What button material do I need to create buttons?

October 23 2023 , 2 min reading time

Buttons can also be easily created on your own. Here we explain the required materials - and what exactly you do with them!

Buttons are very easy to make. Above all, however, the production itself is a lot of fun and promotes creativity. In order to guarantee fun, you should pay close attention to the selection of the button material. The production of the buttons requires relatively little material. Nevertheless, one should pay particular attention to the quality of the button material. Because only those who choose good button material can end up wearing a professional-looking button.

Button material 1: button press

A button press is an important tool for assembling the button material. The button press is a metal machine that stands out above all for the quality of the workmanship. However, a button press is not mandatory, because a button press is only necessary if you process button material made of metal. However, when processing plastic button stock, this tool can be omitted since the plastic button stock is easy to assemble with bare hands.

Button material 2: button blanks

A button consists of four parts: the top and bottom (either plastic or metal), the plastic sheet, and a pin. These parts are also called button raw material and form the basis for all buttons. The button material can be of different sizes and also have different shapes. The selected or self-designed motifs are used in the assembled button material and pressed together at the end.

Button material 3: button or paper templates

Another important button material are the so-called button templates. These templates are usually made of paper. The paper takes on the shape and size of the button to be produced and is printed with the selected motif. The paper template can also be painted directly. This component of the button material set is paper in DIN A4 format, which is prepared with perforated circles for easier processing. The circles on the DIN-A4 paper are available in different sizes and shapes. Above all, the paper circles make it easier to cut out the motifs.

Button material 4: paper cutter

The paper templates, a very important button material, need to be cut according to the shape of the button. Buttons are usually circular. A paper circle cutter is not necessarily part of a button material set, but it makes work easier (especially with a larger number of pieces). Simple scissors can also be used, although cutting them out may be less precise and more time-consuming.

Button material 5: button generator

The button generator is software that allows easy creation of designs. In a further step, the self-designed motif is printed on the paper templates of the buttons. The button generator can be viewed as "mental" button material.