Buttons, Badges & Pins - People Power Blog
Tell Your Story with ChattySnaps Keychains November 30 2017
Introducing ChattySnaps Keychain
This totally unique button keychain is turning the keychain world on its head, and we want to shout about ChattySnaps from the rooftops!
Why are ChattySnaps so special?
ChattySnaps Keychains allow you to sport not one, not two, but THREE buttons at a time and if that's not wild enough, the buttons are easily interchangeable so you can change your keychain as often as you change your socks :)
Just snap off the old, and snap on the new.
How do ChattySnaps Keychains Work?
Making your very own ChattySnaps button is a breeze. The buttons are made exactly like a standard pinback button, and even use standard shells and mylar.
- Place your shell, artwork, and mylar into the button press.
- Press like usual
- Put in the ChattySnaps back into the button press, just like you would with a pinned back. Make sure the “snappy” side is facing down.
- Press, and Voila!
- Snap the buttons onto your key ring strap
- Smile, because you are now the proud owner of a ChattySnaps Keychain :)
Stay tuned for the ChattySnaps How-To Video on the Button Guy YouTube Channel! You'll see how making button keychians can be a SNAP :)
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All About Printing Your Button Artwork: CMYK vs RGB March 29 2017
Designing button artwork takes some creativity with a just a little pinch of technical know-how. Many customers who order custom buttons inquire about the best file type for their button artwork, but another important aspect of button artwork is the colour space in which it was created.
This blog post is dedicated to colour spaces and what that means in relation to designing buttons :) Let's go!
WHAT IS A COLOUR SPACE?
A colour space is simply an organization or range of colours. You can think of a colour space as palette of all the colours available for you to work with. The two colour spaces that are most common when working in Photoshop or Illustrator are RGB and CMYK. What is the difference between the two? Quite a lot actually!
RGB COLOUR SPACE
RGB in an acronym for Red, Green, and Blue, and is the colour space used by electronic displays. You should be working in an RGB colour space if the final product is going to be presented digitally on a screen, like a picture that's going on a website. Every colour in an RGB colour space is made of some combination of red, green, and blue.
CMYK COLOUR SPACE
CMYK is an acronym that stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (which is black). You should be working in a CMYK colour space if the final product is going to be printed, and not presented on a screen. The palette of colours that you can access in a CMYK colour space can all be made by mixing different amounts of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, the colours of ink used by a printer.
WHY USE A CMYK COLOUR SPACE INSTEAD OF RGB FOR DESIGNING BUTTONS?
The colour spectrum in an RGB colour space is vast, however, many of the colours are NOT able to be reproduced by a printer. Why not? Because the colours are just not able to be created by the mixing Cyan, Magenta,Yellow, and Black together. It uses a different palette of colours entirely.
If you do try and print out a file that was designed in RGB, you'll notice that the colours look pretty different than they do on the computer. This is because the printer has to substitute all of the RGB colours that it cannot create with a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.
LET'S GET VISUAL
Below is an example of a button design that was created in RGB. The vibrant green on the screen looks bright and saturated. This is because the colours present in the design are made up of Red, Green, and Blue, and are also back lit on the computer.
Beside the digital button artwork designed in RGB is the same button, the only difference is that it was printed out on a laser printer. The RGB colours were substituted to CMYK, and the final printed art looks really different because there is a different colour palette available.
The above picture sums up why it's important to design you button artwork in CMYK: you won't get any surprise colours!
BUT I REALLY WANT A NEON BUTTON...
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Just because a nice vivid neon colour can't be printed out on a printer, doesn't mean that there aren't other ways to achieve a vibrant, striking button. A great way to achieve a neon look, is to print the button artowrk on a Dura-Lar transparency and pair it with bright paper. For extra sparkle, holographic foil or metallic foil can also be used to create something flashy and fabulous! Watch the video "How-To Make Buttons With Dura-Lar" and get your neon on! |
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Daily Deals for the Month of March 2017 March 01 2017
Exciting news! Daily Deals are going to be a bit different for the month of March and beyond :) Now, each day of the week will have its own Daily Button Deal that will last all month long. So every Monday in the month will have the same deal, same for Tuesday, etc.
This lets you have a little more time to get in on the Daily Deal action. If you miss a day, you still have plenty of time to catch the deal before it's gone forever...
Also, the discount is now built right into the price, so it's easier than ever to save!
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Deal for All Mondays in March: Buy 2 Packs of Pre-Cut White Paper Circles for Button Making and Get 1 Pack Free |
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Deal for All Tuesdays in March: Buy Everything for 500 Standard 1-3/4" Ceramic Magnets and get a 25 pack of Standard 1-3/4" Pinback Buttons FREE |
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Deal for All Wednesdays in March: |
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Deal for All Thursdays in March: Design Service Upgrade: Get a FREE Simple Setup when you order a Custom Product |
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Deal for Fridays / Saturdays / Sundays in March: Get 10% Off Parts & Supplies for the 3" FLEX1000 Die Set |
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Video: How to Make DIY Button Bracelet Charms February 20 2017
In a recent post, we featured Magnetic Button Bracelets with 1" Flatback Button Charms.
There are plenty of Charm Collections available for all of our magnetic jewelry, but it's so fun and satisfying to make a collection of your own!
Make charms with your initials, pics of your pet, or just a pretty design that you doodled. There's no wrong way to DIY your own button charms, but there's definitely a correct way to make them!
This How-To Video will help you make awesome charms for use with Single Charm Magnetic Button Bracelets and 5 Bezel Magnetic Button Bracelets :)
If you like the idea of DIY 1" Flatback Button Charms but would rather have us make them for ya, that's no problem at all!
Just give us a call at (416) 204-1984 or email info@peoplepowerpress.org for a quote :)
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MYLAR 101: What does "Mil" Mean? January 23 2017
As some of you may have noticed, Mylar and Dura-Lar are measured by thickness.
The thickness of Mylar and Dura-Lar are measured in "mil" ... But, what's a mil?
A Mil is equal to 1/1,000th of an inch, and is written either as "1 mil" or 0.001"
MEASURING MYLAR
Mylar comes in two thicknesses. There is 2 mil Mylar or 0.002" Mylar, a specialty thickness to be used with thick paper or photographs. This 2 mil Mylar is slightly thinner than the standard Mylar ringing in at 2/1,000ths of an inch thick.
The standard thickness is 3mil Mylar or 0.003" Mylar. This is the standard thickness, and is best paired with standard 20lb printer paper. Three mil Mylar is what comes in all of our button making kits, and is the industry standard thickness. It is 3/1,000ths of an inch in thickness.
MEASURING DURA-LAR
Dura-Lar Film, a Mylar alternative that can go through a laser printer, is also measure in mil.
The Silver/Gold double sided Mattalised Dura-Lar Film is the thinnest Dura-Lar product with a thickness of 2 mil (0.002"). The Glossy Dura-Lar Film is slightly thicker than regular Mylar, at 4 mil (0.004") thick, and the thickest is Matte Dura-Lar at 5 mil (0.005").
So now when you're shopping around for Mylar or other specialty finishes and see the word Mil kicking about, you know exactly what it means! Knowledge is Power!
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Product Feature: PPP Button Greeting Cards January 18 2017
Sending a greeting card to someone special? Let them know that they're the nearest and dearest with a People Power Press Button Greeting Card!
We've got a whole bunch of card designs for graduations, baby showers, birthdays, weddings, retirements, and lots of other seasonal special occasions and holidays.
The entire People Power Press Button Greeting Card Collection can be found here! Our collection of Button Greeting Cards will be growing too, so check back and see what cards we have in the future.
Best part of all: even if the card makes its way to the recycling bin, the recipient will always have a button to wear, share, and remind them of how thoughtful you are :)
All greeting cards measure 4 X 5.75", are blank on the inside, come with a white envelope, and a stylish pinback button that's ready to wear.
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Flashback Friday: The History of Buttons January 06 2017
Have you ever ever wondered why and how pinback buttons came into existence?
Well, wonder no more! At People Power Press, we love buttons so much that we wanted to share the history buttons with all of you :)
Let's start at the beginning and go way back to when the first buttons hit the scene. They weren't like the buttons we know and love today, but hey, it was in the 1700's, an evolution was bound to happen along the way!
Enjoy the entire Short History of the Pinback Button presented by The Button Guy and learn how buttons came to be!
Can't get enough button history? You can check out an older post featuring some more REALLY old-school inaugural buttons here.
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Happy Holidays! Storefront Holiday Hours December 21 2016
Our storefront at 3095 Dundas Street West has modified Holiday Hours!
This year, we're open on Christmas Eve, Saturday December 24th from 12pm - 3pm! so all you makers out there can get last-minute stocking-stuffers for your crafty friends and button buddies :)
People Power Press Holiday Hours 2016
Saturday, December 24: OPEN 12pm - 3pm
People Power Press Holiday Gift Guide
To make your holiday shopping as easy as possible, we created a 2016 Gift Guide with all of our best goodies for those who made it on the nice list!
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Tis' the Season with Button Greeting Cards November 30 2016
Receiving a holiday greeting card in the mail is a nice little pick-me-up, especially on a stormy winter day.
Be the best card-giver you can be this season with the People Power Press Holiday Button Greeting Card Collection! Let the holiday cheer stay with your friends, co-workers, and loved one long after they open the envelope :)
Holiday Button Greeting Cards are the cards that keep on giving. Each card comes with a super cute button that will get anyone into the holiday spirit!
We've got a whole range of Holiday Button Greeting Card designs too. There's something perfect for darling grandma, your bestie, or the acquaintance that you only sort-a know.
Pictured above are Merry Christmas Sweater, Happy Holidays Wreath, and Too Hip for the Holidays. There are a range of different button designs available with each card, so check out the product pages for all off the possibilities!
Too Hip for the Holidays Pin Packs
If you think the Too Hip for the Holidays Cards are as wonderful and silly as we do, we've got some good news: All of the button designs are available as single buttons AND as 5 button pin packs too :)
Swing by the shop at 3095 Dundas Street West, or shop online at peoplepowerpress.org for all of your holiday button needs!
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Guitar Pick Punches are back! November 04 2016
Guitar pick punches are back and better than ever :)
This easy to use DIY tool is an awesome addition to any music-lovers' collection, and is a great gift idea for a guitarist on the go!
To use, just round up some old gift cards, credit cards, or even sturdy plastic packaging and make a one-of-a-kind guitar pick with a single punch!
This heavy duty little machine is also great for band members who want to give out or sell personalized guitar picks at shows.
If recycling old gift cards into picks isn't for you, you can also create custom guitar picks with your band name or album title for your next gig! Endless possibilities :)
Also great for music lovers, check out our Music Makes the World Go 'Round button packs in bright and neutral tones!