Gold and Silver Pin-Back Buttons – Button Making Ideas! April 20 2013

The problem is quite simple.  How do I make buttons that are fluorescent?  My printer cannot print fluorescent colours.  How do I make gold or silver buttons? My printer cannot print gold or silver.  Well the fact is very few printers can print fluorescent colours or gold.  Even bright pink is difficult to reproduce so this article explains how to get around the limitations of printing and put really bright colors on a button. So if you want bright pink buttons just use this idea and substitute the gold paper for fluorescent pink or whatever color you choose.

I will use the example of gold because no printer can print shiny reflective gold.

What do you need to make really shiny gold buttons:

  • Gold foil paper
  • Printable acetate transparencies
  • Circle cutter, printer and button maker (Just like you need for any button making job)

Make your artwork just like you would for any button and then reverse it. Then simply print the reverse image on a transparency.  Lay the transparency over a sheet of the gold foil paper and cut out the gold sheet and acetate together. If you have trouble with the gold foil you can always cut it separately with scissors and put it under the acetate.  It only need show through where there is no colour printed on the acetate.  You don’t even need to cut very accurately.  Now put acetate with gold backing into the button maker and press as normal. Voila!

Another tip is to print the image NOT reversed and lay the acetate over the gold foil print side down.  This way the print side is protected.  Depending on your printer and acetate combo the ink may scratch off.  This way your print is protected.

acetate for button printing

A printed transparency with the image showing through the clear acetate. The printer printed on the reverse of this transparency to protect the print surface.

printed acetate sheet for pin-back buttons.

The printed sheet is placed over a gold foil sheet with printed side down but image showing correctly through the acetate. Note the photo here cannot reproduce the shiny gold as per the actual gold leaf. You need to see this button. It shines!

 

Die cutting gold leaf pin-back buttons

Here we cut the acetate and the gold leaf die simultaneously using a cutting die. If you are using a graphic punch to make your buttons then cut the acetate with your punch and cut the gold leaf with scissors.

Eye catching gold leaf buttons

Finished buttons with shiny gold showing through the acetate. A great way to make visually striking buttons. This photo here cannot reproduce the eye catching gold.
Make one yourself and see what I mean.

Syndicated article from The Button GuySyndicated blog from TheButtonGuy.net This article is reprinted with permission. http://TheButtonGuy.net/