Quick Guide to Creating Custom Lanyards

Lanyards are the most popular ID accessory for displaying photo ID cards – they are easy to use, come in a wide range of styles, and keep your card close at hand if you need to scan it. And with ID Wholesaler’s Custom Lanyard tool it’s easy to upgrade from a standard lanyard to one that shows off your company name, school mascot, or slogan!

In addition to increasing recognition of your brand, custom lanyards can help increase security by being easily identifiable from a distance. This makes them a common sight at schools, trade shows, hospitals, government offices, sporting events, and more.

If you are new to ordering custom lanyards, don’t get overwhelmed by all the options. Our experts will explain the four most important choices you need to make, and help you narrow down exactly what you need and why.

Choose Your Printing Method

There are three options for printing your custom lanyards: silk screen, dye sublimation, and woven. Unless you already know what style of printing you prefer, these tips can help guide your decision.

There are three options for printing your custom lanyards: silk screen, dye sublimation, and woven. Unless you already know what style of printing you prefer, these tips can help guide your decision.

Dye sublimation is popular with large organizations, trade shows, conventions, and those who highly value the accuracy of their logo or brand colors. Choose this printing method if:

• You want multi-color images or text
• You need to Pantone match a color for branding purposes
• You have a detailed, intricate image or design

Silk screen printing, on the other hand, is popular with schools, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations. Choose this printing method if:

• You are only printing text, or a simple logo
• Your text or image is a solid color (often white text on a colored lanyard)
• You are on a tight budget

Woven lanyards are not as common, making up a small percentage of custom lanyards our customers order based on personal preference for this method. The two options explained above will meet most lanyard needs.

Choose Your Material

Lanyards come in a wide range of materials, from polyester to new environmental options like recycled P.E.T. and bamboo. Unless you want to use a specific material, most of our customers choose the polyester option.

Polyester lanyards are durable, easy to clean, and affordable and work in almost every industry and business.

Choose Your Lanyard Width

The two most common lanyard widths are 3/8” inch and 5/8” inch. How do you know which one you want?

Choose the narrower 3/8” inch width if your custom lanyard design features plain text or smaller logos. Choose the wider 5/8” inch width if you have a larger logo, design, or text you want to display. It all depends on how much space your design will take!

Choose Your Attachment

The attachment you choose will have a big impact on how functional your lanyards are – but while you could choose from the 20+ options in the Custom Lanyard tool, most customers are happy with one of these four options:

• Bulldog Clip – most commonly used in combination with badge holders
• Metal Swivel Hook – most commonly used with cards that are slot punched
• Split Ring – the best option if you also attach keys & other items to the lanyard
• Lanyard Badge Reel – for when you need a longer reach for scanning & swiping cards

Depending on how your cardholders will use their cards and lanyards, you can confidently choose one of these attachment options.

This guide will help simplify your choices when ordering custom lanyards. If you have any questions about custom lanyard options not outlined here, our Account Management team is here to help. Call us today at (800) 321-4405.