To make enamel pins that fit your vision, you’ll need to do some research to determine the exact materials that will work for your brand.

Lapel pins come in different styles. Two of the most popular are soft enamel pin and hard enamel pin.

Soft Enamel Pins Soft enamel is the most popular choice for creating enamel pins and a favorite for beginners. It generally has more color options with richer and more vibrant colors available. Using soft enamel also allows you to get more texture detail into your design, including borders and edges that you can actually feel. However, soft enamel pins are also much less durable than hard enamel pins.

Hard Enamel Pins Hard enamel is much more durable and rugged than soft enamel, but can be more expensive and generally has more restrictions when it comes to coloring. Hard enamel pins can appear subdued and less vivid than soft enamel pins. Additionally, hard enamel pins use a clear coat of resin on top which creates a flat, textureless surface. Hard enamel is a good choice if your pins will need to withstand the elements and if long-term durability is important to you.

Full Color Pins  Stainless steel metal cut to shape, your image is then digitally imprinted onto the metal then clear coated with epoxy for protection.

Different Colored Dyed Metals and Colored Rubber Backers

The only pins that can be color dyed are the soft enamel pins. Colored rubber backers are available for all of the different pin types.

Factors That Influence Pricing

As a rule of thumb, it’s important to try to keep your costs low when ordering pins. Here’s a look at the factors that increase the final price of your order:

• The size of your pin
• The quantity of your order
• Adding Glow or Glitter colors
• Numbering your pin

In terms of order quantity, the main cost for manufacturers is building the initial mold for your product. Once they’ve built the mold to cast your pin, the cost to add more pins to your order is not as impactful on your bottom line as the cost of creating the mold. Just something to keep in mind when you’re considering how large of an order you should make.

Making your own enamel pins is easy, so it’s time to get selling! You’re a creative person, now it’s time to share your creativity with the world. 

Contact us with any questions. orders@customhatpins.com