How to Create I.D. Badges to Improve Company Security

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to beef up your company's security is by creating and using your own I.D. badges. Making I.D. badges can be done quite quickly with basic office equipment such as a P.C. (or Mac) and a small pouch laminator. Just follow these steps to make your own:

• Design. Before you do anything else, you will need to design your I.D. badges. The best way to do this is by firing up your computer and a software program such as M.S. Word, PowerPoint, or Abode Illustrator. You can lay out your badges by including your company name and logo, employee number(s) (if applicable), a photograph, and so on. Be sure to stick to fonts that are easy to read such as Verdana or Calibri. Make sure the information and photograph are clear so that the badge-holder can be easily identified.

• Print. Print your badges on a high-quality laser printer. If possible, print the badges on cardstock rather than regular printer paper. Cardstock is obviously thicker than regular paper and it will made your badges more rigid. Avoid printing your badges on an ink-jet printer since items printed with water-based ink can be damaged by a pouch laminator which you will be using in the next step.

• Laminate. Turn on your pouch laminator on and select the appropriate speed and temperature settings. (Consult the instruction manual to determine which settings should be used.) Let the laminator warm up for a few minutes. While you're waiting, place each badge in a laminating pouch that's large enough to provide a 1/8" border around the entire card. When your laminator is ready, place a pouch containing a badge in the feed opening, making sure that the folded edge goes in first. Laminate each badge and let them cool off after they emerge from the machine.

• Punch. After your laminated badges have cooled off, you will be punching holes in them with a slot punch. The hole should be located at the top of the badge, right in the center. You only need to punch one hole in each badge.

• Attach. Now that your badges are laminated, you can attach them to lanyards, badge reels, or even badge straps. What you choose is up to you and you might even have your colleagues choose the attachment that's right for them.

• A quick note about temporary badges. The instructions listed above are primarily meant for permanent badges. However, you may need to create temporary badges at some point for visitors, temporary workers, and so on. If that ever happens, you can use auto-expiring badges. These badges will turn red after a certain amount of time (usually 24 hours) so they cannot be reused. They're perfect for those times when a temporary badge is needed.

I.D. badges can help you keep your company secure and as you can tell from reading the above instructions📷, creating your own is really easy to do. Try making your own today so you can enjoy greater security at work.

Article Tags: Pouch Laminator, Each Badge

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