How Badge and Lanyard Printing Works
Overview
When it comes to printing badges and lanyards for your event, there are a wide number of options to consider. At PheedLoop, we provide the maximum number of options, at affordable rates, while keeping the process quick and simple. Key decisions you need to make are whether you are printing your badges on-site or before your event, what the style of badges and lanyards you want is, and the graphics you'd like to use. PheedLoop has a very convenient badge design tool built-in to the dashboard if you are printing badges on-site, combined with PheedLoop's on-site check-in kiosk system (called OnSight) which can be used to produce a slick and custom on-site experience.
Printing On-Site Vs. Pre-Printing Vs. Both
The most important decision to make is whether you are printing on-site, before the event, or both. Generally we see very small events choosing to only pre-print badges, whereas very large ones choosing to only print on-site. Pre-printing badges is cheaper as it avoids needing to provision for on-site hardware and potential staffing. However, for large events, it's simply not feasible to pre-print badges as the logistical challenge is often too overwhelming for events (not to mention the increased frequency of re-prints and adjustments, and last-minute registrants).
Some events choose to use both on-site and pre-printing of badges. Such events are typically up to approximately 1,000 attendees where, say, 750 attendees are confirmed and can be pre-printed, and a smaller portion are late registrants or need adjustments and require printing on-site. Such an event will opt for lesser on-site hardware and management of on-site printing and benefit from pre-printing badges for the majority of their attendees.
As a rule of thumb, if your event has up to approximately 250 attendees, we recommend considering pre-printing your badges entirely (unless a large portion of your attendees register very close to the event, as pre-printing badges takes a few weeks). If your event has up to approximately 1,000 attendees, we recommend considering a mix of pre-printing badges and having a small setup of 2 on-site check-in kiosks to accommodate the remaining attendees or those who need changes. If you have more than 1,000 attendees, we recommend opting for printing all your badges on-site.
Premium Vs. Economy Badge
PheedLoop offers two badge options, which are industry standards in terms of size, material, and form. The two options are a premium hard plastic badge, and an economy thick card stock badge. Both badges are identical in every way except for the material. Both badges are 100 mm (~4") x 140 mm (~5.5") in size, can be fully color printed on both sides, and have two holes at the top for a double clip lanyard.
If you are printing badges on-site, you will also require our On-Site Badge Transparent Films. These are thin transparent sticky sheets that go through the printers bundled with our On-Site Check-In Kiosk Bundles and the attendee information is printed right onto the films. The layout of the attendee information on the films is entirely customizable by you via the PheedLoop dashboard, and you can have multiple types of layouts. The attendee information includes options for standard fields like QR code, name, organization, title, and tags that you can size/arrange however you like. As soon as an attendee checks in or you manually trigger a print from your dashboard or the mobile event app, the film can be stuck right onto the face of the badge stock pre-printed for you with a blank area available for the film to be placed on.
When submitting your badge designs to us, whether they are for pre-printed badges or meant for on-site printing, you may submit a single design or multiple (e.g. if attendees receive different badges from sponsors). For any badges being pre-printed, provide an Excel file with the columns mapping to the fields you'd like on the badge itself (if you are adding a QR code, it can be found via the Attendee Data Report in your dashboard). All the badge designs are expected to be submitted in vectorized PDF design files.
Note: All designs must be sent to us using the CMYK color model, not RGB!
Premium Vs. Economy Lanyards
PheedLoop offers two lanyard options, which are also industry standards just like our badges. The first option is a Premium Custom Lanyard that offers full-color printing along the entire lanyard based on a completely custom design you create. The second option is an Economy Custom Lanyard that offers you the ability to choose from one of several standard colors and print any single white graphic in a repeating pattern along the length of the lanyard. Both lanyard options offer double clips to prevent the badge attached to them from twisting around, and the dimensions are 900 mm (~35") x 20 mm (~0.75").
If you are opting for a Premium Custom Lanyard, you must send our team your design of the exact dimensions (900 x 20 mm). The design can be completely custom, featuring unlimited colors. All designs must be sent to us using the CMYK color model, not RGB! Premium lanyard designs are expected to be submitted in vectorized PDF design files.
If you are opting for an Economy Custom Lanyard, you must send our team your single graphic colored white with a transparent background and select from one of the colors below to serve as the base color for the lanyard itself. Economy lanyard designs are expected to be submitted in high resolution JPEG/PNG design files.
How Much Lead Time is Required?
For badges and/or lanyards, 4 weeks prior to the date you would like them delivered, all your designs, layouts, and files must be submitted to our team. We generally recommend aiming for 5-6 weeks, however, to get the process started with our team so that we can review and provide any feedback on your designs.
For on-site staffing and/or hardware, 8 weeks prior to the date you would like staff or hardware on-site, you must inform our team of your requirements.
What is the On-Site Process Like?
If you are planning on having our on-site support team assist you with your on-site badge printing setup, the process is quite simple. 8 weeks prior to the first date you require on-site staffing, inform our team of your requirements, and place your order. If you can do so sooner, even better. Our team will meet you on-site the day before your event will all the necessary equipment based on what you purchased, and will assist you with the setup. We recommend purchasing at least one extra day of on-site support before the first day you require on-site printing to allow for enough setup time.
If you are planning on procuring only the on-site hardware (kiosk and printers) from us but would prefer to set things up yourself, we have several suggestions:
- If it's your first time setting up everything yourself, acquire a kiosk bundle weeks before your event to test the system and familiarize yourself with the process
- Purchase virtual live event support from us to help you troubleshoot anything remotely, but generally if there are any challenges local to you (e.g. internet at the venue), then ensure you have venue staff available to help
- Arrive at the venue early and set up everything at least one full day in advance
- Consider running your first event with certified on-site staff there to assist and train you, and run your future events on your own
- If you are running multiple events, consider purchasing the equipment instead of repeatedly renting it from us to save costs and limit logistics
Pricing Information
All our pricing information is covered in our sales knowledge base, available here.
Free Sample Kit
Sometimes it helps to touch and feel the different options, we totally get it! Submit a request to get a free on-site materials kit from us and we'll ship one to you asap.