Posted by Rebecca on 2/11/2020 to
How-To
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Welcome to the wonderful world of button making! With the team at ButtonMakers in your corner, you’ll be a pro in no time. We have over 20 years experience in the industry and are happy to help with anything from sourcing art, to troubleshooting, to finding a supplier for that weirdo size machine your best friends uncle found on eBay! We seriously love our customers and we hope you’ll love us too! We are a woman owned, union company dedicated to our customers’ success by offering quality products and as many free resources as we can!- Design
Basically you want to use paper that is suited to your printer and not too thick. Super thick paper will cause crimping problems and broken mylar. Ink jet printers are especially persnickety about the paper. You have the make sure that your paper is in fact ink jet paper and not more than 28 lbs or so. Also be sure your ink jet prints are dry before pressing (rusty buttons are no good.)
- Cut
We carry two main types of paper cutters, the ProMaker Punch, a graphic punch that works like a big hole punch, and the MultiCutter, a multi-size rotary cutter that works with 1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2.25 inch, 3 inch, and 3.5 inch buttons. If you're super crafty and budget conscious you can also use just scissors.
- Parts
Most button supply sets consist of Shells, Backs, and Mylar. Some sizes use Collets and Lockpins instead of Pinned-Backs. If you’re making magnets, key chains, or some other accessory, your pieces will be a bit different. For example, Magnet sets consist of Shells, Mylar, Flat or Un-Pinned Backs, and Adhesive Magnets.
- Press
These instructions pertain to the machines we sell, but most button makers work more or less the same way. You should have 2 dies, a Pickup Die and a Crimp Die. Pickup Dies are usually on the left and Crimp Dies on the right. If your machine swivels, the Pickup Die can face you or be positioned under the Upper Die, but it still lives on the left.
Insert the Shell, Graphic, and Mylar into the Pickup Die as shown. Insert the Back into the Crimp Die as shown. Position the Pickup Die underneath the Upper Die and pull the handle down. Lift the handle and position the Crimp Die underneath the Upper Die. Pull the handle down again. Then do a little happy finished button dance!