How Badge and Lanyard Printing Works

Please note, files must be submitted as a vectorized pdf file.

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 these options at affordable rates, while keeping the ordering process simple and as little effort for your team as possible.

Before ordering badges, your team will need to make the following key decisions:

• Determine whether you are printing your badges on-site or before your event
• Determine whether you would like to use Premium, Economy, or Direct Thermal (only badges) for your badges and lanyards
• What graphics you'd like to appear on the badge (we strongly recommend leaving the center relatively blank so that any printed information can appear clearly)

PheedLoop has a convenient badge design tool built-in to the Event Dashboard if you are printing badges on-site. PheedLoop's badges and lanyards are best combined with the OnSite Check-In power-up to print attendee information on badges. If you already have your own printer or planning to use one outside of PheedLoop, please review our Setting Up Your Rented OnSite Printer to Connect to PheedLoop Servers articles for instructions on how to connect your printer to the Event Dashboard.

Step 1 - Designing your Badge

Please note, this article is written with the assumption that your team has a member capable of creating designs for the badges and/or lanyards should that be included in your order.

When an OnSite agreement is included in your contract, a PheedLoop Representative will reach out to you approximately 6 weeks before your Event’s Start Date.

Most badges are designed within the organization and require little input from PheedLoop beyond the specifications. When designing badges for lanyards, it is preferable to share them as a vectorized PDF file.

When designing your badge, please keep the following in mind:

1. Badges should have a front and back side included
   1. If the back side is blank, please include that in the design
2. Our default size for badges are 100 mm (~4") x 140 mm (~5.5")
   1. We also offer sizes for Direct Thermal Badges  at 100 mm (~4”) x 75 mm (~3”), please note there is less space overall for designs if your team goes with this option.
3. Our default size for lanyards are 900 mm (~35") x 20 mm (~0.75")
4. For lanyards, please note that any tiny text will not print out well due to the size of the lanyard itself

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 small events choosing to only pre-print badges, whereas large ones choose to only print on-site. Pre-printing badges is cheaper as it avoids needing provision for on-site hardware and potential staffing. However, we still advise renting at least two OnSite kiosks to account for any errors or reprints that may be required.

For large events, it is not always feasible to pre-print badges as the logistical challenges can be overwhelming for events with hundreds of attendees. Increased frequency of re-prints and adjustments, and last-minute registrants also contribute to the difficulty of having every badge accounted for ahead of the event.

Some events choose to use both on-site and pre-printing of badges. For example, an event can have approximately 1,000 attendees where 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. The exception to this is if a large portion of attendees will be registering 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 two OnSite 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. By renting our printers you will be able to print out badges in real time and account for new attendees or last minute changes with minimal hassle.

Premium Vs. Economy Badge Vs. Direct Thermal Badges

PheedLoop offers three badge options, which are industry standard in terms of size, material, and form. The three options are a premium hard plastic badge, an economy thick card stock badge and paper badges with a direct thermal coating.

All badges are identical in every way except for the material. The dimensions of our badges are 100 mm (~4") x 140 mm (~5.5") and can be fully color printed on both sides with two holes at the top for a double clip lanyard. The size and placements of the holes can be customized. If your event will require unique hole placements, please include them in the design and we’ll be happy to accommodate.

PheedLoop’s most affordable option is Direct Thermal Badges made in the same 100 mm (~4") x 140 mm (~5.5") size as the premium and economy badge. The material for Direct Thermal Badges is thermal paper and chemically treated so that it prints without the need of label rolls unlike Economy and Premium badges. Direct Thermal Badges will fold from the bottom and are secured by lanyards either from PheedLoop or procured independently by your organization.

Each design must meet a minimum purchase requirement of 100 badges and for each order. Lanyard designs will also require 100 lanyards to be purchased for each design.

If you are printing badges on-site, you will also require our OnSite 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. Direct Thermal Badges do not require label rolls and can be loaded into the printer and print instantly due to the coating in each badge.

The layout of the attendee information on the films is entirely customizable via the Event Dashboard, and you can have multiple types of layouts for different uses. To learn more about this, please review our Setting Up Your Badge Label Template for On-site Badge Printing article. The attendee information includes options for standard fields like QR code, name, organization, title, and tags that you can customize the size and arrangement of for your badges.

As soon as an attendee badge is printed from the Event Dashboard or OnSite Portal, the film can be stuck right onto the face of the badge.

When submitting your badge designs to PheedLoop, you may submit a single design or multiple depending on your event requirements (e.g. if attendees receive different badges from sponsors). Please note that we require a minimum purchase of 100 badges for each design. Lanyard designs will also require 100 orders for each design to be purchased.

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 the Event Dashboard). All the badge designs must be submitted in vectorized PDF design files.

Note: All designs must be sent to us using the CMYK color model and not RGB.

Premium Vs. Economy Lanyards

PheedLoop offers two lanyard options, which are also industry standard. The first option is a Premium Custom Lanyard that offers full-color printing along the entire lanyard based on your design. 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, including any color of your organization's choice. All designs must be sent to us using the CMYK color model, please do not use 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.

Step 2 - Email the Badge and Lanyard Designs to Logistics@pheedloop.com 

Once your designs are ready to go, you can send them to our email Logistics@pheedloop.com or reply in the email thread we send to all clients approximately six weeks before the event start date.

If you would like to plan your badges months in advance of your event’s start date, we’ll be happy to accept your design as soon as you have them.

If our experienced staff do not see any concerns with your badge, we will follow up with a design proof within 48 hours. Once your team receives the design proof, we encourage you to carefully examine the proof before giving approval.

Once approval is given, production will begin and the badges and/or lanyards will arrive at your venue or any other location of your choosing.

PheedLoop will never start the production of badges and lanyards without client approval.

How Much Lead Time is Required?

For badges and/or lanyards, all designs, layouts, and files must be submitted to our team at least 6 weeks prior to the date you would like them delivered. We generally recommend aiming for 7-8 weeks, to get the process started with our team to review and provide any feedback on your designs.

For OnSite staffing and/or hardware, you must inform our team of your requirements at least 8 weeks prior to the date you would like staff or hardware on-site. PheedLoop will also reach out to you ahead of your event to ensure everything runs smoothly.

What is the OnSite 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 with 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 OnSite support before the first day you require on-site printing to allow for enough setup time.

If you are planning on procuring only the OnSite 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 OnSite materials kit from PheedLoop and we'll ship one to you!