Below is a brief introduction to the various lapel pin styles available on the market today. If you are still unsure as to what pin quality or style would best suit your design, our trained staff can easily assist you in making the right decision. We recommend these different types of pins.
Types of Lapel Pins
Here are descriptions of the style and type of pins we can produce for you.
Stick Pins
They are elegant and simple, featuring a long pin with a decorative top. They are often used for formal occasions, adding a touch of sophistication to suits and dresses. The pin’s length ensures a secure fit, and they are popular in both vintage and contemporary designs.
Die Struck Pins
These pins are created with die-struck process, often using iron or brass. They can be made with or without colors. They often feature detailed, embossed, or debossed patterns and are usually finished with plating options like gold, silver, or bronze. These pins are perfect for a classic, timeless look, often used for awards or commemorations.
Offset Printed Pins
The pins allow for detailed, full-color designs, including gradients and photographic images. The design is printed directly onto the metal surface and then coated with an epoxy layer for protection. These pins are great for complex logos and artwork where precision is key, also ideal for promotional items, events, and branding, offering a cost-effective solution for intricate designs.
Hard Enamel Lapel Pins
The earliest lapel pins were made using traditional Cloisonné, the ancient method of glass enameling in which powdered glass is poured into the recesses of a die-struck metal base and baked at a high temperature. The glass enamel is then sanded and polished to be flush with the metal lines that separate the colors. This gives the lapel pins a smooth and lustrous quality.
Today’s method, using New Hard Enamel (sometimes called Epola) starts out the same way. But instead of powdered glass, hard epoxy enamel is used to fill the recessed spaces. This epoxy enamel gives a beautiful, high quality look similar to that of the Cloisonné, but at a lower price and with hundreds of color options, compared to the very limited color options with Cloisonné. With each of these techniques the metal base can be plated in gold, silver (nickel), black, copper or brass.
Great for recognition, awards or membership lapel pins. Highest, jewelry-like quality.
Soft Enamel Lapel Pins
These pins offer brilliant color and fine, raised metal detailing. The recessed areas of your custom designed pin are hand-enameled and then kiln-fired. Each pin is hand-polished and then plated. The end result is a truly outstanding product at a very affordable price. Soft enamel pins can also be coated with a protective layer of epoxy for an even more durable finish.
Cloisonné Pins
Also known as real hard enamel pins, cloisonné pins are made using an ancient technique that involves filling recessed areas with colored powders derived from minerals or fossils and firing them at high temperatures. The result is a glass-like finish that is both durable and visually stunning. Many manufacturers are now opting for imitation hard enamel over cloisonné for their production processes, but we keep on producing with the real hard enamel. These pins are ideal for high-end applications, like formal events, honor badges for the military and police, emblems for cars, and collectibles due to their refined appearance.
Screen Print Pins
Screen print lapel pins are a perfect option for many designs. This process is a perfect design choice when you are trying to get a logo or custom design to look the same on your pin as it is in print. This process does not have metal lines separating colors. Screen print lapel pins do not require epoxy and create a great elegant effect for many designs.
Photo Dome Pins
Photo Dome lapel pins or ‘quick pins’ are perfect for quick turnaround situations where you need quality lapel pins but don’t have very much time. Essentially, they have a printed image place on top of a stock vinyl base and are covered with a poly dome or epoxy. Images and logos with a great amount of detail can be used. Colors can be blended; bleeds and gradients can be accommodated and they are very cost effective.
3D Cast Pins
These pins are created using a mold with a casting process and are suitable for producing a three-dimensional design. This process allows for intricate details and a sculptural effect, making them stand out. They are ideal for custom designs that require a more dynamic and realistic representation.
Photo Etched Lapel Pins
Photo Etched lapel pins look similar to Soft Enamel lapel pins, however the Photo Etched lapel pins allow for much higher detailing of lettering and design. Your design is chemically etched into a metal base, creating recesses which are then filled with soft enamel. Gold, silver (nickel), gunmetal black nickel and copper plating are available as well as clear epoxy finish.
Great for clubs or sports team lapel pins, or anything requiring an intricate design.
Die Struck Pins
These pins are created with die-struck process, often using iron or brass. They can be made with or without colors. They often feature detailed, embossed, or debossed patterns and are usually finished with plating options like gold, silver, or bronze. These pins are perfect for a classic, timeless look, often used for awards or commemorations.
Flashing Light Lapel Pins
The Flashing Light lapel pin is a popular new concept. These high-profile blinking lapel pins are excellent as company giveaways especially at conventions and for use in school fundraisers as part of a mascot lapel pin. These pins attract attention whenever they light up with their embedding blinking device.
Flashing Light lapel pins are great for organizations such as firefighters or motorcycle clubs or for any company that sells a product where a flashing or blinking light would compliment their product or service. Some great examples of use are: eyes of an animal, light in a lighthouse, or vehicle, a stars shine or a gemstones gleam. Flashing Lights come in the colors of yellow, green, red, blue or white.
Great for promotional products, conventions, company gifts or giveaways.
Soft Enamel Pin vs Imitation Hard Enamel Pin
Soft enamel pins have a textured surface, In contrast, imitation hard enamel pins are smooth and flat, with imitation hard enamel filled and polished to be level with the metal edges. Although it is difficult to tell them apart, the main difference is their finish: soft enamel color is thin and lower than the metal holding lines, while imitation hard enamel is flat and flush against metal lines.