Design Tips

At Pinmasters, we make quality design our top priority. Therefore, we’ve compiled the following useful guidelines for designers.

• To properly separate Pantone colors, be sure to use a .75 stroke for metal plating.
• A 1.5 stroke is the minimum dimension for areas of color.
• The purpose of a complete offset printing process is to allow for gradient (shaded) colors. Pins are printed on a metal base, which is typically made of stainless steel and topped with a thin epoxy layer.

Here are a few special guidelines for stamped pins.

• Since stamped enamel pins must be made with solid colors, gradients or transparent colors are not an option for their designs.
• In the event gradient or transparent colors are mandatory, pins can be created via the printing process.
• Plated lines need to separate all colors.
• Designs with small text or very intricate details should be avoided as it is difficult to stamp, fill, and clearly see them on tiny stamped pins. Printed pins are a better option for these types of designs.
• While vector files are preferred, JPGs and PNGs are acceptable.

Manufacturing Specifications for Stamped Pins

Prior to manufacturing stamped pins, be sure to keep these details in mind.

• To enhance designs, stamped pin materials can be customized, beyond hard or soft enamel.
• We are dedicated to helping you make your design better and will therefore offer recommendations as we see fit.
• If you have a specific vision in mind, let us know and we’ll do our best to bring it to life.
• You can choose the way we ship your pins. While most of our pins are shipped in small plastic bags, we do offer other shipping options including custom backing cards that can add a one-of-a-kind, professional touch.

Factors That Affect Pricing

Our goal is to keep costs low without compromising quality. The total price of your pins will be based on a variety of factors including:

• The colors in your design
• The complexity of your design
• The size of your pins
• The number of pins your order

Building the mold for your product is the most significant cost for pin manufacturers. As soon as your mold has been built, adding more pins to your order becomes far more affordable. It’s a good idea to keep this in mind as you determine the quantity of your order.