Acrylic Badges
Clear acrylic badges with an off-set litho printed insert are an attractive option for many occasions...off-set litho means you can have quality coloured prints without comprising presentation.
Essentially this style of acrylic badge uses a card insert which means you can change the cards at will and still retain the badge holder. As well as clear acrylic some badge manufacturers produce this kind of badge with a coloured border in dozens of colours.
Personalizing acrylic badges with a logo in any combination of colours is not a problem but adding an employee name in the same quality print is not always easy. Nevertheless, this badge in the right circumstances is always well worth considering.
Acrylic badge weight
However, you should consider the weight of acrylic name badges and
the costs associated with off-set litho printing. Colours are usually charged separately which means that an economic one colour price soon become expensive if a full colour badge is the order of the day.
Not only do additional colours attract extra costs but sometimes additional origination often requires further costs for more colours. So what starts out as a fairly inexpensive name badge suddenly becomes decidedly pricey...especially if there is also a minimum quantity…as there usually is for off-set litho printing.
However, if the function demands a full colour insert it may be more economical to purchase a badge with only one set-up cost and without additional charges for extra colours.
If the quantity is small you may be better off printing full colour inserts on the office colour laser printer but, either way, acrylic badges are always worth looking at.
Some people think that an acrylic badge is far too heavy for general use especially when attached to flimsy dresses by a pin or crocodile fastenings. And it is true, that under these circumstances, the badge may tend to drag the clothing or fall over if the fastening is poorly positioned. Nonetheless, this is not an insurmountable problem and is overcome by using a ball chain, a lanyard or, perhaps best of all, a magnetic fastening.
Magnetic acrylic badges
A magnetic fastening, for many meeting organizers, is rapidly becoming the favourite way to fix badges to clothing…no more claims for spoiled or ruined quality dresses, blouses or suits. Even though acrylic badges are not inherently lightweight they are extremely durable and are often favoured by some organizers as their identity badge of choice.
Lanyard acrylic badges
Earlier I mentioned a lanyard as an alternative way of carrying the acrylic badge and this has, like the magnetic fastening, some pretty attractive advantages. The lanyard can carry a fairly long sales message and be personalized in as many colours as you want. And importantly, for the conference or meeting organizer, using a lanyard means very little moaning from delegates about inadequate badge fixings and this alone makes it a popular alternative to archaic clips or pins.
There is no doubt that meeting and seminar organizers are not happy using clips and pins for their functions so perhaps an acrylic badge with a magnetic fastening or a lanyard may well be the answer to identifying a conference delegate in the 21st century.
Martyn Riddiough is Sales Director of Stewart Norman Associates Manufacturing Limited and has been involved in the recognition, awards and promotional business since 1983. He can be contacted at enquiries@stewartnorman.co.uk or you can validate the quality of his products at www.stewartnorman.co.uk

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