Badge Making for Stamp Manufacturers

Sublimation, Rotary Engraving, Screen Printing, Thermal, Digital UV Flatbed Printing and Inkjet Direct-to-Substrate Printing

By Erin Cochran, Marking Industry Magazine (2009)

As another common office identification product that businesses buying stamps often need, badges are a widespread and logical extension to a stamp shop's product line.

In some cases, equipment for manufacturing badges can even be used to create additional products, from banners to luggage tags to reusable shopping bags.

While there are a wide variety of ways to produce badges, this article will cover sublimation, rotary engraving, screen printing, thermal, digital UV flatbed printing, and inkjet direct-to-substrate printing.

Rotary Engraving

An older technology, rotary engraving is still used widely today for manufacturing badges and other products. Jim Mellgren of St. Paul Stamp Works says that his company continues to use rotary engraving alongside and in combination with other technologies, including screenprinting and digital UV flatbed printing.

According to www.antaresinc.net (the website run by Antares Inc., a manufacturer of engraving tools), rotary engraving is done with a rotating cutting tool in a motorized spindle. "The tool, or cutter, cuts into the surface of the material to a predetermined depth," the website says, "and produces a groove of the same shape and dimension of the cutter." Computerized rotary engraving machines mechanically move the cutter spindle to engrave the characters, while on a pantograph the manufacturer lowers the cutter manually and traces a master to engrave the characters. The cutters themselves can be swapped out for other cutters of differing shapes and widths, depending on the needs of a particular engraving job.

The rotary engraving process is simple and does not involve much of a learning curve, Mellgren says. The cutting tool, guided by either the machine or the manufacturer, engraves through the surface of two-color engraving stock (in which the top side is white and the bottom side is black, for example), to reveal the contrasting color below. The manufacturer can also print on a single-color substrate (as in screenprinting) and then engrave through the printed image to the substrate color beneath.

The advantages of rotary engraving include quick setup for short runs and the way it allows for variable copy that can be easily changed. Some machines are relatively low-cost investments; at websites where sellers offer used rotary engravers, prices vary between $1,500 and $8,000, depending on the machine. In addition to two-color plastic stock, rotary engravers can engrave on brass, stainless steel, acrylic and other substrates. Besides namebadges, rotary engravers can also be used to manufacture nameplates, signage, awards and more.

Screen Printing

Like rotary engraving, screenprinting is another relatively low-tech and low-cost method of manufacturing badges. The process uses one or two colors on 16-inch engraving stock, and the final product can be air-dried after following these steps:

  1. Use a special desktop printer to print film for the image you want to screenprint.
  2. Place the film on the screen, which is covered with glue.
  3. Wherever the light hits through the non-black portions of the printed film, the glue is cured.
  4. Wash the uncured glue off the screen.
  5. Place the screen on the printing press.
  6. Place ink on top of the screen.
  7. Use a squeegee to press ink through the screen.

The operating costs for screenprinting are relatively low, and initial setup costs can be $5,000 or less, according to Mellgren. Necessary equipment includes an exposure unit, a printer for film, squeegees and inks; manufacturers will also need a place to wash out the screens, such as a spray booth, along with a pressure washer and solvent. Mellgren says there's a medium learning curve involved, as it takes a certain amount of training to learn the process.

Screenprinting is particularly well-suited to larger quantities of product. "We have some customers who have us screenprint something they later rotary engrave," Mellgren says—for example, a logo or other color image is screenprinted onto blanks, after which the customer engraves individual names on the printed stock.

The process does not use four-color process inks—usually the limit of colors that can be used in a single job is two. However, the printed image adheres better to the surface of the badge or other object than digital or inkjet images and in fact is durable outdoors when used for signage.

Sublimation

With a non-removable mark and nearly unlimited color combinations, sublimation is an attractive option for making badges. According to Margaret Johnson of Johnson Plastics, a system for manufacturing sublimated badges consists of two major pieces of equipment: a heat press and a printer that prints dye sublimation inks onto a sheet that will be used to transfer the image to the badge. This is how the process works:

  1. Use a graphics program like CorelDRAW to create your image.
  2. Send the image to a desktop printer that has been filled with sublimation inks.
  3. Take the printed sheet of paper to the heat press along with your cut badge piece.
  4. Place the image on top of the blank and line up the blank badge with the printed crop marks. The paper image should be a little oversized to allow for a bleed.
  5. Press the image using the heat press.

Usually the manufacturer will print multiple badges at a time, as many as will fit on the printed image. The cheapest printers for use with sublimation inks will print at 8 1/2 inches x 11 inches, but some printers will print paper that is 13 inches x 19 inches or even larger. The table size of Johnson Plastics' heat press is 16 inches x 20 inches, so it can be used to press images up to slightly below that size. (Using an image at the full size of the heat press will create a sublimated image that is not so clear around the edges).

The actual sublimation process is simple enough that, according to Johnson, a 16-year-old can operate the heat press. If there's a problem, it's likely to be in color management, which can be dealt with in troubleshooting over the phone. Manufacturers do have to know the temperature of the heat press, which should be 400 degrees; if it's only 350 degrees it won't work right. Also, the printer for the sheets used in the heat press needs to be devoted to sublimation inks; it can't go back and forth between sublimation inks and regular printer inks. Something should be run on the printer every couple of days so the ink doesn't start congealing.

According to Johnson, sublimation for badgemaking should generally be done on pre-cut badge blanks because badges for sublimation incorporate FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic). While this material can be trimmed to a smaller size with an engraver, cutting it with a shear will leave jagged edges. Fortunately, badges for sublimation are available in various sizes—particularly those that fit common sizes for badge frames, but companies that sell badge blanks will also often create custom shapes to suit their customers' needs. "If they wanted a badge in the shape of Texas, we could do that," Johnson says.

While sublimation can be used only with products that have been specially coated for the purpose, it also leaves a permanent mark that cannot be scratched off. This is because the ink, which converts to a gaseous state in the heat press, bonds with the coating below the object's surface. "It is a permanent, dyed image," Johnson notes. Since sublimation uses four-color process inks, it can create almost any combination of colors. Be aware though, that if you sublimate on silver- or gold-colored blanks, the colors will look very different than on more typical white blanks. A manufacturer can also print an image on a sublimatable blank and then engrave on top of that, although Johnson cautions that this isn't necessarily an optimal use of the medium. Since the blank is one color all the way through, the sublimated image must be quite dark and saturated for this to work.

Assuming the manufacturer already has a computer and graphics program like CorelDRAW or Illustrator, the least expensive sublimation setup, which includes the heat press, printer, inks and paper, typically runs around $3,000. Larger systems will cost more.

In addition to badges, sublimation can also be used on a wide array of products—anything that is coated for use with sublimation. A few of these items include shirts (anything that is 100 percent polyester), mugs, steins, clipboards, frames, ornaments, and tiles for creating a mural or decorating the front of a gift box. Johnson also notes that Johnson Plastics offers a few sublimatable products unique to the company, including personalized reusable shopping bags, placemats, seat cushions for sporting events, and drawstring book bags for teens.

Thermal Printing

Used almost exclusively for badgemaking, a thermal dye-diffusion printer uses dyes to digitally transfer the desired graphic onto the badge blank. The actual printing is handled with a thermal print head rather than a heat press and is entirely computer-controlled, according to Blair Allen of Direct Color Systems, making it simple and easy to use. "It prints onto pre-cut stock in a hopper, so you can load up to 100 pieces in the hopper," he says. "It gives you the opportunity of a completely automated system."

A thermal printer from Direct Color Systems® is economical to purchase (name badge thermal printers will range from $2500-$3500), but the consumables cost more than those of some inkjet systems. Training involves a two- to three-hour telephone install and is ready to go afterward. In addition to four-color process ribbons, it also offers true metallic colors, as gold and silver print ribbons can be used. Digital control offers high consistency in the final product, making thermal printing well suited for larger quantities.

A small machine – "not much bigger than a breadbox," Allen says – a thermal printer can only print on product that is between 1 inch x 3 inches and 2 1/2 inches x 3.7 inches and is generally limited to printing on PVC cards or PVC-coated stock. While this limits other products that can be manufactured with a thermal printer, it's ideal for manufacturing badges. Thermal printers can, however, also be used to make luggage tags, industrial hang tags, key rings and a few other small items.

Flatbed Inkjet Direct-to-Substrate Printing

Inkjet direct-to-substrate printers use a mild solvent-based ink to "print directly to many standard substrates without pre-treatment or coating of any type," Allen says. Another digitally controlled process like thermal printing, inkjet printing offers high consistency of output for large badge quantities because it involves fewer steps in producing each individual piece.

Direct Color Systems offers several sizes of flatbed inkjet direct-to-substrate printers. The small printers can print on objects up to 13 inches x 9 inches and the medium printers on objects up 13 inches x 14 inches. The large printers have a print area of 13 inches x 24 inches and can also print on objects up to six inches tall ("or as small as you want," Allen adds). The smaller models cost $10,000 to $15,000, the larger around $20,000. The cost of the consumables, however, is only about 20 percent of those used for thermal printing.

Starting up involves a four- to six-hour telephone install, but learning how to use the system effectively takes longer than with thermal printers in part because of the diversity in what manufacturers can use it to make; the settings vary for different substrates like glass, acrylic, curved objects, etc.

Useful for badges, inkjet direct-to-substrate printers also can personalize a wide variety of other products of different shapes and sizes: glass, ceramic, plastic, curved items like golf balls, etc. "You've got to think of it as a digital color marking device, basically," Allen says. While the printed image isn't as durable as those produced in sublimation or screenprinting, inkjet printers can also print with clear ink and white ink in addition to four-color process inks.

Digital UV Flatbed Printing

In addition to manufacturing badges with screenprinting and rotary engraving, St. Paul Stamp Works also uses a digital UV flatbed printer. This badgemaking method involves reverse printing on clear polyester or polycarbonate, then adhering the printed piece to a PVC or rigid vinyl badge. The printing ends up on the inside and the non-printed surface on the outside, which protects the image and also lends it visual depth. Another way of using a digital UV flatbed printer, however, involves printing directly on vinyl or PVC and then laminating the image. Because it's a digital printer with four-color process inks, engraving isn't necessary, Mellgren says. Manufacturers can also engrave through the printing to the substrate below the way they might with screenprinting, but for this technology "that's a little cost-prohibitive."

A flatbed digital printer is a six-figure investment and will run at least $100,000 for the initial outlay, Mellgren says. However, the operating costs are low and primarily involve refills for the ink and UV bulbs required for curing the final product.

Learning how to use a digital flatbed printer involves a slightly higher learning curve than screenprinting or rotary engraving. Color management is an ongoing concern that must be monitored, as is adhesion; as with inkjet direct-to-substrate printers, the printing doesn't stick to the substrate quite as well as in screenprinting. Mellgren says that when St. Paul Stamp Works purchased its digital UV printer, "We had to figure it out ourselves and then train our operators."

While the printed badges need UV light to cure, and they are 99-percent cured upon exposure, sometimes to the point where manufacturers can stack objects on top of each other while they finish drying. In addition, flatbed digital printers feature a short setup time and use four-color process ink, allowing any given badge job to be done all at one time, names and background both—there's no need to print the stock and then engrave on top of that. They can also be used to produce large-scale products; the OCE printer used by St. Paul Stamp Works features a 4-foot x 8-foot engraving area.

While printed images produced by a flatbed digital printer aren't as durable outdoors as screenprinted or sublimated images, they feature very fine detail. Besides badges, flatbed digital printers can also used to manufacture signage, metal identification plaques, posters and banners.

Badge Materials

A wide variety of materials and blanks are available for manufacturing printed or engraved badges, but the material must suit the process. "Different products have different specifications, including UV stability, laser engravable, rotary engravable, scratch engravable, matte finish, satin finish, non-glare finish, textured finish, etc. Each surface type has its advantages and disadvantages," says Mike May of JDS Industries Inc. "The cost per inch for material is quite low. Most of the cost for badgemaking is related to the labor and machine time that is required."

Besides printing or engraving surfaces, there are other materials a manufacturer needs to invest in. "Metal sheet stock and most plastic sheet stock require a shear for cutting square badges or pieces that are small enough to fit onto your engraving table surface," May says. "Some plastics can be cut using the laser to make your badge shapes, and all plastic can be cut into shapes using cutters on your rotary engraving machine. You will need badge attachments, which are adhered to the back side of the badge and used for attaching the badge to clothing. There are many types available, including magnetic, stick pin, convention-style holders that are used with a bulldog clip or lanyard and several others. You can dress up your badges using different types of badge frames as well."

Markets for Badges

Markets that stamp manufacturers can tap into—or expand current sales with—by offering badges include accounting firms, banks and financial institutions, clubs, restaurants and retail stores, schools and libraries, government, travel and entertainment, hotels/motels, and insurance companies. All of these institutions tend to require employee namebadges, deskplates and photo IDs, and many of them also use other products that badgemaking equipment can produce: member benefit cards, customer loyalty cards, access badges, welfare benefit cards, directional signage, phone cards, membership cards, golf tags, employee of the month plaques—the list goes on.

As Johnson points out, "Just about anybody is identified these days. In this day and age we are being very protective, and we want to know who everybody is."