Fabric Button How-To Series: Making Fabric-Covered Buttons With Your Own Professional Button Machine

One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the third in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Tuesday, we discussed important pointers for choosing the right fabric when you begin your fabric button making project. Then yesterday, we told you about the myriad uses for fabric-covered buttons. Today, we will provide an overview of why many embroidery shops are investing in their own professional button machine to produce custom fabric buttons.

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Fabric Buttons How-To Series: Getting Started by Choosing Your Fabric

One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the first in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Getting Started by Choosing Your Fabric

One of the most exciting aspects of fabric buttons is choosing the right fabric with which to decorate the button. A trip to the local arts and crafts store is sure to provide a wide array of patterns and designs that can give any fabric button a certain amount of flair.

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How to Make a Campaign Button

It is still just April, some 6+ months away from Election Day, but do not be lulled into a false sense of security.

If you are a candidate running for office, you do not have “plenty of time” to sit idly by without getting your name out there. Similarly, if you are planning to promote the cause of a candidate, the right time to start is now…not later.

That’s why we are here posting this in April. While all candidates and campaigns are different and unique in their own way, there is one constant throughout every campaign: the need for campaign buttons!

As you might have guessed, we know a little something about this topic. So let’s discuss how to make a campaign button.

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How To Make a Waterproof Pinback Button

We have had several customers ask us about how to make a pinback button that is waterproof. There is a lot of misinformation published on the web so we wanted to shed a little light on the subject. » read more

Using a 1” Button Making Machine to Make Keychains

[Note: If you're thinking to yourself, "Hey! I've seen this post before!" you might be right. This post was originally published on December 15th, 2008. We are cycling it back to the front of the blog so our new readers are made aware of it, as the content is no less relevant today. And besides, it's always good to review...]

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A button making machine has a number of uses not limited to only producing pinback buttons. There are a number of other novelty items that can be quickly and easily produced with a 1” button maker machine. The front part of the button (clear mylar, graphic and front shell) always stays the same. Basically you just change the components on the back of the button to make a wide variety of novelty items such as keychains, refrigerator magnets, zipper pulls, earrings, tie tacks and more.

The process for making a novelty button with a 1” button making machine is extremely quick and easy. After you have designed your button graphic on a computer and printed it, you will need to cut the graphic out. To accomplish this, you can use our Circle Cutter, Punch Cutter or High Volume Die Cutting Press to cut your graphic to the perfect size for the front of your button. Gather the remaining button making supplies including the mylar laminate, front shell and the collet for the back. » read more

How to Make a Custom DIY Pinback Badge Button

[Note: If you're thinking to yourself, "Hey! I've seen this post before!" you might be right. This post was originally published on December 3rd, 2008. We are cycling it back to the front of the blog so our new readers are made aware of it, as the content is no less relevant today. And besides, it's always good to review...]

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There are a wide variety of uses for pinback buttons. From political campaigns to novelty items, pinback buttons are everywhere. With a professional button maker, like the ones we offer, the process for making a custom pinback button is both quick and easy.

The first step in the process is designing the button and getting the supplies ready. Designs can be printed off from the computer and, after being cut out with a circle cutter, are ready to be pressed in the button maker.

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How To Prepare Pinback Button Graphics and Use Adjustable Rotary Cutter

[Note: If you're thinking to yourself, "Hey! I've seen this post before!" you might be right. This post was originally published on December 12th, 2008. We are cycling it back to the front of the blog so our new readers are made aware of it, as the content is no less relevant today. And besides, it's always good to review...]

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Pinback buttons have a wide array of uses and functions, from political campaign buttons to promotional tools for small businesses. Through the use of a button maker and button making supplies, it is easy for a small business or a school operating on a limited budget to quickly produce a number of buttons for sale as novelty items or as memorabilia.

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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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Button University

If you are new to making buttons, we have created an excellent resource to teach you How To Make a Button. » read more