Custom lapel pins are useful for raising awareness of social causes, recognizing corporate achievement and trading at Little League baseball and softball games. With several different styles of pins available, there’s sure to be a lapel pin at a price and color for almost any need.
Die struck lapel pins have no color added. The pin is stamped from a die, and recessed areas are sandblasted to give them a grainy appearance. Raised areas of the pin are polished to shine.
Photo etched lapel pins not as durable as other types, because they are made of thinner metal. The design is etched into the surface of the pin using a chemical process similar to that used to develop photographic film negatives. These lapel pins need epoxy coating added to extend their life.
Offset Digital Pins are the only lapel pin type on which gradients, drop shadows, and photographs can be reproduced. Because the photograph-quality image is printed onto the pin instead of die-struck into the metal, these pins, unlike other types, will have no raised or recessed areas. Epoxy coating is recommended for these pins.
Silk screened lapel pin colors are printed one at a time, similar to the process used to print T-shirts. Like offset digital pins, these will have no raised and recessed areas. Epoxy coating is recommended for these pins.
Soft enamel lapel pins look like the cloisonné pin, but are more affordable, because colors are made from soft enamel and are fired at a lower temperature. Soft enamel pins can have an added epoxy coating to increase their durability. These are the most popular style for sports trading pins.
The highest quality lapel pins are cloisonné pins. These fine jewelry-quality pins are die-struck, then filled with a glass-like mixture of hard enamel and individually fired at high temperatures to ensure the longest durability. Because the manufacturing process is so complex, cloisonné lapel pins are the most expensive lapel pin type. These are best suited for custom lapel pins for the business world and are only rarely used for sports trading pins.