Category Archives: printing buttons

by Joe | 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

Tagged as button designer, button guy, buttonsc, cusatom buttons, design, designing buttons, free design

by Joe | March 1, 2016 · 12:51 pm

Designing your 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!

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Filed under Button artwork, Button design, Button Making Ideas, printing buttons, Uncategorized

Tagged as artwork, custom buttons, design tips, designing buttons

by The Button Guy | 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

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

Tagged as button making, button making business, button parts, custom button business, custom buttons, Montreal, Quebec

by The Button Guy | April 20, 2013 · 4:30 pm

Gold and silver pin-back buttons – Button Making Ideas!

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:

Gold foil paper
Printable acetate transparencies
Circle cutter, printer and button maker (Just like you need for any button making job)

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.

printed acetate sheet for pin-back buttons.

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/

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Filed under Button Making Ideas, printing buttons, Printing custom buttons

Tagged as acetate, gold buttons, gold leaf, print gold, printing gold, silver buttons, transparency printing