[Michlib-l] Michlib-l best practices

Wed May 3 16:27:59 EDT 2017

Perfect Timing!  Here is the summary of Button maker responses (also attached).   Based on the responses, we are probably going to get a 1.25" one from American button machines.

Button Making Machines - compilation of responses
May 3, 2017
Button Biz
I personally used a button maker from Button Biz. The machine, supplies, and customer support was great. (I was not the original owner, so I don't know how much use it had before.)  I did the one inch.  https://buttonbiz.com/products/button-maker/    Wendy

Can't part with ours, because it is always a *huge* hit.   Everyone age group loves our button maker.  They aren't inexpensive, but they are durable and worth every penny.  Bought ours online at Button Biz.  Best, Diane

Badge-A-Minit

Melissa,
I have used the 2 1/4 in. and the 3 in. semi-automatic badge-a-matic machines from Badge-A-Minit (http://www.badgeaminit.com/semkit.html).  I have had good experiences with these machines at both a former school where I worked, and a former library.  They are a little pricey but they are great machines!

Jessica Hunt, Director, Grant Area District Library
I do NOT recommend Badge-a-minit. That was our first button maker purchase, and it has a design flaw that makes the failure rate astronomical. It's also made rather cheaply of plastic, and their buttons are a special size so you have to order replacement buttons from them. I DO recommend American Button Machines. The machine is a bit pricey, but it's well made and easy to use. We bought this kit, and I've been very happy with it, especially when comparing to the Badge-a-minit: https://www.americanbuttonmachines.com/collections/beginner-button-making-kits/products/2-25-beginner-button-system
Laura Hauch, Circulation Manager, Buchanan District Library zv045

Hi Melissa
A friend gave me her BadgeAMinit button maker--I didn't have good luck with it and ended up throwing it away.  I think I had about a 50% success rate in making a good button--I can't recommend that brand http://www.badgeaminit.com/starterkit.html.
Regards, Jane

Dr. Don's
Melissa,

We have been using Dr. Don's for years.  We have a 3" and a 2 1/4 " machine.  They have each made thousands of buttons and both still work flawlessly.  Cost for parts is good.  http://buttonsonline.com/   - John Bezotte, Sandusky District Library

American Button Machines

Please Note:  there is also a positive recommendation for this company by Laura Hauch in her "Badge-A-Minute" response:

I have purchased button makers from this company for years...  https://www.americanbuttonmachines.com/    They are sturdy, easy to use, and easy to get materials for when needed.   Here at HLPL we have the 1".  I have also bought several other sizes during my time at other libraries.  This company even has a great YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/AButtonMachines/videos   Kimberly Young, Library Director Houghton Lake Public Library

We got an American Button Machine recently & it's wonderful.  High quality, heavy duty & easy to use.  I highly recommend it!  We got the 1.5 inch size.  If I was doing it again, I'd get slightly larger - the 1.5 is great for giveaway buttons & the like, but when we have kids make their own buttons, the canvas is a little bit small.   Hope that helps!  Emily Hartman, Spring Lake District Library

Hi Melissa,
We just bought one from American Button Machines. We decided to go with a kit that includes the cutter and a supply of parts to get us started, as well as design software. I think it is of good quality and will last us a long time!    https://www.americanbuttonmachines.com/ is their website.
We decided to go with the 2.25" machine. It's the most common size for buttons and gives us more space for designs and text. (This is partially because we want to be able to make reusable name tag style buttons for events.)
(As an aside--I personally have a 1" button machine at home for my own use, but since the buttons are quite small, you can't get very much on them. On the other hand, the parts for the 1" buttons are less expensive, so I can afford to give them away.)
I guess I would recommend thinking about what you most want to be able to make. You can buy parts to make keychains, mirrors, magnets, etc. as long as they are the correct diameter for your machine. We thought that might be nice for promotional giveaways sometimes. But for the most part, what we want to do is convey more information on our pins, so we wanted slightly bigger size. We could have gone even bigger, and did consider the 3" machine, but then decided that 2.25" was still big enough but gave us more flexibility in the long run.   Raya Samet, Education, Health & Human Services Librarian, University of Michigan - Dearborn

Hi Melissa,
We have a button maker for our department's use and have bought some for makerkits at some of our branches. Tecre makes the best button makers.  However, you can get the kit with a Tecre button maker cheaper from American Button Machines. You can find the professional button making kits here: https://www.americanbuttonmachines.com/collections/professional-button-making-kits
You want to make sure you get a graphic punch for whatever size button you decide to go with. The professional button kits come with one. The adjustable circle cutter and the hand-held punch cutters are horrible.
If you get a kit, it will come with some supplies already. If you need more supplies in the future, it is typically cheaper to order through Tecre for supplies. They work in the American Button Machines makers since they are actually Tecre button makers.
Hope this helps. We love our button maker and it's a big hit with the kids.
Jessica Goodrich, Business and Careers Outreach Librarian, Capital Area District Library - Community Outreach, 401 S. Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933

ButtonBoy
We bought from https://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonBoyInc
Very happy with it. I think it's 1.25"   We buy supplies from them too and they turn it around really fast.
Barbara Beaton <barbara at milanlibrary.org>

Thanks for the responses!

From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org] On Behalf Of Norris, Sonya (MDE)
Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2017 2:41 PM
To: michlib-l at mcls.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Michlib-l best practices

Greetings Michigan Library Community,

This is a best practices update for posting to Michlib-l.

We welcome your participation on Michlib-l. There are a few guidelines that help improve the experience for everyone:

1.       Do not post replies that are meant for one person to the entire list. You can accomplish this by using the "Reply" feature and not "Reply All."

2.       If you ask for group input on a topic, offer to collect the responses and then re-post them to the list so everyone can benefit. Be sure to embed those responses in the body of your message.

3.       Please keep in mind when composing your messages that attachments are removed from posts for digest subscribers and in the archives. For maximum reach, embed the text you wish readers to see in the body of your message. If an attachment is especially important for its images, formatting or other reasons, upload it to your website and then link to it in your message to Michlib-l.

And, of course, a little patience goes a long way. We've all accidentally posted something to a list that was only meant for one person so gentleness with each other is helpful as well.

Have a fabulous day in Library Land,
Sonya

Sonya Schryer Norris
Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
PO Box 30009
Lansing, MI 48909
517-373-4457

http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan
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