Buttons Raise Funds for GS8

ButtonMakers.net Sponsors the 2010 Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival

The folks over at GS8 put on a festival every year featuring amateur, unedited, un-juried films shot on Super 8. The whole neighborhood comes out and comes together. It's really amazing. Plus the money raised goes toward a neighborhood arts grant.

This year ButtonMakers.net helped out by donating a rental and supplies to the festival. They made these awesome "metallic" magnets in the 1 inch machine by printing the design backwards on transparencies. (More about the technique later.)

BUTTONS = DONATIONS

This metal drop box was placed in the neighborhood coffee shop. They just put up a sign to "take a magnet, leave a dollar" and watched the $ roll in. They were able to bring in several hundred dollars in just over a month. It was absolutely the most effective, fund-raising effort the festival did, while at the same time requiring the least amount of legwork!

METALLIC BUTTONS

One way to snazz up your button designs is to print them out on transparencies. This way the metal shell shows through and makes it look all shiny and cool.

When you do this, you'll want to print out your graphic backwards. That way you can place the transparency on the shell ink or toner side down to protect the graphic. You don't even need to use mylar!




To flip your image in Photoshop, use the Image -> Image Rotation -> Flip Horizontal option as shown in the image to the left. If you're not familiar with laying out pages on one Layer this way, you might want to download our templates and check out the tutorial on using Patterns.









In OpenOffice you can flip your image by right clicking or CTRL-clicking on it and selecting Flip -> Horizontally. In OpenOffice you have to remember to flip your graphic before laying out the whole page.

If you have a good printer you may also be able to flip the image in the printer settings as well.

When you're pressing metallic buttons you want to make sure that the image prints backwards, the ink is totally dry, and you load the graphic into the machine with the graphic toward the shell. That way it reads properly and the ink side is facing the shell (not out and exposed to the elements). You don't want to use mylar for metallic buttons either. Sometimes when you put two pieces of plastic together you get that weird rainbow pattern, and that's not what we want.

Black Thumb

Bad Case of Black Thumb

This ever happen to you? You're all done making your batch of collet buttons, dutifully inserting that copper lockpin one by one by one. The next thing you know your thumb and forefinger are all black! WTH?!?, you may ask yourself.

Well, my friends, you did not receive a dirty batch of lockpins. No, this black thumb is the result of oxidation.

Apparently the acidic nature of your sweat makes the electrons in the copper lockpin go crazy! They freak out and jump from the copper over to your skin, creating this lovely black metallic stain. It's kinda like what happens when you wear copper jewelry. Never fear the black thumb! Just go wash your hands. ;)

New Photoshop Templates

New Photoshop Button Design Templates!
(don't have photoshop? use Open Office)


Check out our new button design templates for Photoshop. Thanks to a blog comment suggestion from user merrow, I went ahead and made these new templates, using Patterns instead of Actions. If you love the old style with the Actions and everything for some reason, they are still available here.

These templates are the correct size so that you can fill an 8x10 size page with them perfectly. We're using 8x10 so you can print it on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper without cutting off any designs. The "Minimized Margins" files are made to fill an 8.5x11 page and should only be used if your printer can print full 8.5x11 pages.



Click here to download the full resolution video

1. First download the template you need from the list below. These downloads are in zip files. After unzipping the file, you should have a PSD file. Open the file in Photoshop.

2. Make your design as you see fit. Leave the "Cut Line" layer visible and on top. Turn off the "Face Line" layer once you're finished with the design. You can replace our "perimeter text" with your web address or copyright info. This text shows up on the edge of your finished button. If your not using the perimeter text you can turn off those layers. Save the design when you're done.

3. Once you're totally finished with the design, select "Edit" > "Define Pattern" in Photoshop. Give the pattern a name, and click "OK."

4. Open a new document "File" > "New". Set it to 8x10 inches and 300 PPI.

5. Now, we'll fill the document with the design Pattern. Select "Edit" > "Fill". Select "Pattern" from the drop down menu, and choose your design from the "Custom Pattern" drop down. Click "OK"

That's it! See that was totally easier than using Actions! :P

Download the template for your size below:

Standard Circular Buttons:
7/8"
1"
1-1/4"
1-1/2"
1-3/4"
2"
2-1/4"
2-1/2"
3"
3-1/2"

Squares and Rectangles:
1-1/2x1-1/2"
1-1/2x1-1/2" diamond
2x3"
2-1/2"x3-1/2"

Minimized Margins (only use if you can print a full 8.5x11 page with minimal margins)
2-1/4"
3"

How to Make a 1 inch Button - Video!

How to Make a 1 inch Button
Video!

Check me out, getting my video on! You should check this out even if you know how to make buttons already. There's some special tips at the end. :D

Button Gimp

Button GIMP.

Recent Update: OpenOffice.org's Draw is easier to use than GIMP for page layout stuff (and is also free). You might still want to download GIMP for more involved photo manipulation. But if you just want to get a simple button design on a page, save yourself a headache and use OpenOffice instead.

Gimp is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It has a lot of the same features as Photoshop, but unlike Photoshop, it's FREE. It's an open source application, which means there is no support except from dedicated community members. If you have trouble using the software, you'll have to research the problem and reach out to community members on forums. Other than that, you are on your own.

GIMP doesn't have proper printer drivers. If you're a programmer type you can install Gutenprint here. If you're not, you will need to install another program from which to do your printing - such as IrfranView (also free).

Natively GIMP doesn't come with installers. You can read more about this on the official GIMP website. Most people are going to need installers, so you should download GIMP from the following site:

Download GIMP here
(Windows users only. Gimp is available for Mac too, but the installation process is pretty involved. I'll be posting another blog about Gimp for Mac at a later time.)

Button Templates for GIMP:
1 inch
1-1/4 inch
1-1/2 inch
1-3/4 inch
2 inch
2-1/4 inch
2-1/2 inch
3 inch
3-1/2 inch


1. Download and install GIMP.

2. Download the template file for your size (links above) and save it to the folder of your choice on your hard drive. I saved mine to the My Pictures folder. The template file is a layered .xcf file that can only be opened in Gimp.

3. Launch GIMP. GIMP looks a little different from most application windows you might be used to. Each component of Gimp is it's own window with it's own menu bar at the top. There is not one single program window as you might normally see. Take a moment to get a feel for this. If you're a computer novice, you might have trouble with everything 'disappearing' because you clicked outside one of the Gimp element windows. If this is happening to you, just close all other applications before starting Gimp.
As shown in the example photo, when you first launch Gimp you will see a tools dialog, and that's it.

4. Click on "File" at the top of the tools dialog and select "Open." In the dialog box that appears navigate to the location on your hard drive where you saved your template file. Once you locate the template file you downloaded earlier, click on it and then click "Open".



5. When you successfully open the template file, you will see a white "canvas" area with two black circles. The outer one is your "cut line" and the inner one is the "face line". You should keep your important design elements inside the inner circle.




6. Next we need to view the "layers" of the file. On the "canvas" window select "Dialogs" and click "Layers". This will open the "layers" dialog box.




You should now be able to see the separate components of the file. You can make a new layer by clicking the sheet of paper icon on the bottom left of the dialog. You can turn the layers on and off using the eyeball icon next to them. You can drag them to the little trash can icon on the bottom right of the dialog if you want to delete a layer. You can drag the layers up or down to change how they are arranged on your canvas. For example, you could make your designs on a new layer, but you would need to place it underneath the face line layer, so you can see the line you need to stay within.

7. Design your graphic. For this example, I am dropping a photo into the layout and adding some text on top. So my next step is to open the photo.

Click on "File" and select "Open" navigate to the area on your hard drive where the image is stored. Select the image and click the "Open" button.



8. Resize the photo. Now that I have my photo open, I need to scale it down. Usually photos are very high resolution so they can be printed very large. Buttons are relatively small and don't require as much resolution. If I were to paste this image on to my button template without scaling it first, it would be enormous and difficult to work with.

On the photo window menu bar click on "Image" and select "Scale Image". In my example, I'm using the 1 inch template. At 300 DPI, the printable area on a 1 inch button is only 300x300 pixels. For some safety and wiggle room, I decide to scale my photo down to 400 pixels on the short side - making my image 400x600 pixels.

Enter the pixel dimensions for your size into the "Scale Image" dialog box and click the "Scale" button.



9. Now that the photo is a manageable size, I can paste it into the button layout. But first we have to add a new layer to the button template. Click on the button template to bring it to the foreground. Then click on the piece of paper icon at the bottom left of the layers dialog.

Now we're ready to paste the photo into the template.
On the photo window click on "Edit" and select "Copy".
Next click on the button layout window to bring it to the foreground. On the button layout window click on the new the new layer in the "layers" dialog to select it. Then click on "Edit" and select "Paste".

Use the Move tool to move the photo around until it is positioned where you want it. (The move tool is the cross arrows located on the far right side, second row of the tools dialog).

10. Close the photo, and DO NOT save it.

11. Next, we'll add some text. In the "tools" dialog select the Text tool (the big black A button.) Click anywhere on the template and start typing. You can change the color and font using the options that appear at the bottom of the "tools" dialog.

Move the text around with the move tool until you have it properly positioned.

12. Save your work. Click "File" and select "Save As" select a location on your hard drive and give the file a new name. It's always a good idea to keep your files in their layered state in case you want to make changes later.




13. Get rid of extraneous layers and prepare for printing. You don't want the face line to print, so you once you have a version with the face line in tact saved, you can go ahead and drag that layer to the small trash can icon at the bottom of the layers dialog. We then need to merge the remaining layers. Click on the top layer to select it. Then click "Layer" and select "Merge Down." Repeat the merging until you have only one layer total.

14. Get rid of excess image. In my case, some of the image goes outside my circular template lines. This really isn't a problem except for the wasted ink that will occur when it goes to print. So I'm going to go ahead and turn the corners white. To do this, I select the "Ellipse Select" tool (the oval shaped tool). Click on the top left corner of the canvas, then hold down your shift key (to maintain a perfect circle) and drag to the bottom right corner. This should make a perfect circular selection. Then we need to invert it. Click "Select" on the tool bar and select "Invert"
Finally, fill the selection with white. Make sure your foreground color is white. (The foreground and background color boxes are located under the tools in the tools dialog. If the foreground is not set to white, double click on it and select white.) Then click "Edit" and select "Fill with FG color. (FG stands for foreground).

15. Crop the image to size. In this case, there is some extra image that flows over my canvas area. This will show up when I paste it onto a bigger canvas, so I have to crop it out. Select the crop tool (the knife icon). Click and drag from the top right corner of the canvas to the bottom left. Then double click in the middle.




16. Click on "File" and select "New". When the Create New Image dialog box comes up, change "pixels" to "inches" using the drop down menu. Enter 8.5 in the width field and 11 in the height. This will open a new, blank 8.5 x 11 page on which we will paste our button graphics and print.




17. Click the button layout window to bring it forward. Then click on "Edit" and select "Copy". Click on the page window to bring it forward and select "Edit" then "Paste". Select the Move tool and drag the pasted image to the top right corner. Then select "Edit" - "Paste" (or CTRL-V on your keyboard) again. It will paste the second image directly on top of the one you just pasted. With the move tool, click on the button graphic and drag it down. Keep pasting and dragging until you've filled the page with button graphics.

18. Merge all of the layers together. Select "Layer" then "Merge Down." Repeat this step until you have no more layers. Then select "File" - "Save As". Select JPEG from the drop down menu and change the file name to something you can remember. Make sure to add the .jpg file extension to the end.

19. Open IrfanView. Select "File" - "Open" locate the file you just saved in Gimp and select "File" - "Print"

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to post them here.

Photographers Make Photo Buttons

Making Photo Buttons at Events

I run a photography company in addition to Button Makers. However, I'd never put the two together until a very sweet lady came into my store and asked if I knew anyone who does photo buttons for parties. "Well..." I thought to myself "I can do that..."

The only piece of equipment I needed to buy was a portable photo printer. I settled on a Canon Selphy 740. I choose the Selphy because it's small, portable, and fast. It's not the battery operated model, but I need power for my lighting setup anyway. I went with Canon because I can connect my camera directly to the printer without going through a laptop. However, while on the job, I quickly discovered that you cannot shoot while the printer is printing from the camera! Yeah, uh, probably should have tested that one ahead of time! It was tough explaining to a bunch of exuberant party-goers "Sorry! I can't take your photo for another minute and a half..."

I've heard other photographers say that they bring several memory cards and shoot with one while printing from the other. I wouldn't want to go that route though because at the job I did, people kept coming up to me asking for a duplicate of a button I'd made 30 minutes ago, and I would not want to have to rummage through all my cards using the tiny LCD on the printer trying to find that persons particular shot.

I would recommend bringing a laptop. My canon 5D has a remote capture feature that dumps the image directly on to the computer hard drive (instead of the memory card). This is really draining on the battery though, so I would also need the DC coupler to plug the camera in to a power source.

Exchanging the cards between each shot so you can print while shooting, seems really cumbersome to me (and potentially dangerous too. Removing the card before the camera is done saving is sure path to irrecoverable image corruption!) So remote capture software is definitely the way to go. But if you had no other choice, I'm sure card swapping is doable.

My full equipment list looked (or would look, had I brought a laptop) something like this:

laptop
laptop power supply
mouse
camera body
lenses
compact flash cards
DC coupler
spare battery
flash (back up in case remote transmitter fails)
spare flash batteries
remote flash transmitter
remote flash receiver
spare remote transmitter battery
tripod
tripod quick release
back up sync cables (in case remote transmitter fails)
strobe 1 (I use Alien Bees)
strobe 2
2 umbrellas
2 strobe bells
2 strobe cables
2 light stands
extension cord
power strip
spare flash bulbs
2 backdrop stands
1 backdrop extension pole
backdrop (s)
4-6 sandbags
gaff tape
clamps
printer
extra paper/ink packs (500 total)
paper cartridge
power supply
mini to standard USB cable
standard printer USB cable
USB extension cable
trash bag
Model 350 Photo Button Maker
Model 4000 Graphic Punch
500 Complete Button Sets
500 Easel Back Add Ons
table (this was provided by the party planners)
folding hand truck

Miraculously, I was able to get all of it onto the cart and/or my person for carrying. I didn't have any time to shoot a proper photo of my setup, but I managed to snag a couple of snaps during a slower moment - which was rare!

The event was a total success and the buttons were a major hit. The party was for teens around 12-16 years old. They couldn't get enough of the buttons!! Many of the kids were so into the button machine they wanted to press their own photo buttons. One kid in particular made so many buttons, I slipped him a 20 at the end of the night!! I needed his help for sure.

If I were to get another job like this, I'd definitely bring an assistant.


The packages I offer for event photo buttons are as follows:

$685.00 for up to 100 buttons
or
$850.00 for up to 500 buttons

I usually commit to 5 hours at your standard party. My fees cover my take home pay, an assistant, and materials. If you had to buy all of the gear I listed, it would probably run you $5,000 - $6,000. Essentially you'd break even after 12 events or thereabouts. But you could always start with a stripped down setup: on-camera flash instead of strobes, a cheaper camera, no backdrop and no computer for example. You could also get a battery powered printer and just show up at street fairs, selling photo buttons for $5-$7 a pop. My mother in law is doing pretty well making photo buttons at dog shows with her little point and shoot camera and a battery powered Selphy.

In Seattle there are more photographers than I care to count. The competition is cutthroat and every one needs a niche. Photo buttons are a great niche for events, sports, and kids photography.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here!!

Double Trouble

I had a customer recently who brought a machine back to have it serviced. He had been making Barak Obama campaign buttons and started having trouble. He brought some of the trouble buttons into the shop. They had this weird mylar bubble on the side. I'd never seen this before, and I was busy so I just gave my customer a loaner machine (we do this for Seattle customers only) and mailed his original machine back to the factory.

A few days later I get a call from someone at the factory. He had a hearty laugh at me and said that he'd cut open some of the bubbly buttons, and sure enough, they'd been pressed with TWO SHELLS. He continued laughing and offered to ship my totally functional machine back.

This is only the second machine I have ever seen go back to the manufacturer in the 6 years I've been working here. And this one wasn't a manufacturing issue at all, but a user error.

I figured I may as well do a post about the Double Bubble Troubleshooting in case any one else encounters this.

First, I set out to replicate the problem - an let me tell you - it wasn't easy. I tried overly thick paper, double shells, double mylar and the darn machine kept making decent buttons out of them! Finally after hours of trying to screw up a button on purpose it worked. Here's what could happen if you use two shells:










Also in my quest to screw up some buttons, I got the pick-up die stuck in the upper die. That was fun. I think I actually used 3 shells to accomplish this doozie:










(There isn't supposed to between the base plate and die table).

I got the dies unstuck by holding the die table down for about 30 seconds. Eventually the resistance just popped the upper die up. After that I removed the contents from the upper die manually.

If problems like this are happening to you, and you're 100% sure you're not inserting two shells into the machine, there's probably a shell stuck the upper die. You can tell if this is the case by feeling the inside of the upper die with your fingers. You should be able to feel lightly textured metal an a hole in the center.

If you feel inside the upper die and it is smooth, and there is no hole, that means you've got something stuck in the upper die. The pictures below show the machine turned upside down so you can see inside the upper die. The one on the left shows what the die should look like. The one on the right shows the die with a shell stuck in it.







^^ Good ...........................................^^Bad


The best way to prevent Double Bubble or Stuck Shell Syndrome is to make sure you're only using one shell at a time. Since the shells can come tightly packed they tend to stick together and disguise the fact that theres two. So here's what you do when you go to make buttons:

• Spread your shells out on the table
• Pick up a shell
  
• Drop it on the table with a little force so the edge hits the table
• Proceed making buttons worry-free
  

Tossing the shells edgewise on the table will usually break apart any stuck shells and prevent most problems.

What paper is best for buttons?

I get this question a lot. The answer depends on the following things:

1. The printer you own
2. The button machine you own
3. The graphics you intend to print
4. Your personal preferences
   

Before I get into the specifics of each one of these, first I need to point out that many of problems that people often attribute to the paper is actually a printer profile issue. If your prints are coming out too dark or too red or something like that, your paper is probably fine - but you're using the wrong color profile. Please see my post about ICC Color Profiles for information on that.

1. Your printer. If you are using an inkjet printer, you must use coated inkjet papers. Inkjet printers can produce very high resolution (lots of little dots in a small space) almost entirely because of the paper. The coating on inkjet paper does not allow the ink to spread. The ink is contained on the paper in a tiny pocket creating a nice sharp ink dot.

If you use non-coated paper or paper that does not explicitly state that it is designed for inkjet printers, you will know right away, because your print will look like complete ca ca. We're not talking just too dark, or too red - but an all out blurry, strange colored, cloudy, ugly mess.

Okay, so now you know you must use coated inkjet paper in your inkjet printer. Is there a specific brand or style of paper that is better than another? In general it is best to use the brand of paper distributed by your printer manufacturer. You'll have less of a color management headache if you stick with the brand recommended by your printer manufacturer. Also the thickness of the paper is important and is explained in further detail in the Your Button Machine section below.

If you are using a laser printer, you can get the same DPI prints from standard office paper as you can from glossy paper, so the other factors below might be of greater interest to laser users.

2. Your Button Machine. There are two types of button machines available from ButtonMakers.net the Standard or Paper machine and the Photo machine. The Photo machines are only available in the 3 and 3.5 inch sizes at this time. Only the machines specifically labeled as PHOTO machines are photo, the rest are all standard.

If you have a standard machine, we recommend using paper that is 5 mil in thickness or less. If you use paper that is too thick, it'll be really hard to press and you'll get lots of buttons with torn mylar (see the red circle).

If you have a photo machine, you can use pretty thick paper stock without a problem. We generally say up to 16 mil for the photo machines. I've used heavyweight matte, thick coated glossy paper, dye sub prints, and even silver prints from the photo lab in the Photo button machines all with great success. If you've come across a paper stock that's too thick for the Photo machines, please let me know about it.

There is a lot of paper out there that has the pounds printed instead of the mils. But this is not an accurate measurement for the actual thickness of the paper, because depending on the materials used one pound of paper can be thicker than another. In general though, inkjet "presentation" papers are good, but glossy and heavyweight papers are usually too thick.

3. Your Graphics. It is easier to get away with doing solid color graphics on thinner paper. If you're doing mostly graphics based buttons (as opposed to photos) then a laser printer is great, cost effective, and fast. But if you're doing a lot of really detailed graphics, photo realism, or actual photographs you may require more resolution than your average consumer grade laser printer can produce and you're better off using a nice glossy inkjet paper in an inkjet printer. Photos on a laser printer tend to look a little better on coated gloss papers as well.

4. Your preference. As with most things in life, this paper question comes down to personal choice. Once you get your color figured out and you've come to a conclusion on the laser vs. inkjet debate for your specific needs, then it all comes down to whether you like the look, feel, drying time, and density of one finish over another.

I personally use Epson Presentation Paper Matte #3 when I am making photo buttons. I use a regular button machine to make my photo buttons. I don't use the PHOTO button machine with super thick paper, because I find it more cost effective to use the thinner paper. If I were a sports photographer, however, and had 200 different photos to make buttons out of, I would probably opt for a PHOTO machine and I would get my prints done at a lab.

I use regular old office paper for all my other buttons that are graphic based (as opposed to photographic). These I print on a Konica Minolta Magicolor 2300 laser printer. This model has been discontinued, but there are less expensive and higher resolution color laser printers coming on the market. If you're going to be doing custom buttons for a living, or ANY buttons other than photo buttons a decent laser printer is highly recommended. And once again, the paper is mostly irrelevant when using a laser printer.

ICC Color Profiles

So, your trying to make buttons but your prints keep coming out looking bad. If it's just a color, issue (yes, too dark, too murky, just sort of wrong looking, all generally fall into a bad color category) before you blame the paper, first try adjusting your color profile.

(If your prints are coming out with horizontal lines all over everything - this is called banding and is generally a low ink or clogged nozzle issue and has nothing to do with the color or the paper.)

A "color profile" or "color space" is information that allows devices such as cameras, monitors, and printers to understand how the image color will be represented. It is important to understand how to use color profiles in your graphics program, so you can accurately predict how your printer will reproduce color. Visit color.org for detailed information on ICC color profiles.

I often hear people complaining about bad color and poor quality prints, followed by the question: what paper do you recommend? The answer to this is the paper you're using is probably fine - but you're most likely using the wrong color profile.

So how do you use the right profile?

The color profiles for your printer should have been installed with the printer drivers. If they were not, or you need help using them, contact your printer manufacturer directly. I use an Epson inkjet printer and a Konica Minolta laser printer and Adobe Photoshop. I'll be providing information based on that. For more specific help, contact your printer manufacturer or the help files of your graphics program.

In Adobe Photoshop:

1. Pull down the Edit menu and select Color Settings. In the dialog box, set the RGB Space to Adobe RGB 1998 and the CMYK setting to US Web Coated SWOP v2. (Inkjet works in RGB and Laser works in CMYK so if you're using an inkjet printer the CMYK setting doesn't really matter.)
   
2. Open the image you're working on, complete all of your edits, color adjustments, etc. and save the document.
3. When you are ready to print go to the Edit menu and select Convert to Profile. (In older versions this option is under the Image menu, Mode sub-menu.)
4. Select your printer / paper combination color profile. For my Epson 1280 I almost exclusively use the Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight profile. I use Epson brand inks and paper for consistency and I find that the Matte Paper profile works pretty well with Glossy and Presentation papers as well.
5. Pull down the File menu and select Print with Preview.
   
6. In the print dialog make sure the Print Space is set to your document profile. In this case it's the Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight profile. And make sure that the color adjustment option is OFF! This is very important. (Every printer dialog is a little different, so if you're having trouble locating these options, see your printer manufacturer.)

I've been to color management seminars, read books, studied websites, and have a degree in commercial photography and every one I've met has a different method for achieving good color. With my printer setup this method is the only one that works consistently for me, and having shared it with others, I find it works for them too. But I'm not an expert, and I don't have all the answers so please feel free to do some independent research and share your findings.

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.