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Before the Plastic Name Badge was invented, badges were worn in many forms over the years as insignia, promotional item and medals. Before the end of the last century name badges were expensive and not generally used due to the costs involved in production. at first personalised badges would mean individually engraving the persons name onto a metal base or foundation and then next filling the engraved text with an paint made of enamel that would be polished smooth to leave only the name showing through on the metal badge. This process is almost the same as that used for making external signs even in the present day.

On the original metal name badges, logos, designs or other graphics would be stamped and filled as with the individual text. Use of Plastic Personalised Name badges really rocketed in America and then here in Europe in the early 1980s with the introduction of automated computerised engraving. Engraving text replaced the labour intensive hot foiling of name badges or manually engraving text. Logos, designs and slogans were both hot foil printed and silk screen printed.

Advances in digital printing has had a substantial and undeniable effect on the process of making badges. Digitally printed badges do not have the wage costs and time consuming limits of hot foiling and silk screening. Removing the need for screens and plates is not only cheaper and more economic but also time saving, as there is no need to position them. Although there are still many firms in the United Kingdom and beyond who persist in the older hot folil and silk screening manufacturing process, they are unable to compete on price with their outdated machinery, and instead focus on smaller specialised segments of the market, such as one custom badges for special events.

The cost of the investment in the new machinery has been enormous, but the end result is now that plastic name badges can be turned around and dispatched in just a few days, and in huge quantities if required. A Customer may ring on Monday with an enquiry and a rough idea of what the require. Consisting maybe of a logo and a message, within a day that can become a sample design, and as long as its approved quickly the process can move onto the next stage. There are many choices for fixings, safety pin, clip, clip and pin, magnet and even lanyard. The order may use combinations of all these types of badge fixing. If the design is not quite right then the design is altered until the customer is happy with it. Once there is an approved design then the manufacturing process moves into gear. Within a day the finished product can be ready for dispatch, and that day or the next the completed order can be in the customers hands.

Additionally the new equipment means that a previously unheard level of detail and design is now possible. Very small text and subtle variations can be introduced that would previously been left on the designers drawing board.

Before the http://www.simoney.co.uk/plastic-name-badges.html came along, badges were worn in many forms over the years, now the most common form for the ubiquitous http://www.simoney.co.uk/plastic-personalised-name-badges-75mm-x-25mm.html is as a company badge and as staff identification.