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.]

Corel Draw is a vector based image software package. This simply means it is used to create and edit logos, stylized art work, maps, web graphics, and other images which can be rendered to any size. You can reduce or enlarge your vectored images to any size without losing any image quality. One really nice thing about Corel Draw is a function called Powerclip. PowerClipping is great for working with pinback button. In essence you can take a rectangle photo and “PowerClip” it into your round button template. The PowerClip will “clip” everything that does not fit inside your round button so you only print what you want to see.

Basically it lets you put a rectangular photo in a round hole (see before and after pictures above and below) so you do not waste toner or ink when you print a button. It is awesome to work with and one of our favorite parts to the software package.

There are many more benefits to Corel Draw which makes button making snap. This is why we normally recommend Corel Draw to customers if they are comfortable with moving around on a computer.

So what do you do if you need button making software and don’t want to spend $100 or more dollars?  You probably already have a software program on your computer that will work. Microsoft Paint is a “very” basic software program. Many of our customers use other Microsoft Office Products such as Word to design text related buttons. While Microsoft Office is not a graphics program, you can still make simple buttons using their software. You can make name tags or add jpg files to your text and make a really nice button.

If you are a little more, shall we say “computer challenged”, then we have the perfect solution for you with our easy to use Button Builder Software.

If you can type on a computer, then you can use Button Builder Software to make some nice buttons. One huge advantage to using Button Builder is that you do not have to create your own Button Template as you do in Photoshop or Corel Draw.  Button Builder does all the work for you. You simply insert text like a word processor. You can apply special art effects that twist, bend and contort the text into special designs. One nice feature is that Button Builder allows you to write text around the button in a circle, which is one of the hardest things to to accomplish when designing a button. You can easily center, rotate, copy and arrange with a single mouse click. Button Builder includes over 12 shapes including stars, diamonds, rectangles, and triangles to make interesting designs. You can assign color effects to text and shapes, including opaques and gradients. Scan simple images or photos from the program to insert onto your button design. If you are working with high resolution images, we reccomend using Photoshop or Corel Draw as they handle large file sizes better.

Did we mention that you don’t even need software to make a pinback button? Many people make custom pinback buttons to display their own artwork. Arts and crafts junkies can use stickers and ink stamps to make great looking buttons. You can even practice with pressing flowers and other organic material into a button.

If you are looking to make top notch professional pinback buttons, then you should go with a professional graphics package like Corel Draw or Photoshop. If you are more on a budget or need a simple design approach to making great looking buttons, then we recommend Button Builder. Button Builder is an inexpensive button making software package designed specifically for making buttons.

Looking for free button making software? Snoop around your computer a little, you probably already have a piece of software that will work in a pinch such as Microsoft Paint or other Microsoft products. Have some time to learn a new software program and install printer drivers, then you can try Gimp. However it not be  long until you will want to upgrade to better button making software to make your own custom pinback buttons.

Update: OpenOffice.org is another good option for free button making software. Open Office provides button making software that you can download for free and we recently posted an Open Office video tutorial plus free design templates in a variety of sizes that you can use to create your graphics.

Now that we are smack-dab in the middle of the summer, this seems like as good a time as any to discuss a few summertime uses for buttons…and even a Fall back-to-school use or two.

So what are some ways that button making especially useful during the summer?

Summer Camp

Do you help run a summer camp or know someone who does?  Do your kids attend summer camp?  If so, think about how useful a button machine and some pinback button supplies could be.  Whether for use as nametags for camp counselors, or as nametags for kids so the counselors can quickly learn their names, personalized ID buttons are both fun and functional.

Vacation Keepsakes

Most families go on their vacations during the summer when the kids are out of school.  And if your family is anything like ours, you almost always come back with 3-5 pictures out of the multitudes taken that stand out above the others as truly capturing a magical vacation moment.

Why not create keepsake photo buttons or magnets?  They are easy to make and can help you remember a great vacation long after you’re home (and presumably wishing you already back on vacation!)

Cause Awareness

As we all know, buttons are a great way to promote causes.  One of the best venues to promote causes is during get-togethers, whether they be for church, school, or even the neighborhood.  And there is no better time to plan an outing than during the summer, when everyone can enjoy the great outdoors.

If there is a cause you want to promote (i.e. recycling, or “going green”, or a proposal at school, etc.) plan a get-together at an organization you are a part of or at home, and give everyone buttons they can wear out around town.  Especially if your group is filled with like-minded people, it probably won’t be too hard to get them excited about participating.

And finally…

Back to School!

That’s right…it won’t be too long before the summer is over and the kids are ready to go back to school.  Button makers and button supplies make great gifts for teachers and schools, should you be looking for a way to show your support (or even just to curry a little extra favor for your student!).  Or how about making customized name buttons for the teachers at your child’s school?  These can be extremely helpful, especially during the first few weeks of school when so many new faces are scurrying about the hallways.

These are just a few ideas for summer-specific uses for buttons.  What other summer button maker ideas can you think of?  Please share in the comments section.