How to Make Pinback Buttons and Magnets for Fun and Profit

This is the very short story of how I left the corporate world and began a work-at-home business of my own, making pin-back buttons and magnets.

In 2009, the company where I had worked for 24+ years was forced to make some personnel changes. I was offered the opportunity of accepting a different position, but it was one that definitely did not appeal to me and did not offer me the opportunity to use my creative talents.

Having reached that magical early retirement age the previous year, I opted for early retirement. I boxed up all my suits and high heels and bought myself a supply of pajamas!

With the freedom from a full-time job (and confining clothing), I had the time to discover ways in which I could combine my love of writing, graphic design and online selling. After several false starts, I discovered pin-back button and magnet making and immediately fell in love with the whole concept. With a small financial investment, I was able to acquire everything I needed to get started. (Did I mention that I bought lots of pajamas?)

Although my initial forays into this fun-filled world had its setbacks (read on, would-be-pajama-wearers), I found I could spend twice as many hours "working" without being exhausted. The joy of holding in my hand an object created from my brain and produced by my hands was such a fantastic feeling!

Now, on to the tools that I used when I started to make pin-back buttons and magnets, my work-at-home business opportunity of choice.

Photo Courtesy of PhotoRack

Making magnets differs very little from making pin-back buttons. However, a visitor pointed out to me that I had been remiss in not explaining how to make the magnets. I have added that information here.

One of the biggest challenges for those who choose to create products that are to be sold on-line is creating compelling, and very competitive, designs. For those who want to make pin-back buttons and magnets as their work-at-home business, there is an additional challenge of getting the design to be perfectly sized for the paper punch and assembly machine of choice.

Adobe Photoshop® saved my life with this aspect of making pin-back buttons and magnets! I have an older version (Photoshop 6.0), but it does everything I need it to do. The most important thing I did was design a template that I can use for creating and printing the buttons. I purchased software for making pin-back buttons from a company online, but I was very dissatisfied with the results I achieved with it. The design area was not exactly the right size, and I wasted a lot of pin-back button and magnet parts because the finished button would be off center. (I'm a perfectionist, by the way, so that was just not going to be acceptable!) With Adobe Photoshop, I designed a template that creates perfectly sized buttons that align perfectly with the paper punch and assembly equipment. My current template is for 2 1/4" pin-back buttons and magnets.

I have always loved Microsoft Word for its ability to create cool effects with WordArt. However, earlier this year, I bought a new computer and did not have the money to purchase another license for Word, so I downloaded OpenOffice, which is a free office suite that can open documents created with Microsoft Office products. Documents created in OpenOffice can also be saved in the Microsoft Office formats so they are easily shared with those who use Microsoft Office Suite rather than OpenOffice. For those who might want to download OpenOffice and give it a try, the WordArt feature that I love in Microsoft Office is called FontWork in OpenOffice, and it can be found on the View - Toolbars menu. It has an even greater variety than Word.

OpenOffice can be downloaded for free from OpenOffice. There is no catch; it is an open-source application.

Microsoft, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Office Suite are registered trademarks of Microsoft.

Controversy surrounds the "right" equipment to use for making pin-back buttons and magnets. I did a lot of research and determined that, for my purposes, I needed more than simple handheld solutions.

After many hours of research, I decided to purchase the 2.25" button machine from American Button Machines. The set I purchased included the machine, a paper cutter designed specifically for that machine, and an initial supply of button parts. With shipping, the initial investment was under $500. The equipment has met my highest expectations, and I highly recommend this company as a source if you are considering making pin-back buttons and/or magnets.

Before purchasing your button maker and paper punch, determine the size and type of buttons or magnets that you want to make initially. Different size buttons require different size cutters and assembly machines as well as different pin-back button and magnet parts. Each machine and cutter will have to be purchased independently, and they are not inexpensive if you are planning to create a lot of differently sized buttons and magnets. (ABM does offer a combination set of machines, but I wasn't ready to invest that much money initially.)

You will also discover that to maximize your profits from making these pinback buttons and magnets you may have to buy a variety of different components. For example, many people make zipper pulls and key-chains. The components needed for these are different than those needed to make just the pin-back buttons and magnets.

Also note that most of these companies sell different punches for photos because the paper for these images is thicker and stiffer than ordinary paper.

Original Photo - ©guardianstar77 - 2012: All Rights Reserved

This part of the adventure of selling pin-back buttons and magnets online cost me a bundle in wasted button parts and the purchase of a new color laser printer!

I have an HP Photosmart printer that creates spectacular graphics. The colors are more brilliant than real life, and I have proved to myself over the years that the images (when kept safely inside) will last for many, many years.

The "when kept safely inside" part was what cost me money. I designed, printed, and assembled dozens and dozens of pin-back buttons using images printed on the HP Photosmart, which uses inkjet technology.

By chance, while researching a different aspect of button making, I stumbled across a discussion group expressing opinions about pin-back buttons, magnets, etc. and what type of printer each of them used. As I am prone to doing, I began researching the topic and found that it is a fairly much unanimous opinion that inkjet printers should not be used for images that will be worn outside.

Inkjet images, even though tightly enclosed in the pin-back button assembly and covered by a protective mylar film, can be ruined more easily than those printed using a laser printer. The colors may fade and/or run when exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time and will draw moisture inside the protective covering when exposed to extremely wet environments or submerged in liquid and semi-liquid substances.

Armed with that information, like an idiot, I threw away all the pin-back buttons and magnets I had created from the inkjet images. (Arrrggghh!) Then, I hopped off to Office Depot and bought a color laser printer to the tune of $600! Well, actually, it was so expensive because I bought a multi-function device (color printer, color fax machine, color copier and color scanner). I bought the Brother MFC-9440CN. I am not entirely happy with it because it doesn't produce the highest quality red (see below), but it does a good job with graphics and is extremely fast. (The color fax machine, copier and scanner are very cool, too!)

Original Photo - ©guardianstar77 - 2012: All Rights Reserved

When I made the decision to follow general opinion about using inkjet printers for creating the graphics for my pin-back buttons and magnets, I was making pin-back buttons for use as advertising at trade shows and for use as campaign buttons. In my experience, large numbers of these events are held outside. So, I knew immediately that the drawbacks of inkjet printers were real for that type of work, especially as campaign buttons can become collectible items that people want to keep for many, many years.

I quickly moved beyond those two ideas and began making pin-back buttons and magnets for the holiday seasons. Many of my designs required extremely bright and bold colors to achieve the look I wanted. Using the Brother laser printer that I bought just did not meet my high standards for superior colors. My laser printer doesn't print well on photo quality paper, and I have read reports about this issue from others who use different brands of laser printers. The Brother printer also does not print bold and vibrant reds no matter how much I fiddled with the printer calibrations and advanced settings. Since red is a dominate color in many holidays, such as Valentine's Day and Christmas, and one of my favorite colors, it was important to me that the printed image reflect the same depth and brilliance as my original design.

Thinking through the logic that made me purchase the Brother printer, I quickly realized that the majority of my artwork was going to be designed for use inside. Although pin-back buttons are often used as clothing accessories, most people are conscientious enough to remove them before laundering. Even if worn outside, the period of exposure to direct sunlight and extremely wet environments is not likely to be a major issue. Therefore, I decided to include a product care statement when I list the magnets and buttons for sale and stick to printing the images on high gloss premium photo paper to get the results I wanted. I would rather have one pin-back button or magnet with glorious, rich colors that will last a few years with proper care than one of lesser vibrancy that might last 50 or more years!

Original Photo - ©guardianstar77 - 2012: All Rights Reserved

All that differs, really, between making pin-back buttons and making magnets is the components themselves. In this photo, you see two different sets of components. The top one consists of only two pieces (except the mylar cover)—the cover on which the photo or graphic image will be placed and the actual pin back.

In the second set of components, you will see three pieces—the cover on which to place the graphic or photo, the metal back, and the large magnet with a peel-off backing cover.

Note that the protective mylar covering for the image is not shown as it photographs very poorly.

Preparation of the photo or graphic is exactly the same, as is the actual assembly process. The advantage of making magnets over making pin-back buttons is that you do not have to pay any attention at all to how you line up the graphic. The metal back will be completely covered with the magnet. (This is true only of the magnets purchased with the other components; other types of peel-off, stick-on magnets may not cover the entire back.) With pin-back buttons, you must be sure the top-center point of your graphic is aligned properly with the position of the pin itself. Otherwise, when worn, your image may appear to tilt to one side or the other.

Original Photo - ©guardianstar77 - 2012: All Rights Reserved

John Matlock "Gunny" wrote this in his review of the above book:

"The IRS allows you to deduct your expenses of maintaining a home office. At the same time, the IRS rules are fairly complex, and home office expenses are often overstated or subject to outright fraud. So the IRS tends to look at them fairly carefully; they have been known to come to your house to see what your office looks like. (emphasis mine)

I ran into this last year—the first year I had tried to claim home office expenses. It had been an expensive year for me as far as office equipment and supplies were concerned, so I decided it was worth taking the time to gather all receipts and take them to my tax preparer. I was stunned by what she told me! Here are just a few examples of things she told me would likely not hold up to an IRS audit if my total expenses claimed raised the old "Red Flag" at the IRS.

1. Home office—Mine would not meet IRS standards for a home office. My home is small, and we do not have a lot of extra storage space. My "office" is the room with the greatest amount of storage space. Thus, it is the collection center for a lot of other things. For example:
• my crafts supplies and projects (which I don't sell and, therefore, are not business related)
• tons of books that are not specific to "business"
• Bins of toys for my grandchildren when they visit
• Bins of keepsakes
2. Telephone—To qualify as a deduction, you must have a totally separate phone line that is used for no other purpose.
3. Internet Service—Your internet service must be a separate connection dedicated to your business. I have both wired and wireless devices attached and everyone in my family and visiting grandchildren all use the internet. Therefore, no deal, Charlie.
4. Printers, scanners, faxes, etc.—If any of them are ever used for non-business-related things, such as printing recipes or pictures of your children/grandchildren, it's a no go for Uncle Sam.
5. Supplies—Again, they must be used only for business purposes. So if the ink, paper, etc. in your printers and so forth are ever used for (again) printing recipes or whatever, you cannot claim them. (My grandchildren use a lot of copy paper for their "art" projects.)
6. Utilities—Because my home office would not be considered as such by Uncle Sam, none of my utility bills qualify for tax deductions.
7. And on and on and on and on

My husband tells me that I am too honest for my own good. Sometimes, I almost think that's true. I will not lie, or even stretch the truth a bit, so "fudging" on the actual usage of my home office was not an option for me. If an IRS auditor asked me the same questions as my tax preparer, I would have answered the exact same way. He or she would have then denied my business expenses; and I would have to pay the taxes, probably plus a penalty. Therefore, I did not claim them at all.

Bottom line: Unless you have a separate room, with measurable space, and dedicated internet and phone service for that space, you may not be able to claim your expenses—even though you know most of the stuff is related to your work.

Image from Government Archives

Thank you to the wonderful SquidAngels who have visited and blessed this lens. I know how busy all of you are, and I am deeply honored!

spirituality  —  EverythingMouse
Clipart Courtesy of OCAL on Clkr.com

I happily admit to being a professional hermit crab. One of my favorite places to be is in my computer room in front of my monitor, drawing my "shell" snugly about me as I pursue my work. The ability to do this is one of the reasons why I work at home.

If you, too, count yourself as one of the multitude of professional hermit crabs, please visit my Zazzle gallery for a whole line of products dedicated to us.

Image from Dreamstime - licensed for commercial use. Copying, modifying or otherwise distributing this image without proper licensing from Dreamstime is a violation of their copyright to the image.

The hermit crab image used in the header of the comment section and in the Table of Contents links was purchased from iClipart.

guardianstar77 is a writer, graphics design artist, nature enthusiast and lover of everything that resembles a horse. She lives in Central Arkansas and shares her life with a husband of over 40 years, 2 sons, and 5 fabulous grandchildren. guardianstar77 is not domesticated, finding that spending time doing almost anything else beats doing housework. Her passions include recycling, frugal living, feeding the hungry, old-fashioned vintage everything, nature, reading, writing, flea markets and yard sales, Christmas, mystical creatures, carousels, and artwork filled with glorious earthy colors.

guardianstar77 is a devout Christian, a staunch conservative, a passionate American, and a defender of capitalism. Although she is, by her own definition, somewhat of a "professional hermit crab", guardianstar77 is deeply loyal to her family and those she chooses to have as friends. When not pursuing writing and artistic goals, she spends her time deepening those relationships.

Being born in the state of Missouri and having recently discovered a passion for the Missouri state animal— the mule—guardianstar77 developed yet another persona—that of a mule, specifically a Missouri Mule .

guardianstar77 is a long-standing member of Squidoo, and she shares her royalties with many Squidoo charities. View all my lenses!