Category Archives: Button design

by | March 5, 2016 · 10:07 am

Button Designer

So, you received your button machine in the mail and you’re ready to start making buttons…  but you don’t even know where to begin when it comes to deigning.

Below is a little guide for you on using the free button designer website to help relieve all your stress when it comes to setting up your designs. You may remember our post from a couple years back on the launch of the new free software, but let’s recap here.

 

 

PICTURE IT IF YOU WILL…

It’s been a long day, and you still have a bunch buttons to design for that super important thing tomorrow.

Most people would start brewing that late-night cup of coffee, and get ready to hunker down for the long haul…

But not you! You head over to button-designer.com

WHAT IS BUTTON-DESIGNER?

It’s a website that makes it really simple to whip together button designs. And best of all? It’s freeeeeee 🙂

The website allows you to add an uploaded image, text, icons, etc. to a button template of any size. Once you’re done, the button design is saved as a PDF print sheet, and is ready to be cut and pressed.

 

HOW TO USE BUTTON-DESIGER: A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

1. Go to www.button-designer.com

2. Create a Free Account

3. Select the size of button you are going to design. We carry the button parts and presses for ALL sizes that button-designer offers.

 

4. If you would like to upload an image, Click on “Image Upload” and select your file.

5. Click on any element of the button that you wish to change. For example, to change the maple leaf icon, click the icon on the button template.

6. Use the check boxes to turn off the elements you don’t want or turn on the elements you do want.

7. Click and drag to move the elements on the button face.

8. Once you’re happy with the button design, click the save button. To view the buttons you have saved, go to the button gallery. From there you can print a single button, or create print sheets of one OR multiple designs! 

 

9. Make your buttons

10. Wear you button proudly and get many high-fives and compliments! 

 

YOU CAN USE BUTTON-DESIGNER IF YOU’RE ORDER CUSTOM BUTTONS FROM US TOO!

If you are ordering custom buttons from People Power Press, you can use the Online Button-Designer to create the artwork. All you need to do is provide us with your user name and the image title 🙂 We will retrieve your artwork and produce your custom order!

 

 

 

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Filed under Button artwork, Button design, Button Designer Software, Button Making, Button Making Business, Button Making Ideas, custom buttons, printing buttons

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by | March 3, 2016 · 3:29 pm

Tecre Machine….. Durable?

 

Could you tell how durable the tecre buttomakers are? How many buttons do you think we could get out of one?

Is the Flex button maker a better option for durability?

 

The Tecre machines are very durable. They are made of surgical steel and have a lifetime warranty from the Tecre company in Wisconsin.

The Tecre machines are for production level quantities of buttons (about 100 an hour) and require minimal maintenance.

Tecre Button Machine

Tecre Button Machine

 

 

The Flex machines are more of a hobby machine for doing dozens of buttons at a time. I would not recommend this machine for doing large quantities of buttons. Both machines use the same parts called “Standard” parts.

Place the button maker on the solid surface and turn the die table so you can access both dies.

Flex Machine

 

 

 

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Filed under Button artwork, Button design, Button Making, Button Making Business, Button Making Parts, Buying A Button Maker, custom buttons

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by | March 1, 2016 · 12:51 pm

Designing your buttons

vintage pin back buttons

The most important part of your button is the design.

What is the message you are trying to get across to your audience and how are you going to do so in a creative way. Always keep in mind when designing, “is this a button that I would wear?”

Personally, when I am designing my buttons I tend to get inspired by vintage pin-back buttons that have been created in the past. I love the colour schemes, typography, composition and placement; these are all things you should keep in mind when you start designing your buttons. Don’t forget to look at the end product; the physical size of the button is part of the design.

For some quick advice on design look at this great article “10 Rules of Composition All Designers Live By” and if you need some design inspiration I like to use designspiration.net I find looking at work from other graphic designers help me come up with my own concepts, but be sure to not copy other people’s work. Inspiration and copyright are two very different things.

Sometimes simple designs are all you need. Too much information on a button can lose the attention from your audience and lose the message you are trying to get across altogether.

If you feel as if designing something yourself is totally out of your realm and you need advice or an expert. Hire a graphic designer, there are so many talented designers whom would be pleased to help create a great logo or design for you. It may not be cheap, but your end product will be well received.

You can find a designer in Canada using this directory here. Or just google search your city and graphic designer and see what local talents pop up.

Happy Designing!

pin designs

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by | February 22, 2016 · 11:00 am

Mylar or no mylar?

button finishes

button finishes

 

Photo above: White People Power Press button is using standard mylar, Yellow People Power Press button is using lamination, Purple People Power Press button is using a thicker paper with no mylar at all. Shiny buttons is with using the Dura-lar technique which I explained last week.

 

Hi Button Guy,

 I recently purchased a Flex 2000 Kit. Made some buttons, and all works great. I have a question about the mylar inserts. Is there such thing as multiple finishes, such as matte or gloss? Seems like I can only find information on using the standard glossy mylar.

There are a few more options you could try to make the buttons you desire without using the standard glossy mylar.

  1. You could laminate your button designs before cutting the papers. Use a thin laminate such as 1mm or 2mm.
  2. You could use a thick paper like card stock and not use the mylar at all.
  3. You could put a matte tape over the design before cutting the papers. This might be the cheapest and easiest way to do it, but it could also be the weakest and the tape could tear or rip.

For information on printing on Dura-lar, check out my post last week

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by | September 17, 2014 · 9:32 am

A new button store opening in Montreal. Custom Buttons galore on Ste Catherine Est!

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

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

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by | May 10, 2013 · 4:36 pm

New Online Button Designer Software just went live! Free online button designer!

online button designer

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.

Online Button Designer

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:

  • More is less!   Do not clutter your button.
  • Bright but simple works well
  • Button designs with white backgrounds work very well on buttons.
  • One bright colour works well on buttons. eg. Black white then a splash of red.
  • If you’re using multiple colours ensure they hang together well.

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