Badge Designer: Creating Custom Badges for your Event

Get creative with your badge designs for your onsite event and get them ready for printing with your preferred vendor in advance.

Table of Contents:

1. How It Works
2. Creating Your Own Badge Designs
3. Using Badge Design Templates
4. Adding Badge Details with Merged Fields
5. Exporting Badges for Printing
6. Compatible Printers & Printing Tips

1. How It Works

2. Creating Your Own Badge Designs

Adding New Badges: Select the Add Badge option in green to create new badge and enter the following information:

• Badge Name: Choose a unique name for this badge, which is particularly useful when creating multiple badges for various attendee categories.
• Apply Badge Design To: You can set this to apply to All People, Specific People, People Groups or Session Roles. 
• Badge Size: You can choose between inches or millimeters, and even set your own custom size when needed.
• Canvas Setup/Use Bleed: To ensure your design is printed accurately, consider enabling the Use Bleed option, which adds extra spacing around your design to prevent any unprinted edges. Make sure to consult with your external printing service to determine if bleed is necessary for your badges.

Adding Content to your Badge Design:
When designing your badge, an Add Widgets option will be available to help you in adding content. From the dropdown menu, you will be able to select from: 

• Text Block to include are area with text on the badge
• Image to upload an image file for your design
• Background to adjust the background color or image of the badge
• Shape to add a square, circle or triangle shape 
• QR Code to support onsite check 

A second menu will outline additional options to customize the items you are adding to your badge: 

• Clone an item on the design
• Set the Alignment of the item (Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle and Bottom)
• Arrange to determine the placement of the item in context to other content (Bring to Front, Bring Backward, etc.)
• Shape to adjust the shape type if you have selected this item
• Item Color to adjust the color of the item using the color picker or a hex code
• Line Color to adjust the color that the lines around the item using the color picker or a hex code (applies only to the Shape option)
• Line Weight to determine how prominent the line will be around the item (applies only to the Shape option)
• Delete to remove the item from the badge 

Managing Design Changes:
When designing your badge, you will have the option of using the Back and Forward options to revert back or restore a change that was made to your badge design. 

Options to Discard Changes and Save Changes will also be available to allow you to finalize the design of the badge that you are working on. 

Once you are happy with what you have created, you can select the Preview toggle option to see how the badge will appear. You can also select a person's profile by clicking on the dropdown menu beneath and entering in the person's name. You will also have the opportunity to Edit who the badge should apply to when necessary. 

3. Using Badge Design Templates

The Badge Designer offers a selection of templates that you can use to give your team a starting point to create your event badges. These templates have been created by a professional designer, and follow design best practices to make them as effective as possible at your event. 

After selecting the Explore Templates option in the Badge Designer, you'll notice a have access to badge design templates that can used to suit different attendee types for your event, such as Attendee, Speaker, Exhibitor, or Staff. 

• Use the Badge Templates menu to the right of the Badge Designer to select which badge sizes you would like to filter in your search
• Click the Use This Template button to select a template to use as your design
• Click on any items that you would like to change in the design and make your edits as needed

Creating Your Own Templates: 

Templates can also be used to create a repeatable process when designing your badges. Using the Blank option available, you can build your design from scratch and save as a template for use in future designs that you create. 

4. Adding Badge Details with Merged Fields

Your badge designs can be personalized even further using Merged Fields within a text block. 

The Text Block widget type will offer an Add Dynamic Field  option where you can incorporate badge details that are specific to the data that is saved to the person's profile. 

You can select one of the default fields (First Name, Last Name, Company, Title/Position), or click on Additional Fields to access any custom fields that you have created for your profiles. 

Using merged fields within your designs can help to add a personal touch to the badge designs that you are creating, along with creating a stronger impact at the event by sharing important details that can help the attendee at the event, or even act as an icebreaker to help people connect. 

A few examples of how to use Merged Fields with Badges:

• Incorporate an icebreaker questions into the badge design
• Outline the region that each attendee is from 
• Display an attendee's area of expertise
• Share assigned seating information
  
  

5. Exporting Badges for Printing

After reviewing and saving your design, select the Download PDF button to export the badge that you have created. 

If you have selected the Use Bleed option when creating your badge, your badge sizing will already be set. Options to Print Badge Border and/or to Print Crop Marks will determine how the badges will export for printing. 

If you have chosen not to Use Bleed for your badge design, a pop-up page will appear and offer you the option to adjust the following settings:

• Paper Size to set what you will print to (US Letter, A4 or Badge)
• Layout to set what the layout of the paper should be (Landscape or Portrait) - Not applicable to the Badge Paper Size option
• Units and Spacing to determine the sizing of the badges on the page itself 
• Margins which can be set to default, or customized based on your printing needs
• Badge Sorting to determine if the badges that are being printed will be sorted according to First or Last Name
• Fill Direction to set if the badges will be laid out Across or Down for printing

Once you have made your changes, you can select the Download button to export the PDF that you will use with your printing vendor of choice. 

5. Compatible Printers & Printing Tips

The printer that works best with the Badge Designer will depend on the type of badge that you are looking to create for your event.

• Letter / A4
• Full-Size
• Insert-Badges

Letter / A4-sized Badge Page Paper

Keep the following use cases in mind when considering this badge type:

• Printing multiple badges on a single page: This option works well with Avery style badge paper as well as creating full-sized and smaller badges.
• Perforated cardboard placed into clear badge holders: Badges can be purchased from office supply companies or specialty suppliers. 
• Printing on adhesive badge paper: This option works well when you are looking to print additional information such as a welcome letter, or other, on to the badge.
• Pre-printing badges: Printing multiple badges on a single page on demand is challenging since it is difficult to print on the same sheet multiple times.

Recommended Printer: Any Desktop Printer

Any desktop printer that connects to your computer will work well for Letter / A4 sized badges. 

A few considerations: 

• Budget: A basic black and white printer can range to 120 USD, and higher end color printers can range up to 900 USD. 
• Speed: Regular printers can print between 20-70 pages per minute, while high performance printers can print more than 100 pages per minute. 
• Ink / Toner Availability & Cost: Larger printer brands such as Brother, HP, Canon and Epson are more easily available. 
• Availability of Third-Party Ink / Toner: Many printer companies employ DRM technologies to lock customers into using their own ink and toner. Open systems can be preferable as they allow you to use other ink and toners. 
• Format: The printer must be capable of printing Letter / A4 sized paper. 
• Size: This will determine how easy it is transport the printer to your local event office.

Full-Size Printed Badges

Keep the following use cases in mind when considering this badge type:

• Ability to print individual badges
• Reducing waste
• Less time to assemble badges (most can be worn once printed without modifications other than potentially folding)
• Ability to print in full color or to print in black on pre-printed badges

Recommended Printer: Shipping Label Printers

Thermal Direct, Thermal Transfer or Colour
These printers can usually print endless paper, up to 4 inches wide and are commonly used in manufacturing or shipping. Below you will find a description of each printer type to help you determine which one may be best for your event. 

Insert-Badges for Badge Holders

This badge type is also sometimes referred to as Onsite Event Passes and are often pre-printed badges in full color that are contained in a plastic pouch that holds the name of the attendee. 

Alternatively, adhesive labels with the attendee names can be added to pre-printed badges. 

Recommended Printer: Small Label Printer or Desktop Printer

Insert-Badges can be created using any desktop printer or small label printer. 

A few considerations:

• Small Label printers can quickly print on smaller labels (adhesive or non-adhesive)
• Can print directly on adhesive fabric printers
• Prints in a single color