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 But this is Google street view, it’s always out of date!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
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.
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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
Original question: In your experience with button making what type of printer and ink would you use for a business level quality graphics? I know that over time ink can sun bleach and paper can break down, so for a good quality product for my customers any ideas? I have not started my button side of my business yet but looking to soon. Love your site btw and thank you for your time. Have a great day.
Paper choices for Button Makers and Button Making.
Button makers are mostly designed for standard 20lb (75gsm) to 32 lb (120 gsm)paper. There are some special photo button machines designed for thicker photo paper but in the digital age photo paper is a bit obsolete so the special machines are quite rare and not really necessary. I think the key to good buttons is that you choose a super white paper, the look and the way it prints being more important than the weight. That way when you print black (or any other color) on white you have the maximum contrast. I have also found that papers with a gloss finish print well.
When purchasing paper I have always found better prices and quality from commercial print shop suppliers rather than retailers like Staples. A standard pure white glossy commercial printer paper will do it. No problem.
Printer choices for Button Makers and Button Making.
Your choice is basically Ink Jet or Laser. Inkjet will give you better quality for photos and artwork especially if you get a high end Epson but you will pay dearly for the ink. Inkjet or bubble jet have higher resolution than laser. Laser printers are not as good quality but are generally reasonable quality and are much cheaper per page. I have tried many but I have not found a good quality entry level laser printer (Up to $800) that can compete with the big machines installed in copy shops. A good copy shop can give you really high quality results but don’t just go in and accept what you’re given. All print jobs need a little tweaking. Colours can be enhanced, saturation improved. Find a printer that cares and then give them lots of business. Remember the quality of the printing can make or break your custom button business. Once you’ve established your business it becomes time to consider the big expensive photocopier on a 5 year lease with a click charge per 18″ x 12″ print.
If you decide to print from your home or office with a $300 printer that can work too. Make sure you’re maximizing the page and remember you do not have to print right up to the cut-line. Save ink and take out any unnecessary color on your artwork that does not show – the buttons are not affected. See the example below. These are 1” buttons and 42 buttons fit on each letter size page. The cut size for 1” buttons is 1.313” but we cut the color short – the white does not show on the button.
Also speaking of saving ink, I personally have had no luck with refilling my ink cartridges. The colors coming out of my printers have always suffered. I am not supporting Canon, Xerox and the rest for overcharging for their cartridges and I have saved money by refilling cartridges locally but quality always declined. If color is not crucial it’s a good way to go.
Some companies, like Xerox have solid ink printers. These printers are not ideal for button making if you are making custom buttons for clients because the colors are way off and that can be a problem. Solid ink printers may be good (or not so bad) for the environment but people are often fussy about their corporate logos and business colors and that can lead to problems if your printer cannot match colors on the monitor.
Issues with bleaching and paper deterioration.
I have never found bleaching or paper deterioration to be a problem. I have a few buttons that are maybe 20 years old. Yes the paper changes color but that even adds to the effect for an old button. You could try using acid free paper but I don’t think it’s necessary, buttons are pretty durable. I had a store with a south facing window that got direct sunlight all day. I filled the window with a mosaic of buttons and yes after a year buttons began to fade and after 18 months it was necessary to change them, but that is exceptional exposure for a simple button.
Cost of button printing.
The cost of printing buttons varies tremendously. I calculated that some photo buttons using a cheap Canon printer ($400) with a 4 colour cartridge system ($440 for 4) were costing $1.30 for a full sheet. Ouch! But that was the luxury of doing it at home and not going to a printer and that meant printing costs of 3 cents for a 1” button (42 up) and 8 cents for a 2-1/4” button (9 up). These days I have an 18” x 12” Xerox @ 8 cents a sheet. That means the 2-1/4” button print costs 8 cents per 18 buttons as opposed to 8 cents each. The difference in the cost of printing buttons can be huge! But if you’re selling a custom button service print quality is key.
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Filed under Button Making Business, Printing custom buttons, Small Business Start Up, Starting a custom button business
Whilst starting your own business is a big step at any time and I wouldn’t recommend it just because it is new year but buying a button maker, starting a button making business is a good idea if you have some skills.
If you can answer yes to all of the above then you should think about starting your own button making business. A simple low investment business idea that can bring immediate revenue.
Here’s are a few more articles:
Thinking of buying a button maker?
I’m starting a new business: How do I get people or businesses interested in getting buttons made or using buttons for fundraisers?
Starting a business from home – Do I need insurance?
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Filed under Button Making Business, Small Business Start Up
