How to Make Laminated Badges

A laminated name badge serves as an effective ID.

Laminated badges provide excellent identification for business or social gatherings. By creating the badge yourself, you can tailor the look to your organization's needs, adding colorful logos and photos when desired. By laminating the badges after creation, you add a layer of protection and security to the badge. The plastic coating prevents the badge from being damaged through spillage and makes the badge easier to clean over time. In addition, the lamination helps to prevent alteration of the badge, as the lamination has to be noticeably removed from the cardstock of the badge before any alteration can occur.

Things You'll Need

• Graphic design application
• Printer
• Card stock, 110 lb.
• Scissors
• Photo
• Glue stick
• Laminate machine
• Laminate sheets

Instructions

1. Design your badges using a graphic design application such as Microsoft Publisher or Photoshop. Start the application on your computer, then set up the workspace to the same size as that of the card you wish to create.

2. Place the text or graphics you desire for your badge onto the workspace of the design program using text boxes for the text or by importing graphics into the work area. Shrink or enlarge the graphics used by altering the size of the graphic box. Alter the size and font type of your text by using the Font submenu. Position the text and graphics as desired by moving each individual text or graphic box.

3. Save the design for your badge to your hard drive by opening the "File" menu and selecting the "Save as" option. Select a location on your drive to save the file and then assign the badge a file name. Click "OK" to save the file.

4. Print the badge onto the stiff cardstock paper. Allow the badge to sit for about five minutes so that the ink can dry.

5. Cut the badge from the cardstock using a sharp pair of scissors. Add a photo if creating an ID badge by cutting a photo to fit, and gluing it to a clear section of the badge using a glue stick.

6. Turn on the laminating machine and wait about three minutes for the machine to heat enough to laminate successfully. Look for a "Ready" light on the machine to indicate when it's ready for use.

7. Place the badge into the machine and press the "Laminate" button. Wait for the machine to pull the badge through, placing the plastic laminate over the badge in the process. Wait about five minutes for the laminated badge to cool before removing it from the machine. Turn off the machine after completing the lamination process.

Tips & Warnings

• Newly laminated badges are hot to the touch and can cause burns if not allowed to cool first.

References

• Pin Punk: Learn How to Make Your Own Laminated Pins and Badges

Resources

• Manage My Printing: About Laminating Machines and Laminators