La boutique ouvre officiellement ses portes le 11 octobre 2014.
Critical Buttons Montreal est la première boutique en son genre au Québec. C’est aussi l’atelier dans lequel nous fabriquons tous nos produits.
Voici quelques photos qui vous donneront un petit aperçu de l’endroit. N’hésitez pas à venir nous voir et nous questionner, il nous fait toujours plaisir de partager notre expertise et notre passion!
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Filed under Button Making Business, Fundraising with Buttons, Small Business Start Up, Starting a custom button business
I hopped in the car and took the trip to Montreal to see how Joel and Nic are doing setting up their custom button store in Montreal.
It’s very cool. They are not setup yet but their opening party is this Friday in Montreal. They’ve got it all: Button Making Machines, Button Parts and a really fast setup for Custom Buttons. Nic is after all the fastest button maker on the planet!
For Custom buttons in Montreal & Quebec call 1-866 996 1984
Here are some pics:
Button Store Montreal
Bomacaron Button Shop Quebec
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Filed under Button Making, Buying A Button Maker, Magnet Buttons, Multi Die Button Makers, Small Business Start Up
Great news for all button makers and button people in Montreal. The guys from Pinscity and Bomacaron have got together to open a button store on Ste. Catherine East in Montreal.
Nic and Joel are making custom buttons right there in the store and both are experienced button makers who can help and advise on any button making project. Ontario has had a button store for some time, in Toronto, but this is the first button store I have heard of in Quebec. They are stocking button makers, button machines and button parts right there in downtown Montreal.
This is what the store looked like in August 2014 and this is what it still looks like on Google street view.
New Button Store opening in Montreal
Yes I don’t see a button shop either. But this is Google street view, it’s always out of date!
The new store is the one with the “Bieres” sign and next time I’m in Montreal I’m going to swing by and see how Joel and Nic are doing. I will provide a new update with the current picture soon. In the meantime lets support these guys and their brave new venture!
Macaron Machine Inc.
dba Bomacaron.com & Pinscity.com
4204 Ste-Catherine East
Montreal, Quebec
H1V 1X3
Store closed. In the meantime get custom buttons made 1-866 996 1984
Checkout the website! Critical Custom Buttons in Montreal
You can also buy button makers, get supplies for button machines or get buttons made. Serving Montreal amd Quebec
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Filed under Anime Buttons, Button artwork, Button design, Button Designer Software, Button Makers & Kids, Button Making, Button Making Business, Button Making Ideas, Button Making Parts, Button vending, Buying A Button Maker, custom buttons, Fundraising, Fundraising with Buttons, Interchangeable Die Button Makers, Magnet Buttons, Multi Die Button Makers, Multiple Die Button Makers, printing buttons, Printing custom buttons, Selling Buttons, Small Business Start Up, Starting a custom button business
The new multiple size die button maker kits
Whilst this machine is not as fast as a pro button maker if you need buttons in smaller quantities but in different sizes this is an option. The difference in cost is substantial. The multi machine at $400 is equivalent to 3 pro button makers at $1200 – $1600. Pro machines are faster but if you are not running a button business or producing bulk buttons this could be a low cost solution.
Interchangeable dies for button making. Picture shows 1″, 2-1/4″ and 3″ dies.
Currently this machine is available with dies in 1″, 2-1/4″ and 3″. 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″ and 1-3/4″ dies will be available by the end of the year. Additional die sets with a matching circle cutter are around $100 to $150 depending on size. To swap dies simply pull the pin out and remove the die carrier. Once you have replaced the die carrier with the size you need you slot it in place, slip in the pin and you’re away. With this style of button maker there are no upper dies which are harder to replace and often consequently do not line up correctly causing poor quality buttons. With this multi machine you should have no trouble.
interchangeable die button maker
As I have said before the method of using the dies is slower but it does seem to be reliable. The method is a little bit like Badge-A-Minit except these are inexpensive standard button parts and the dies are solid metal and not plastic. To make a button you flip the dies and press the button in sequence. Here’s a detailed instruction on making a 2-1/4″ pin-back button using a multi size button maker:
The basic press. This machine will press dies from 1″ to 3″.
Die table with 2 dies for button making. Pickup die on the left and crimp die on the right. The first press uses the left hand pickup die. The second press uses the right hand crimp die.
The positioning ring (bottom view) Do not use this way up.
The correct side of the positioning ring – Always use this way up in both the left and right hand dies.
The pressing die. Use this way up for the first press.
The pressing die (View of the flip side) Use this way up for the 2nd press.
Spacer rings – Only necessary for making 2-1/4″ buttons. Not supplied for other sizes.
Adding the plastic ring when using the 2-1/4″ die is just a question of laying the ring down before inserting the pin-back
And you will also need your button parts
Artwork ready to cut first before pressing
Remember that you can also make magnets, key-chains, mirrors as well as all kinds of items. They usually involve changing the back button part, the front remains the same. Just follow these instructions but for example for a fridge magnet use a magnet back instead of the pin-back.
Place the button maker in front of you with the dies easily accessible on a solid table so you can begin button making.
Place a shell in the left hand or pickup die. The edge of the shell slots into the circular slit in the pickup die. The shell fits exactly into the slot.
Add your pre prepared artwork or image over the shell. It should fit snugly in the available space. Now cover your art or image with a circular sheet of clear mylar.
Note! Adding the white plastic spacer ring is only necessary for the 2-1/4″ die set.
Adding the plastic ring when using the 2-1/4″ die is just a question of laying the ring down before inserting the pin-back.
Place your pin-back, pin facing down and make sure your pin-back and the direction of your art match as per the photo. You want the pin to end up at the top of your art. So you now have your button maker loaded with shell, image and mylar in the left die and pin-back in the right die.
Place the positioning ring over your image so that the centre of your image shows through. Make sure the positioning ring has slotted into the lower die and is firm or it may be upside down.
Place the pressing die on top of the positioning ring. Note how most of the pressing die is sticking out of the positioning ring making it higher.
So remember, in this order: shell, image then mylar. Positioning ring and then pressing die. To see which way up they go see above.
Now swivel the die table so that the left hand die moves to a position under the press and press your button. You will note with the first press that you feel the handle give as it presses your button. No force is necessary just pull the handle down.
Make sure you go all the way down but force is not necessary.
Once the first press is complete remove the pressing die and flip it as you put it down ready for the second press. Remove the positioning ring from the left die and you will see your image pressed into the ring ready to move to the right hand die and to match up with the pin-back.
This illustrates your positioning ring from the underneath. Your shell is pressed into the ring with your image and mylar. Note the edge of your art and the mylar around the edge ready for the pin-back. Move carefully to retain the correct position.
So carefully remove the positioning ring with your art from the left hand die and place it over the pin-back in the right hand die. Match the top of the back to the top of your image.
Remember: The position of the art to the pin-back makes a difference to your final button.
You already flipped your pressing die so place it on top of your art. It should slide into the positioning ring. Make sure the curved or button shape surface is face down.
Now you’re ready for the second press. Swing your die table under the press to complete the second press.
This is not far enough. Swing the die table all the way to the stop. Watch it doesn’t bounce back a little.
Make sure you’re in the center of the die.
Pull the black handle down all the way in the centre of the die. There is no give on the second press. No force necessary. Just a steady pull all the way down.
Once you have completed the second press you can remove the pressing die and the positioning ring and your button will be revealed. Check the pin lines up at the top of the art so the button is straight. If not watch for this on the next button. Make sure you line up the art and the pin. Happy button making!
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Filed under Interchangeable Die Button Makers, Multi Die Button Makers, Multiple Die Button Makers
Selling your button designs in stores can be a great way to launch your button business. But buttons are a low cost item that can walk very easily if you have them in a jar on the counter or on a board. Packaging buttons is a good way to go. You can make sets of matching buttons and put them on a display card or 4 in a bag with a header card. I will be writing a separate article about button packaging in due course. Another way to ensure you don’t loose buttons to pilfering is sell them using a button vending machine.
These machines are traditional gumball machines converted to take capsules. You can then add multiple buttons in a capsule or also put a special offer or a coupon code in the capsule. People enjoy putting in a coin and turning the handle to see what they are going to get. There is a nostalgia surrounding the gumball machines. Everyone remembers them from their childhood. Button vending machines work for you whilst you are somewhere else, maybe making or designing buttons, maybe at home tucked up in bed with a good book. Put your button sales on Automatic!
Beaver Meridian Gumball Machine
Button Vending Machine uses capsules
This is the flagship! The Beaver Meridian Gumball Machine is a very cool retro style solid metal machine in bright red and designed like a globe. I think it looks very cool. As with all these machines there are some options for the coin mechanism. You can go for a coin mechanism that takes a quarter, two quarters or even 4 quarters. If your in Canada you can have a loonie or toonie coin mechanism. You can even have 2 x $1 or 2 x $2. All these machines also have the option for TOKENS or FREE VEND options.
Coin Mechanism for a Beaver Meridian Gumball Machine
The above Button Vending Machine – Meridian is quite pricy ($600 – $800) and at 70 lbs it’s quite expensive to ship. But there are other options:
Northern Beaver Vending Machine
The Northern Beaver takes 1″ or 2″ or 3″ capsules. You can fit 3 1″ buttons or magnets in a 1″ acorn capsule. You can fit 3 buttons or magnets up to 1-3/4″ in a 2″ acorn capsule. The 3″ capsules are a quarter each so I find them a bit expensive but they do take a few 2-1/4″ buttons. The 2″ acorn capsules are only 5 cents each, the 1″ acorn capsules go down to 3 cents each. I see more opportunity in those than the 3″ buttons. Get more information on vending capsules here.
Round Beaver Button Vending Machine
The Round Beaver has all the coin mechanism options but is only available for 1″ vending capsules. The stand is also an optional extra. They sit nicely on the counter and come with fixtures for bolting down or attaching a security wire (as do all Beaver vending machines). The Round Beaver you can pickup for around $150.
Above I’m talking about selling buttons but there are also other uses. These machines have interchangeable coin mechanisms. Those coin mechanisms can have some interesting possibilities. The FREE VEND option is a coin mechanism that requires no coin. Just turn the handle and out pops the capsule. Why is this useful?
Think of putting a machine in a local venue like an art gallery or a café. When someone turns the handle they get a free button and an ad. That ad could lead potential clients to your store, your website or to your latest special offer. A great way to get customers coming to you.
What about TOKEN VENDING? Our mechanism takes a 0.984″ token which is a pretty standard token size. You can get tokens personalised, stamped with your website or your logo. You can send a token to your mailing list, give a token out at trade shows or even walk the streets and hand out your token. It will bring people to your store or event. Event and party organisers can use tokens to distribute “random” capsules that are a kind of lottery. What about a party where you have to find the person with the matching button. The Button Vending Machine keeps the mix random.
How do I promote my website or business with a Button Vending Machine.
Depends on your business ….. but let’s say you have a bicycle store for example. Come up with 5 or 10 slogans about cycling. I love my bike! Cyclists do it better! Watch for cyclists! etc. Make some cool designs, add a button or magnet business card so there are 2 buttons in the capsule. Get a Button Vending Machine with a $1 mechanism and set it up in your cycle shop. Your customers will like the slogan, buy the button and take home your business card for the fridge. If it cost a $1 they will appreciate it – If you give them away we all know how many end up in the garbage! Entertain your customers AND promote your business. The $1 coins will pay for the buttons and the machine in no time. This method can be adapted to almost ANY BUSINESS and it works.
1″ Acorn Capsules can take 3 1″ buttons or magnets
All machines take the 1″ capsules. If you want larger capsules take a look at the Northern Beaver. If you can go with the 1″ capsule then the Southern Beaver below is the low cost option at under $100. It also has the full choice of coin mechanisms and you will have to refill the capsules and empty the cash more often as it is smaller. But it works.
The Southern Beaver is the low cost option.
Button vending machines are useful for selling buttons, fundraising with buttons promoting your button business or really just promoting any business. There are few businesses that would not benefit from a solid button campaign. Want to run a button campaign? Ask The Button Guy.
Comments Off on Button Vending Machines – Put your button sales on automatic – Gumball machines for buttons!
Filed under Button Making Business, Button Making Ideas, Button vending, Fundraising, Fundraising with Buttons, Selling Buttons, Small Business Start Up, Starting a custom button business
New online button designer from The Button Guy. Easy button design and button artwork creation.
We just went live! Checkout this simple button design software: it’s free. A great tool for designing buttons and creating button artwork. It even takes your button design and lays it out on the sheet for you. With a 2-1/4″ button you make your design and then you go to print and it puts 9 up on the page in a pdf, ready to print. In your profile you can collect and save all your designs and then print 9 different buttons on each sheet if you wish. Simple and effective.
If you’re a graphic designer then no problem, stick to Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp etc. But if you are not a graphics person then you can instantly make your button artwork and then the system lays your button artwork out on a page ready for printing. Sweet!
Remember your button design is key. Once you have a good button maker, making buttons is inexpensive and pressing them is easy. Coming up with great button artwork or a really good button design is not so easy. Invest time in your designs. It will pay off. Remember a few tips:
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Filed under Button artwork, Button design, Button Designer Software
The problem is quite simple. How do I make buttons that are fluorescent? My printer cannot print fluorescent colours. How do I make gold or silver buttons? My printer cannot print gold or silver. Well the fact is very few printers can print fluorescent colours or gold. Even bright pink is difficult to reproduce so this article explains how to get around the limitations of printing and put really bright colors on a button. So if you want bright pink buttons just use this idea and substitute the gold paper for fluorescent pink or whatever color you choose.
I will use the example of gold because no printer can print shiny reflective gold.
What do you need to make really shiny gold buttons:
Make your artwork just like you would for any button and then reverse it. Then simply print the reverse image on a transparency. Lay the transparency over a sheet of the gold foil paper and cut out the gold sheet and acetate together. If you have trouble with the gold foil you can always cut it separately with scissors and put it under the acetate. It only need show through where there is no colour printed on the acetate. You don’t even need to cut very accurately. Now put acetate with gold backing into the button maker and press as normal. Voila!
Another tip is to print the image NOT reversed and lay the acetate over the gold foil print side down. This way the print side is protected. Depending on your printer and acetate combo the ink may scratch off. This way your print is protected.
A printed transparency with the image showing through the clear acetate. The printer printed on the reverse of this transparency to protect the print surface.
The printed sheet is placed over a gold foil sheet with printed side down but image showing correctly through the acetate. Note the photo here cannot reproduce the shiny gold as per the actual gold leaf. You need to see this button. It shines!
Here we cut the acetate and the gold leaf die simultaneously using a cutting die. If you are using a graphic punch to make your buttons then cut the acetate with your punch and cut the gold leaf with scissors.
Finished buttons with shiny gold showing through the acetate. A great way to make visually striking buttons. This photo here cannot reproduce the eye catching gold.
Make one yourself and see what I mean.
Syndicated blog from TheButtonGuy.net This article is reprinted with permission. http://TheButtonGuy.net/Comments Off on Gold and silver pin-back buttons – Button Making Ideas!
Filed under Button Making Ideas, printing buttons, Printing custom buttons
I just saw this on People Power Press – This is cool. A great way to utilise a 1″ button maker to make jewelry.
The Artclix metal pendants and bracelets have a rare earth magnet inside so you can change your bracelet or pendant design like you change your undies.
Artclix jewelery for pendants and bracelets with your 1″ button maker.
You can find the bracelets here on People Power Press. Pendants here.
Button bracelets available so you can have interchangeable sets of button designs on a magnetic bracelet button holder.
How do you spell Jewelry Jewellery Jewelery? No idea!
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Filed under Button Making Ideas
Non-Profits, Not-for-Profits, Charities, Organizations all need to raise funds for their causes. There are many ways to do this. Many of them get into the junkmail business, many canvas door to door or on street corners. Many of the canvassers do not even care for the cause and are paid quite well for bugging people. The large charities employ sub-contractors to knock on doors and if they make a sale of, say, a $10 monthly subscription the first 2 years or as much as $240 will go to the sub-contracting company and only the subscriptions in the third year and beyond benefit the charity. I know I’m going to get angry emails from the large charities telling me “It’s only the first years subscription that goes to the sub-contractor” but whatever the deal is and I know they vary, I don’t think the generous subscriber new they were filling the coffers of the for-profit canvassing company. Full disclosure and real volunteers would be a better way to go, but I actually believe these charities harm their image when they call people on the phone during dinner or knock on doors when people are relaxing (or sleeping). As for the junk mail? That’s just got to stop. Our household has given annualy to possibly 10 charities for years. We probably get more than 1000 letters a year. Yes averaging more than 3 unnecessary letters a day. You could argue that’s a lot of trees but it’s also a lot of cash that should be going to saving whales, fighting climate change, or building women’s shelters. It should be used for whatever the money was actually donated for.
Haiti Relief Fundraising Button
Darfur Fundraising Button
Anti-Poverty Fundraising Button
Fundraising with buttons is extremely low cost, fun, attracts new subscribers and interested parties and does not bug anybody because people come to you!
There are many ideas for using buttons to fundraise and I will layout a few ideas to show that instead of sending junk mail getting a button maker is a better investment.
1) Buttons are a low cost way to promote your organization. Get your name logo out there. It’s obvious but simple.
2) But what about a “Make your own buttons table” in front of your office, at street festivals, yard sales, schools, universities or any public events. As well as your button maker you need blank circles, crayons, pens and markers. Get people to draw their designs and put it in a button for them right there and then. People will flock to your table and as they come they will bring more people (naturally, you don’t have to set up a robocall) Make it for a donation for your cause and you will get $5, $10 for a button that costs 8 cents. I once even got $50 for a single button because the donor believed in the cause. You should also have your own designs available at the table for people who don’t want to draw. Not just a button with your logo but a load of buttons that are relevant for your cause. Make them funny, make them pertinent, make them serious. Make some radical and some gentle. Have buttons that describe the full array of your cause with humour and with passion. All the time people stand at your table, reading your button designs, more people will come. ( You won’t have to bludgeon anyone with your clipboard anymore, they will come to you.)
Do get a graphic designer to design your buttons! Good design is the key!!!
3) Got something interesting on your website? Draw traffic to the page with a QR code. What’s a QR code?
Pin-back buttons, pins, badges or whatever you call them are an ideal vehicle for promoting websites but what about a button that can be scanned on a cellphone and the image takes the cellphone user straight to your website.
QR codes don’t just need to go to a homepage, you can generate a QR code to lead a browser to any web address, to a special offer page, to a secret page or a surprise page. Follow a QR code button and see where you end up!
4) Use your button maker as a tool to leverage volunteers. If you have a large number of volunteers coming in to help then that’s great but you need a way to utilise that people power. You also need a way to give those that do volunteer a sense of satisfaction, the sense that there voluntary labour was put to good use. I used to be involved in an organization that had lots of walk-in volunteers. I found that if I invested time in explaing tasks to them I would sometimes be dissapointed as they could loose interest and drift away. On asking I found they often thought the volunteer jobs pointless. But explaining to a new volunteer how to make buttons takes literally a minute or two. They work away at making buttons and as the finished buttons pile up they get a sense of achievement. You can use the button maker to judge staying power in your new volunteer. Once they have proved themselves making buttons for your next event, you can invest some time and take them to the next level, they have earnt it.
5) A printing press in your office. Once you get good at making buttons you can publish a new button even daily, it takes minutes. As and when a new campaign slogan comes up, a reaction to a press release or a new idea formulates; put it on a button. Have new designs on the website with a pile of freebies at the front desk for drop ins, for a donation or otherwise. Those buttons will go forward and spread the word. Let your supporters spread the word for you.
Syndicated blog from TheButtonGuy.netComments Off on Non-Profits, Not-for-Profits, Charities, Organizations – Why you need a button maker!
Filed under Button Making Business, Button Making Ideas, Fundraising
Hi
Yes Tecre or all good button makers are fixed. There are 2 problems with interchangeable die button makers.
I would always recommend a solid metal button maker, no plastic parts (on the button maker or the button parts) and the button maker should be of a standard North American size so that you can use cheap, good quality button parts. At the end of the day your customers, clients or purchases of your buttons don’t care how you made your buttons. But they do want an excellent quality all metal button and you want to produce that at the best price – so get a Tecre Button Maker.
Looks all very well but the white plastic base will wear out pretty quickly and the button maker will not align any more
All metal, solid steel, no plastic – How a button maker should be!
Tecre button maker with the distinctive black with red handle.
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Filed under Buying A Button Maker
