Why Inkjet Sucks... For Button Making

The votes are in and it's official:
Inkjet Sucks.... for Button Making.

Update: Epson Durabrite and UltraChrome and 3rd party Pigment Based inks DO NOT SUCK for button making.

(You're welcome to keep reading this long-winded rant about the suckiness of inkjet, but please keep in mind that I wrote this before I became fully educated on the wonders of Pigment Inks and the following is only in reference to Dye based inkjet)

I know, I know. This is very bad news. On the upside it doesn't really affect every button maker out there. Those of you printing photo buttons and things that will for the most part be kept indoors, are fine using inkjet. But for those of you making buttons that are to be worn on the clothes, the buttons need to be able to withstand moisture, rain, or even a trip through the wash. All things inkjet just can't do.

Inks are water soluble. Period. It is impossible to create a waterproof inkjet print unless you laminate it. Inkjet prints are much much more susceptible to sun damage as well - meaning that your amazingly bright Epson colors look like ultra faded crapola after just a few months of wear.

It is very tempting to go into business making buttons using an inkjet printer. After all the price is right, the color replication is awesome, and the resolution is impeccable. BUT you have to buy expensive paper to produce the right color and resolution. AND once that amazing color button you just made hits the real world, it runs and looks awful. Even if the design holds up by some miracle, after a while these weird brown stains start to seep in. Some people refer to these stains as "rust." But trust me, that ain't no rust! It's the moisture interacting with the inkjet paper. I have yet to see any of these problems occur on buttons made with a laser printer.

Inkjet Pro's

• Inexpensive
• Beautiful colors
• High resolution

Inkjet Con's

• Expensive paper required to obtain all the pro's
• Water soluble. The colors ruuuuunnnnnn when exposed to moisture
• Browning paper (even the expensive kind when it gets wet, then oxidizes)
• Fades quickly in the sun. (We're talking months, not years folks)
• Prints very slooooooooowly
  

Laser Pro's

• No fancy paper required. Regular office paper achieves the same quality.
• Not water soluble. Can withstand normal exposure to moisture just fine.
• Good color longevity even in the sun.
• Prints very fast!
• Acceptable color reproduction
  

Laser Con's

• Expensive initial investment
• Expensive toner refills
  
• Not very high resolution

So maybe you are still on the fence. Maybe you've seen some inkjet buttons that seem to be holding up. Maybe you've compared the resolution and just can't part with your hi res inkjet. Maybe you've seen the price tag on that laser printer and are still picking your jaw up off the floor. I don't know. But before you go into business using an inkjet printer, think about this:

Your first rush order for 10,000 buttons that you stayed up all night working on so your very best customer could have them for an event the next day, arrives.... wet.... ruined.

or this:
"Hey you know those buttons you made for my store? We'll my customers are all returning them because the colors are all running and faded and there are these brown spots appearing on them. This makes me look really bad and I threw away most of them. Can I have a refund?"

yeah. bad news. get a laser printer. seriously.

Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments!!!

You can use any of the button machines from ButtonMakers.net to make Christmas ornaments for your tree this season. It's so easy, and there are so many different ways to go about it.


You can make photo ornaments for your family, or custom gifts for special loved ones. You can make them big or small. Attach 100's of little 1 inch buttons to a ribbon to drape on the tree. Or just unpin the back and fashion it into a hook!! Use the welded eye to loop a hook through. Or just tie some gold string on to the back of a finished button.

There are so many cool things you can do with your button maker this holiday season!

I decorated my mini tree (pictured above) with 1 inch buttons. I printed these designs on inkjet transparencies and pressed out the buttons like normal. Then I either attached gold wire to the back or just pinned them on!! So Cute!!!

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see step by step pictures for making Christmas ornaments with a 3-1/2 inch buttons.


Here's what you'll need:

- A Button Machine from Button Makers .net any size will do

- Complete button making supplies. That includes shells, mylar, and pinned backs (or collets and lock pins if you're using 1 inch).

- Welded Eyes (this is optional since you could easily attach the string or hook to the pinned back. I think the eye looks a little nicer so for this example, I'm using the welded eye.)

- A circular cut graphic

- String, Ribbon, or Ornament Hooks for hanging

- Scissors for the string or ribbon


1. Get everything together.

2. Remove the pin from the back (unless you didn't get welded eyes, then just leave it alone).

3. Insert the back into the crimp die (the one without visible springs) and make sure one of the holes is centered at the top. (ignore the other hole). If you're not using welded eyes, center the with the clasp side at the top, so when you fashion your string or hook onto it, it will hang straight.

4. Place the shell in the pickup die. Place the graphic on top of the shell, and the mylar on top of the graphic.

5. Rotate the pickup die under the upper die and pull the handle. Rotate the crimp die under the upper die and pull again. Just like normal.

6. Remove the ornament from the machine.

7. Cut a piece of string and loop it through the hole. In this example I'm using elastic gold thread I got from a craft store for $1.

8. Tie on a ribbon or any other decorations and put it on your tree!!!

Make Your Own Mirrors - Tecre Model 300, 350

The 2-1/4, 3 inch and 3-1/2 inch machines from ButtonMakers.net can be used to make mirrors as well as buttons!! These are really cool. They make great gifts or novelty items for retail. It's so easy. In this example, I'm using the Model 350 machine.

Here's what you need:

- A Model 350, 350P, 300, 300P, or 225 Button Maker from ButtonMakers.net

- Complete 3 inch or 3-1/2 inch Mirror Sets (This includes shells, mylar, collets, mirror backs, and shims)
- A circular cut graphic


1. Get everything together in one place

2. Place the shell In the pickup die (the one with visible springs). Place the graphic on top of the shell, and the mylar on top of the graphic.

3. Place the collet into the crimp die, flat side down sharp side up. Place the mirror in the center of the collet reflective side down.

4. Bend the shim as shown in the photo below.

5. Place the shim on the back of the mirror. Make sure it is as centered as humanly possible, this is very important. Also make sure that it is not sticking up to far as to be moved out of place when underneath the upper die. Again make sure the shim is centered!

6. Rotate the pickup die underneath the upper die and pull the handle all the way down.

7. Rotate the crimp die underneath the upper die, and make sure the shim is still centered! Pull the handle all the way down again.

8. That's it!! now just remove the mirror from the machine, and put on your lipstick! : )


If you have any trouble with the mirror not crimping together (coming out of the machine in pieces instead of whole) it's because the shim wasn't centered. Make sure the shim is centered and doesn't get bumped off center by the upper die.

Make Your Own Coasters - Tecre Model 350

The Button Makers Model 350 or 350 Photo are the only machines that makes coasters. These make fun gifts, they're great for resale, or for promotion at restaurants, clubs, and bars.

Now you're thinking: "how the heck can you make a button into a coaster??" Well, it's actually really easy. You use the machine just like you would if you were making a button, except the back is flat and doesn't have a pin, the coaster insert flattens it down so it sits properly on the table, and there is adhesive cork material you stick onto the back. Cool huh?

Here's what you need:

A Model 350 or 350 Photo from ButtonMakers.net
A Coaster Insert
Complete Coaster Sets (Includes shells, mylar, flat backs, and adhesive cork)
And a circular graphic

1. Get every thing you need together.

2. Place the Coaster Insert into the upper die flat side down. It should stick right in the, held in place by the magnet built in.

3. Put the shell into the pick-up die (the one with visible springs). Place the graphic on top of the shell and the mylar on top of the graphic.

4. Place the flat back, sharp side up, into the crimp die.

5. Rotate the pick-up die under the upper die and pull the handle down. Rotate the
crimp die around and pull again, just as you would with a button.

6. Remove the coaster from the machine, peel the backing off the cork, and stick it on. (Be careful to center the cork, because it's pretty much impossible to pull it off in one piece after it's stuck.)

7. You have now successfully made your own coaster!! woo hoo!! But go have a party to celebrate you'll need to remove the coaster insert from the upper die. Use the small pole that came with the insert, and stick it in the hole in the top of the upper die. This will push the insert out of the die.