If you’re looking for a fun, personalized product to help expand your brand, Custom lapel pins are a great option. Lapel pins come in different styles that are perfect for any occasion! And they also comes in different types, which makes a huge impact on look and feel.
What type of message do you want to convey with your pin? Our helpful guide can assist you in knowing different types of pins and selecting the ideal pin for your project.
What are Lapel Pins?
Lapel pins are small pins that are usually worn on the clothing of a person. These pins may be considered a part of a uniform and they can be used to identify the profession, affiliation, achievements, or membership of an individual. And they can be customized with different shapes, colors, and logos.
If you’re looking for a unique way to promote your business, consider custom pins for your local school fundraiser or trade show. Consider handing them out to your local community and watch the positive effect.
Investing in custom enamel pins is an ideal way of drawing attention to your new business or product. The pins can help create buzz around your venture and make it more popular.
Types of Lapel Pins
Continue on to learn 7 different types of lapel pins. Depending on your preferences, you can find the perfect pin to represent what you want.
Soft enamel pin – Popular Choice
What is soft enamel pin?
Soft enamel pins are a popular choice for tailored pin designs that require rich details, vibrant hues, and intricate textures.
The colors of the enamel are beneath the surface, creating an embossed effect for these custom designed soft enamel pins.
If you are looking for a classic and timeless look, soft enamel pins give you great quality at a wallet-friendly price.
What You can benefit from?
Versatile design; Embossed look and feel; Affordably priced; Quality and durability
How soft enamel pins are made?
The pins are stamped using a die and filled with enamel paint to finish the design. Then they are heated at a low temperature to lock in the colors, giving them a glossy look.
This ultimately creates an effect that gives the true feel of raised and sunken metal.
How durable are soft enamel pins?
This is one of the most popular pin options from Blythe. It provides high durability at a reasonable price.
If desired, our soft enamel pins can be coated with a protective epoxy layer. It will make them resistant to scratching and other external factors. This ensures that your custom pins look as good as new for longer.
If epoxy is not your style, hard enamel is a great alternative. Not only does it provide increased protection, but the finish looks more polished and attractive.
Who would use these types of pins?
Soft Enamel pins are great for conveying fun and prestige. They would be a perfect choice for school activities, sports teams, youth groups, celebrations, community projects, and souvenirs.
Average Production Time
They can be finished in as little as two weeks.
Hard enamel pin – High value
What is a hard enamel pin?
A hard enamel pin is also known as a pole pin, which is a die-struck pin with a hard enamel finish.
Hard enamel pins use similar enamel paints to Cloisonne pins.
However, an additional step is needed – the enamel needs to be polished so that it’s level with the metal, providing a smooth and sophisticated jewelry-like look without the requirement of any epoxy varnish.
If you’d like to put together a sleek and polished design with exquisite metal lines, Hard Enamel is definitely the way to go.
Source:https://www.promodirect.com/Promotional-hard-enamel-lapel-pin-1–23608-ccp35814.htm
What You can benefit from?
Versatile design; Shiny and glossy finish; Highest perceived value
How hard enamel pins are made?
Hard Enamel pins are created by pouring powdered glass into the die-struck brass bases.
After a high-temperature baking process, the glass enamel is sanded and polished to even out the metal lines between colors. Each color is added and baked separately. This results in a glossy and polished look for the pins.
These pins have a beautiful, color-rich enamel coating and the paint is level with metal areas. PMS Color Matching System ensures that you can accurately match any color you need. No matter the tone or shade, Blythe has it covered.
How durable are hard enamel pins?
Hard enamel pin is considered to be one of the most durable types of enamel pins due to its smooth surface and the fact that it has been exposed to very high temperatures during production.
It is resistant to wear and tear. Also, it is able to retain its shape even exposed to various hard surfaces and other elements.
The quality is evident and it can be trusted to retain its shape, sparkle, and color over a period of time.
Who would use these types of pins?
Hard enamel pins offer a high-value look and feel. It can be used in a wide range of situations – from business and marketing events, to trade shows, to political activities, even sporting events.
Average Production Time
Keep in mind that hard enamel pins cost more than regular pins as they take longer time (3- 5 weeks) and require additional labor to create.
Die struck pin – All metal look
What is a Die Struck pin?
These traditional pins have a raised and polished surface area, combined with a recessed textured backing to make them stand out.
Whether they are polished or antiqued, Die Struck pin pins will always be elegant and stylish. With a metal-on-metal finish and without the use of color, it provides a timeless and classic look.
Source:https://kennyproducts.com/die-struck-all-metal-lapel-pin-0-75/
Our experienced craftsmen have over 20 years of expertise with specific pin techniques, so you can be sure that your custom pin design will come out perfect and turn heads among peers and colleagues.
What You can benefit from?
Versatile design; Embossed look and feel; Affordably price
How Die-struck pins are made?
Die-struck uses raised and recessed areas of metal to create the design, instead of enamel paint.
The pins are made from a die and then struck from raw metal material. The stamping will create raised and recessed areas into metal similar to that of a coin.
After the mold is finished, it goes through hand polishing and then gets plated with gold, silver, nickel, black nickel, or another type of antique finish.
To make the pin look great, it’s important to consider things like sandblasting or filling with enamel after die striking.
Sandblasting will give the pin a more refined look, and enamel fillings will make it eye-catching.
Or you could use other polishing techniques like antiqued, polished or matte to get the the perfect look for your project.
How durable are die-struck pins?
Die-struck pins are more robust since they use the pressure exerted by hard metals to form, resulting in a highly dense structure. This renders the metal more resilient and helps it to remain durable.
Compared to ones made with enamel paint, which can chip or wear out over time, die-struck pins have a more rigid and sturdy feel.
If trading is your goal, then enamel-filled and epoxy-finished pins will be the best option since they offer increased durability and higher trade value.
Who would use these types of pins?
This type of pin works well with various metal types purely because they can showcase the texture and finish of the material.
It is great for sharp, bold designs with larger lettering as it provides more clarity. Lapel pins with the die-struck process are a great way to communicate your company’s message as they can be custom-crafted into various sizes and shapes.
Die-struck pins are the perfect way to mark significant events or honor a team’s effort. Their simplistic yet timeless design makes them a timeless classic.
From recognition awards to years of service, achievements, student awards, or even sports team or sorority participation awards – they serve all these purposes quite aptly.
Offset printed pins – Photo with complex color
What is Offset printed pin?
An offset epoxy pin is a printed pin that creates an exact replica of your logo or photograph and clear epoxy resin on top.
For designs with a great number of details/colors and a life-like feel, Offset Printed Pins are your best bet.
It gives you maximum flexibility without changing or distorting the design. Designers could utilize gradients, shadows, thin lines, and even photographs in their creations.
There are no thin metal lines separating the colors of your design and this means it can be bigger, smaller, more complex, or more simple to reflect your needs.
What You can benefit from?
Flexibility; Affordable price; Quick turn-around time
How Offset printed pins made?
Our talented experts at Blythe will take your complex, vibrant, and intricate designs (including gradient effects) and prepare them for offset printing on a flat metallic surface which is cut in the exact shape of the design.
Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_printing
At first, we cut the metal into the desired shape for your lapel pin.
Afterward, a base color is applied to the pin. Utilizing a UV printer, your design will be printed and fixed to the base of the product securely.
Lastly, we use an epoxy coating to make the pin scratch-resistant and keep it shiny.
How durable are Offset printed pins?
Offset-printed pins tend to be more durable than those that were printed using other techniques.
The hard epoxy enamel will ensure the pin remains in its best condition and keep stunning for many years.
Who would use these types of pins?
The printed pins is a nice choice for teams, sports, promotional materials, and corporate giveaways when the little details matter. In the printing process, an image, design, or logo can be recreated.
Average Production Time
Offset Printed lapel pins are produced faster (1-2 weeks) than others since the metal needs no etching.
3D Cast Lapel Pins – Intricate shapes
What is 3D cast pin?
3D Cast pins creates a level of detail and depth, exceeding the standard 2D Die Struck lapel pins using standard die struck methods.
3D Cast lapel pins are crafted with various layers and angles to give them a realistic look and feel. This 3D effect makes these pins stand out from the rest.
Without using enamel colors, it is great for letters & words and perfect for designs with multiple cut-outs.
3D cast pins come in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes – from glossy gold to sophisticated pewter. Regardless of what you require, these pins can be customized to fit your specific needs.
3D Cast pins can be crafted into many precise shapes when compared to struck lapel pins.
Source:https://www.brilliantpromos.com/ap/3D-Die-Cast-Pins-225-554760818
What You can benefit from?
Versatile design; Domed Look and Feel; Total flexibility
How 3D cast pins are made?
To get more detail, the 3D Cast lapel pin uses a rubber mold which supports molten metal. The mold is spun at a high revolution rate while the molten metal is added to a port on the surface of the rubber.
The next thing is to polish each pin and make sure there are no burs, spurs, or other surface defects. Next, your pin will be plated with a metal finish and after that, put on the the attachment of your choice.
How durable are 3D cast pins?
Cast pins is made by creating a custom-made mold in which molten zinc alloy metal is injected to form the desired shapes.
Once the metal has cooled, it hardens and allows for the creation of resilient pins. This is made possible through the use of zinc alloys which are highly resistant to bending or fracturing.
Thus, 3D cast pins are amazingly durable, while it is much lighter than steel or brass utilized in Die cast pins.
Who would use these types of pins?
3D cast pins have become a popular choice for sports teams, promotional giveaways, corporate gifts and awards ceremonies due to its sophisticated look.
During the printing process, it is possible to recreate an image, logo or design.
Who would use these types of pins?
3D cast pins have become a popular choice for sports teams, promotional giveaways, corporate gifts and awards ceremonies due to its sophisticated look.
During the printing process, it is possible to recreate an image, logo or design.
Silk Screen lapel pins- More vivid
What is a silk screen printed pin?
If your pin design features a limited palette of colors, then silkscreen printed pins are the cost-effective solution.
Choosing screen-printed options will make your pins look as professional and attractive as they seem on your brochure. Colors can be bold and vivid on printed materials, thanks to the use of heavy-duty inks.
Silk screen printing is a special craft that allows color to be added in layers without the need for a metal border. It is perfect for capturing small details.
Note that silk screen printing is more expensive since a new screen has to be made for every color featured and needs more work.
What You can benefit from?
Unlimited Colors; Creative look; Photo Reproduction; Lightweight
How Silk Screen pins are made?
Silk screening is a multi-layered process. It needs identifying the base color, repeated pressing with a squeegee, drying of your design, and after all the colors are applied, coated with a very thin epoxy coat to protect them from scratching.
To achieve a better screenprint effect, larger areas of enamel need to be used. To ensure legibility, it is essential to opt for an enamel and silkscreen color with strong contrast.
It is imperative to understand that it can be possible to get the enamel and silkscreen color to be perfectly matched.
Source:https://www.pinoutlet.com/silkscreen.html
How durable are Silk Screen pins?
A hard epoxy finish is a great way to ensure that your inks last for an extended period of time. It can give you a layer of protection and help keep your colors looking fresh.
You can also opt for a more luxurious look by leaving the bare metal exposed.
Who would use these types of pins?
Silk Printed pins are an ideal choice in situations when details matter.
They are perfect for tradeshows, appreciation, employee awards and attendance awards, etc. . In this process, logos and designs can be replicated with exact precision – a great benefit!
Photo Etched pins – Cost-saving
What is Photo Etched pins?
Photo-etched pins are an excellent option for intricate designs, due to their superior level of detail and accuracy.
Photo Etched pins are made thinner than other types of pins, contributing to their lighter weight.
Source:https://www.adinaline.com/products/custom-lapel-pins/photo-etched
Bigger pin designs can definitely benefit from this! For shadows or gradients to your design, offset printed pins are an alternative choice.
Photo-etched pins don’t need to be as thick as die-struck or hard enamel pins, which can represent considerable cost savings for you.
Choose Photo Etched to create a high-status look without paying so much.
What You can benefit from?
Fast turn-around time; Perfectly reproduced; No metal separator lines
How Photo Etched pins are made?
Photochemical machining (PCM) is a method of chemical milling that utilises photo etching. It’s been applied to many industries in order to provide high-quality finished products.
Photo etching is an economical way to cut materials as opposed to other more expensive cutting processes like stamping, punching, laser, or water jet cutting.
Source:https://www.siennapacific.com/lapel-pins/photo-etched.html
The procedure is outlined in the following steps:
- Typically, brass or copper is used as the pin material and a film image is transferred to it.
- Light-sensitive material called a photoresist is used to coat the design project.
- The Photoresist becomes hardened after exposure to UV light to ensure the image lasts.
- Subsequently, the unprotected areas are applied with acid. And The design is corroded away rapidly.
- The manufacturing process involves the removal of any residual acid or other impurities, ultimately giving a precisely crafted product.
- Acid-etched cavities are filled with enamel colors using a syringe one by one.
- Then fired in an oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes in order to “bake” the color.
- Once they’re cut into individual pins, they’re polished and can be coated with a protective epoxy to help prevent against wear out and tear.
How durable are Photo Etched pins?
The pins are hardened under a UV light to ensure that the print stays intact and last a long time.
Unlike other manufacturers that use epoxy coating, our products feature a unique acrylic formula that will not yellow even over a period of time.
Who would use these types of pins?
These durable metal pins are perfect for membership badges and rewards.
Average Production Time
Photo Etched pins offer quicker production times than enamel pins, plus they provide the most vivid colors.
Tips
If you’re on a tight schedule and in need of pins, we offer quick pins. These are made from various stock shapes and sizes that can be sized to your design based on your needs.
Which Type of Pin Is Right for My Design?
With the variety of lapel pins available, making a selection can be overwhelming. It’s important to consider the event type, purpose, and audience when choosing the best lapel pin option for you.
This will ensure that you find the right product with appropriate design and quality. Also, the complexity of your design and individual preferences typically determine the outcome in the end.
Color and details
Soft and hard enamel pins are the go-to choice when it comes to lapel pins. Both hard and soft enamel pins offer similar features such as vibrant colors and sharp details.
Source:https://www.thepinpeople.com/learn-lapel-pins/definitive-guide-lapel-pins/
If you’re looking for a texture, soft enamel is the way to go, since hard enamels are usually smooth.
Usage
Die-struck pins are the ideal choice for recognition and reward pins.
Their unique appeal makes them a great reminder of your accomplishments that you can wear proudly around.
These pins are designed with a recessed sandblasted background and polished, raised surfaces to bring an element of sophistication and authority to your look.
What’s more, You will find silk printed pins and photo-etched are popular pin types made in America. There is a high demand for U.S.-made enamel pins.
Shape
If you are looking for something unique and distinct, hard enamel, soft enamel, or printed pins are great options.
3D cast pins are amazing when it comes to providing intricate details and great depth, though they cannot be painted or colored.
Nevertheless, their 3D property is quite remarkable.
Price
Hard enamel pins are attractive and of high quality, thus being more costly than soft ones, however, the hard ones are available in smaller sizes.
When getting lapel pins, it’s important to keep in mind that there may be MOQ. This means that although each piece may be slightly cheaper, you need to double the amount of your order.
Time
Offset printed pins offer the quickest turnaround and most cost-effective option when compared to other printing methods.
This is a great option if you need your pins immediately. It is also suitable for designs that involve a lot of colors and intricate details.
Certain types of lapel pins, including hard and soft enamel, die struck and 3D cast ones, require a metal die or stamp to be made. Hence, they generally take a longer time to produce.
Pins created outside the U.S. may take longer to arrive because of the transit time involved in getting them here.
Ready to Order Your Lapel Pins?
Finding the right lapel pins for your custom design can be challenging due to the abundance of choices available.
Source:https://embassyflag.com/item/lapel-pins/custom-lapel-pins/6135
If you’re uncertain about the type of lapel pins to go for, we suggest consulting a specialist who is experienced in custom pins. This can help you make the best decision for your particular needs.
It is important to request an estimation for every type of pin before deciding which one to purchase. This will help you understand the associated cost and plan better.
To ensure a successful custom pin creation project, it’s important to do your research beforehand and partner with a well-regarded manufacturer with experience in the field. Doing so will help you achieve your desired results.
Create Custom Pins with Blythe now!
If you’re prepared to get started, we’d love to help you achieve your custom pin goals. With no minimum order requirements, high-quality construction, and fast turnaround time, we’re the place for your custom pins. Check out our range of lapel pin options.
