit button making system. You put two aluminum pieces, a round piece of printed paper and a clear piece of mylar on top and press the handle twice and out pops a completed button. The only reason I have a B-A-M brand system is because I got it super cheap at an auction - there are other button making systems that are much cheaper and produce similar quality results. I usually get my button parts through ebay as B-A-M charges way too much for parts - this vendor Button Safari is where I usually order parts from, and he sells non-B-A-M machines. You need to watch out because the B-A-M parts and "standard" parts are not interchangable, so if you buy 2.25" "standard" machine you can't use B-A-M compatible button parts, and vice-versa. I have a 2.25" machine which is the right size for fund-raiser and party/event type buttons - most of the funny buttons you see in stores are 1" - 1.25" in size and that is a popular size for kid's for promoting their favorite bands, etc. The big 3" machines are primarily for making photo buttons for parents to wear large pictures of their children - band parents, sports parents, etc. - in my opinion they are too big and too expensive to be your only size choice, but there is money to be made there, too. I keep saying I'm going to get a 1.25" machine one of these days, but I keep buying more vinyl and dye sub (and now rhinestones!) to get around to it. You'll need the button making press, a set of parts, printed artwork (I print them in a regular laser or inkjet printer, doesn't require anything fancy) and a circle cutter - I have a manual and an electric circle cutter and use both - the electric one is nice for mass production, but I usually take the manual one with me when I setup remotely - none of the button making machines (with the exception of the fully automatic B-A-M machines) require any electricity, so it's very convenient to use at shows. This shows the process. Time to go to the Race! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SignJunky 10 Posted May 11, 2013 I have a Badge-A-Minit button making system. You put two aluminum pieces, a round piece of printed paper and a clear piece of mylar on top and press the handle twice and out pops a completed button. The only reason I have a B-A-M brand system is because I got it super cheap at an auction - there are other button making systems that are much cheaper and produce similar quality results. I usually get my button parts through ebay as B-A-M charges way too much for parts - this vendor Button Safari is where I usually order parts from, and he sells non-B-A-M machines. You need to watch out because the B-A-M parts and "standard" parts are not interchangable, so if you buy 2.25" "standard" machine you can't use B-A-M compatible button parts, and vice-versa. I have a 2.25" machine which is the right size for fund-raiser and party/event type buttons - most of the funny buttons you see in stores are 1" - 1.25" in size and that is a popular size for kid's for promoting their favorite bands, etc. The big 3" machines are primarily for making photo buttons for parents to wear large pictures of their children - band parents, sports parents, etc. - in my opinion they are too big and too expensive to be your only size choice, but there is money to be made there, too. I keep saying I'm going to get a 1.25" machine one of these days, but I keep buying more vinyl and dye sub (and now rhinestones!) to get around to it. You'll need the button making press, a set of parts, printed artwork (I print them in a regular laser or inkjet printer, doesn't require anything fancy) and a circle cutter - I have a manual and an electric circle cutter and use both - the electric one is nice for mass production, but I usually take the manual one with me when I setup remotely - none of the button making machines (with the exception of the fully automatic B-A-M machines) require any electricity, so it's very convenient to use at shows. This shows the process. Time to go to the Race! Wow..... Thanks for the info Jones!! I appreciate you taking them time to explain everything. That answers a lot of questions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted June 6, 2013 What program do you use to make your designs in? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted June 6, 2013 Oh, also, I checked your supplier on Ebay, (I just bought a BAM setup) as I was looking for a supplier. The price seems good but charging 22 bucks for shipping. I found this place http://www.buttonbiz.com/badge-a-minit-supplies.htm?source=google The price is about the same and "FREE SHIPPING" There is a 20 dollar saving for ya!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 6, 2013 What program do you use to make your designs in? All of the designs pictured in this thread, including buttons, are done in CorelDraw X6. I use that for nearly everything I do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 6, 2013 Oh, also, I checked your supplier on Ebay, (I just bought a BAM setup) as I was looking for a supplier. The price seems good but charging 22 bucks for shipping. I found this place http://www.buttonbiz.com/badge-a-minit-supplies.htm?source=google The price is about the same and "FREE SHIPPING" There is a 20 dollar saving for ya!! Button Safari sells sets of parts for 1000 buttons for $84.99 + $27.39 S&H (a box of 1000 sets of parts is large and heavy!) for a total of $112.38 ButtonBiz.com sells sets of parts for 1000 buttons for $119.95 with "free" S&H, which makes them more expensive. I found another ebay vendor (who I just purchased from) who sells sets of parts for $1000 buttons for only $62 + $26.39 for a total of $88.39, which is a lot better. So far all of the parts from this vendor have worked just fine. I personally can't tell a difference between the original BAM parts and the generics, with the exception that real BAM parts have "Badge-A-Minit.com" (or something similar) stamped into the back part of the button and the generics don't. I haven't noticed any difference in failure rates between the brands and I've stamped a LOT of buttons in the past few years. I always print an extra 3% above how ever many I need as my failure rate runs in the 1-2% range and I like to have extra - at $0.13 each I can afford to throw in a few extra for that "bakers dozen" impression. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 6, 2013 One other thing - be careful what kind of paper stock you print on - if it's too thick or shiny, it won't wrap well around the front piece of the button. I tried making some buttons using photos printed out of the 1-hour photo processing machine at Wal-Mart - it does not work - at all. Every single one failed - I gave up after 10 and re-printed the photos on standard inkjet printer. The mylar front on the button adds gloss to even the dullest of inkjet papers, so there is no need for fancy paper. It also darkens the colors a small amount, so print a few test images and stamp them before you commit to printing large quantities. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokem 35 Posted June 6, 2013 OW..Do you have a manual or an automatic (electric) machine??AND... these are 2 1/4 buttons??Thanks(edited to add)Duh... I had read this before but forgot.....Apologies for not rereading the entire thread Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 6, 2013 I have 3 machines, actually... A hand press A bench press And the Semi-Automatic press I got all 3 machines, plus the two cutters and a big box of parts at a live auction and I've never actually tried to use the hand press or bench press - I read the instructions and there were entirely too many steps involved and I'm lazy. The only real difference between the fully automatic machine and the semi-automatic machine is that with the fully automatic machine you don't pull a lever twice, you push a button once. You still have to manually load the various parts for each button you make, and unless you have really bad arthritis or no strength at all in your hands and arms, it's not worth the extra $500+ for the fully automatic machine, at least in my opinion. I have the automatic circle cutter ($180) and it is a lot less effort than the manual circle cutter when doing large jobs, but for anything less than a dozen it's just as fast to use the manual cutter. If I was going to buy a manual cutter, I'd spend the extra $30 and buy the metal one with a crank as the plastic one is hard to get a good grip on and cut reliably after the first 25-30 your fingers start getting tired of trying to grip the little handle. And yes, these are all the BAM 2.25" buttons - which aren't exactly 2.25", they're a tiny bit bigger, which is why you'll see auction listings for "BAM" 2.25" parts and "Standard" 2.25" parts - they are NOT interchangeable. Every month BAM has a Hot Button of the Month contest and you can submit your latest designs for a chance to win a $50 or $100 gift certificate from BAM - I've won one of each so far - they're only good for 30 days so don't let it go waste (like I did with the $100 the first time I won). I've found it helps if there is a compelling story about why your buttons were the ideal choice for the event/promotion/etc. to go with your design. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted June 6, 2013 Button Safari sells sets of parts for 1000 buttons for $84.99 + $27.39 S&H (a box of 1000 sets of parts is large and heavy!) for a total of $112.38 ButtonBiz.com sells sets of parts for 1000 buttons for $119.95 with "free" S&H, which makes them more expensive. I found another ebay vendor (who I just purchased from) who sells sets of parts for $1000 buttons for only $62 + $26.39 for a total of $88.39, which is a lot better. So far all of the parts from this vendor have worked just fine. I personally can't tell a difference between the original BAM parts and the generics, with the exception that real BAM parts have "Badge-A-Minit.com" (or something similar) stamped into the back part of the button and the generics don't. I haven't noticed any difference in failure rates between the brands and I've stamped a LOT of buttons in the past few years. I always print an extra 3% above how ever many I need as my failure rate runs in the 1-2% range and I like to have extra - at $0.13 each I can afford to throw in a few extra for that "bakers dozen" impression. Well, to start, I wasn't comparing apples to apples. I was looking at the quantity of 500. Ebay has them at $80.33 including shipping and the other place was $69.95 with free shipping. I didn't even look at the 1000 as I wasn't interested in that amount to start but it does drop the price per unit almost in half. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted June 6, 2013 Oh, and one more thing..... the auction I got was the one with the hand press. I pressed one button to test and I already hate it. To many steps..... I am already looking for the semi!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted June 6, 2013 What size circle do you use in corel? 2.25 is actually to small isn't it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 6, 2013 Last election I was wishing I had one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeeJaysPlace 476 Posted June 6, 2013 Tomorrow morning is Race for the Cure and I've been working all week to get everything ready and just wrapped up the final batch of pink ribbons and I'm glad, because the event has even started and I'm sick of Pink Ribbons already... Pink Ribboned Out.jpg Just in tonight's batch there are 60 Oracal soft pink ribbons (with the heart cutouts), 60 Oracal pink ribbons (ditto), 30+ layered FDC raspberry ultra metallic over Oracal white ribbons, 7 hot pink rhinestone transfers (two of which were later turned into rhinestone decals), and 1800 tiny pink ribbons, with a 50/50 split between soft pink and pink in sets of 10 (one for each fingernail). Plus I did HPV t-shirt design with company name and info plus one of the rhinestone transfers on that shirt. There are hundreds more similar decals already made. I'm pretty sure I'll be finding those tiny cutouts from the fingernail decals everywhere for the rest of my life - the pop off the backing when you poke them with a needle and are like fleas - they jump everywhere... Now I need to go through and put labels with company name, phone # and URL on the back of each item... 8 hours until the event starts and counting... Could you post the EPS for these.. i can't find any good ribbon eps out there.. and when i try to make one it's all messed up hehe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OWJones 1,981 Posted June 6, 2013 What size circle do you use in corel? 2.25 is actually to small isn't it? The circle you're going to cut out is 2.75 inches in diameter so it has enough to wrap around the edge of the button and get crimped in the back - it should be same diameter as the mylar top piece. The center portion that will actually be visible is very close to 2.25 inches - I always extend the background (if there is one) beyond that so I don't end up with a visible white edge. I usually just go ahead and fill the 2.75" circle with the background. With the exception of the "Save the Boobies" image, which I found on this site, the rest of the graphics are all copyrighted from My Vinyl Designer and can be purchased from them for a very low price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
signyouup 178 Posted June 6, 2013 Here's what I use for buttons: http://www.youtube.com/embed/OPXqGJHy-WM This is where I get my supplies. http://www.usabuttons.com/ My 2-1/4" 500-$38.00 1000-$58.00 Badge a minit 2-1/4" 500-$44.00 1000=$64.00 OWJones - If you need to do a really good photo button look for brochure paper, It's not much thicker than regular and has the photo paper coating. If I have to do more than 3 or 4 that's what I use. I can get regular photo paper to work but there's a technique to it and it's a very narrow window.(I usually scrap 1) Bill P.S. I've got a 1", 2-1/4" and 3" button machine and have the metal manual cutter with the hand crank. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
