Badge making machines: UK sizes, dies and supplies

Choose a badge making machine by badge size first. Each die (the mould that shapes the badge) makes one size, and the parts you buy must match it. 25mm and 58mm are the most common sizes in the UK, and parts for them are the easiest to find.

Which badge size should you choose?

Size	Good for
25mm	Name badges, lanyards and giveaways: a logo, a name or a few words
32–45mm	Small illustrations and slogans
55–58mm	Most craft and shop badges: room for a picture and text, and big enough for magnets and mirrors
75–77mm	Large badges, such as birthday badges

Sizes vary a little between makers: some sell 55mm or 56mm, others 58mm, and 75mm or 77mm. Parts for one won’t fit the other, so once you’ve chosen a machine, buy parts made for that exact size, ideally from the same supplier.

What parts does each badge need?

• A metal front shell, the domed front.
• Your design, printed on paper and cut into a circle.
• A clear film cover, often called mylar, which protects the design.
• A back: a pin, a magnet, a keyring, a bottle opener or a mirror.

The paper circle is bigger than the badge, because its edge wraps round the side of the shell. A 58mm badge typically needs a circle of about 70mm, and a 25mm badge about 35mm, but check your machine’s instructions. Print on ordinary 80–100gsm paper. Thick photo paper or card can make the press hard to close or tear the film.

How do you make a badge?

1. Print your designs and cut out the circles with a circle cutter made for your badge size, or scissors for a few.
2. Load the front: put the shell in the die dome side up, then your circle face up on it, then the clear film on top.
3. Press: pull the handle down to press the front together.
4. Add the back: put the pin or magnet back in the other die, swap the dies over, and press again.

How to make pin-back buttons at home covers designing badges, the cut size for each badge size, and what to do when one comes out wrong.

Fixed die or interchangeable dies?

A fixed-die machine makes one size. It’s simpler and cheaper, and a good choice if you only make one size, such as 25mm name badges or 58mm shop badges.

An interchangeable machine takes dies for several sizes, so one press can make, for example, 25mm, 38mm and 58mm badges. Each extra die costs extra, and each size needs its own parts and its own circle cutter.

For a school or club, choose a sturdy machine in one size with a simple slide or rotating die, and make sure the supplier sells parts for it in bulk.

Where can you buy badge supplies in the UK?

Specialist badge suppliers sell machines, dies, circle cutters and parts, and usually say exactly which parts fit which machine. Marketplace kits are cheaper, but their parts don’t always fit other brands’ dies. Before you buy a machine, check you can easily buy more parts for it in the size you want.

What should you check on a used badge press?

• The die size, and whether that size is still sold.
• The die faces, for dents, rust or damage.
• A test badge: make one with the seller’s parts and pull it apart. A wrinkled edge or a loose back means the dies are worn or out of line.
• Spares: whether replacement dies and circle cutters are still available.

Are enamel badges made on a badge machine?

No. Enamel badges are metal badges with coloured enamel set into them, made in a factory, usually with a minimum order. A badge machine makes printed button badges: your design under a clear cover on a metal shell. That means you can make one badge or a hundred, the same day, with your own designs.

Can you use a Cricut instead of a badge press?

Not for button badges. A Cricut or Silhouette can cut printed stickers and paper magnets, but it can’t press a shell and back together. It can, though, cut the paper circles for a badge press, if you’d rather not use a circle cutter.

How do you fit more circles on a sheet?

The free button templates give the cut size for each common size, on A4, US Letter and A3. MagLab fills sheets with your badge designs in one click: drop in your designs, say how many of each, and it fills the sheets with circles sized for your badge press. For name badges, paste a list of names and it puts one on each badge.