Welcome to The Button Blog
by American Button Machines!

We are so glad that you have decided to join us at The Button Blog, where our goal is very simple: to celebrate the wonderful world of buttons.

Please, browse The Button Blog to learn more about making buttons, and to discover the many varied uses of a button machine and the myriad novelty items that you can create with your own button maker.

***Featured Product: 1" Ponytail Sets

You asked and American Button Machines listened, and we are now proud to announce our brand yaba-daba-new 1" ponytail sets, which have never before been available for purchase anywhere.

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Recent Posts

Helping Customers (even in Canada!) One Circle Cutter at a Time

Nothing makes us happier than knowing that one of our products saved someone money, helped them create a memorable item, or generally just made their life a little bit better.

As we get ready to ramp back up again after another wonderful holiday season, we want to share with you a recent email that we received from one of our customers who reached out to us after being pleasantly surprised by how much time and money he saved with our Econo Circle Cutter.

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ABM Template Tutorial Video Series: Print Shop

Welcome, loyal buttoneers (not to be confused with boutonnieres), to the fourth and final installment of our video template tutorial series, which has already shown you how to create button graphics using Photoshop, Corel Draw, and the Open Office free button making software.

Today, we venture into the digital jungles of Print Shop to go on a video safari that will show you how to create circular button graphics using this Windows-based software.

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ABM Template Tutorial Video Series: Creating Button Graphics Using Corel Draw

Over the past couple of weeks we have been rolling out our button graphic video tutorial series, first showing you how to create button graphics in Photoshop and then showing you how to do the same using free button making software like Open Office.

Today, we are going to step into the magical world of Corel Draw and provide the same step-by-step look at how to create a perfectly measured circular button graphic using our free Corel Draw templates.

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Free Button Making Software

People are always asking us is it really that easy to make a pinback button? The quick answer is, absolutely! The next question is, where can I get free button making software? The most challenging thing to accomplish when making a button is designing the artwork, everything else is a piece of cake! If you want to design a pinback button on a computer, then you need some sort of graphic design software. People are always looking for free button making software that works well and is simple to use.

There are some different choices you can make for free button making software like Gimp, however we believe in the old adage, you get what you pay for.  While Gimp is free and works for many people, it can be challenging to set up and use for a novice. This being said, if it is challenging to learn, you might as well spend a little money on Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw as these are professional software packages that do not have the problems you might encounter with free button making software such as glitches and printer driver issues.

If you are familiar with Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw, then you already have the button making battle won. Adobe Photoshop is the primary market leader for graphics, however we find Corel Draw much easier to work with for most people as it seems to be more user friendly for non-graphically minded individuals. You can buy a scaled down version of Adobe Photoshop called Photoshop Elements for about $100 and it will probably do everything you need in the Button-World. Adobe Photoshop does have a long learning curve. However once it is mastered your imagination is the only limit to creating incredible graphics.

Update: Since writing this post, ABM has made it even easier for you to create button graphics on your computer using Photoshop and Corel.

First of all, you can take advantage of special deals for Photoshop that Adobe has made available through us. Click on the following link to save $20 to $30 on NEW Adobe Elements 8 products with mail-in rebate. (Exp 10/31/2010).

In addition, we have created video tutorials and free Photoshop templates for a variety of sizes to make your Photoshop experience even easier.

[Note: Corel video and templates coming soon.]

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ABM Template Tutorial Video Series: Open Office Free Button Making Software

Last week we shared with you a video and pre-prepared templates to assist you when using Photoshop Elements to create button graphics. In the coming weeks before the holidays we he sharing similar videos and templates for Corel Draw and Print Shop.

Today, we are highlighting Open Office (program that you can download for free from OpenOffice.org) and making the creation of button graphics easy with a video tutorial and templates.

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ABM Template Tutorial Video Series: Photoshop Elements

We had so much fun and received such a positive response for our Button Making How-To Series that we decided it was time to bring you, our loyal readers and customers, another video series.

And so here we are this morning, excited to unveil the first video in our exciting Template Tutorial Video Series.

The goal of this series is quite simple: we want to show you how to create perfectly sized graphics for button making. Each video post will include two primary tools to accomplish this:

1. A video that takes you through the step-by-step process for creating your graphic
2. A downloadable template for the graphics program being discussed.

Today we are going to deal with Photoshop Elements, one of the most popular graphics programs available today.

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Customer Spotlight: BandBadges.com.au

We are back with another edition of The ABM Customer Spotlight. In our first installment, we told you about ABM customer Barrel of Monkeys.

Today, we take a trip halfway across the globe — all the way to Australia — to tell you about BandBadges.com.au.

And really, their tagline says it all: custom-made promotional badges…FAST!

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ABM Video Series: How to Make Versa-Back Buttons

It is with tearful eyes and a plaintive heart that I come to you today.

You may be wondering, why? How could one be immersed in the wonderful world of buttons and yet filled with and overwhelming sense of sadness?

Well I will tell you: we have now reached the end of our ABM Video Series.

I know, I know. Here, have one of these.

I realize that we all wanted the joy and inspiration of the video series to go on forever; but alas, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

So let’s all compose ourselves and give our full, undivided attention to the latest and great, the last but not the least, the fun final finale…yes, ladies and gentleman, the versa-back button.

More specifically, how to make one.

By now you know the drill. The video is embedded below and we have taken the liberty of also including step-by-step directions for you to follow. All of our machines and suggested procedures are simple and easy to follow, but we leave nothing to chance or to the imagination.

So enjoy embarking on your final journey in the ABM Video Series. We shall miss her once she’s gone, but just remember that you can always visit her again with this link.

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ABM Video How-To Series: Aligning and Cutting Button Graphics Using a Punch Cutter

What is as smooth as a butterfly’s flutter?
And as precise as Tiger Woods’ putter?
It slices paper like a hot knife through butter,
Ladies and gents, it’s our peerless punch cutter!

That’s right, we welcome you back to the ABM Video Series, where today we educate you on the simple process for lining up and cutting button graphics using a punch cutter.

Here are the steps, and you can follow along as you watch the video:

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Introducing 1 inch Ponytail Sets!

When ancient man needed to find a more efficient mode of transportation, it resulted in the invention of the wheel in Mesopotamia around the 5th millenium B.C.

When colonial American man needed a way to light dark rooms other than the candle, it led to the inspiration of that famous stormy night in Philadelphia and, ultimately, the invention of electricity.

And when society was plagued by loaf after loaf of frustratingly unsliced bread, it led to what was, at the time, the greatest invention in the history of the world and perhaps the entire universe. Yes, you know of what I am speaking: sliced bread.

But today, ladies and gentleman of the buttonsphere, is truly a landmark day. Why? Because no longer will great things be called “the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

No, there is now an even greater discovery, a greater invention, that surpasses even the previously peerless greatness of sliced bread. Thus, henceforth, whenever something great or fantabulous happens, you will now all be compelled to use the phrase in its new incarnation:

…”the greatest thing since 1″ ponytail holders.”

That’s right folks, the long anticipated day is here: 1″ ponytail holders are are now a reality.

» read more