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how to manufacture: enamel pins

step 0:

own enamel pins

How can you make good pins if you don't know what you're looking for in a manufacturer? It's important to know what good vs bad quality pins look like. Questions you should ask yourself while researching pins should include:

  • which designs work as pins?
  • Do you like hard vs soft enamel pins?
  • which color platings you prefer?
  • Which backings do you like best?

    • step 1:

    find a manufacturer

    Alibaba is a website that connects individuals to manufacturing companies.
    check reviews and listing photos carefully. Make sure that the quality is up to the standard of what you're looking for

    step 2:

    make your art

    Your should preferably create your art in a vector art program to make it easier for the manufacturer.
    Try to avoid small cutouts (like the triangular intersections between the flower petals). The attached imgae was an initial draft that I had to later edit to make the final design work.
    familiarizing with the die molding process of enamel pins will help understand the limitations you face

    step 3:

    check your proofs

    The colors on the bottom are pantone colors. Make sure you have some form of pantone color book in person as colors on a computer screen can vary from what the colors look like in person
    make sure to triple check proofs. once you approve them, you can't change things and you will get what you approve

    about proofs

    For any areas meant to be left empty, the cutout needs to be marked with a red "x" or star (like in the proof above). If not, your pin will have a white area of enamel where it was meant to be empty, like in the pin on the left.

    step 4:

    grade your pins

    This step means that you have finally gotten your pins, congratulations! Things to look out for when inspecting your new pins are:
    • making sure that your pins match your proof. if it doesn't, reach out to your manufacturer
    • scratches or bubbles in the enamel
    • enamel filling having gaps or not being properly filled completely