iBadge is the top pick when it comes to badges, emblems and insignia.

Frequently asked questions about badges and emblems
 

Badge, patch, emblem, badge, sewing-on patch, iron-on patch, camp patch, sleeve patch... What's in a name?

At iBadge, we define a badge as ‘a physical reminder of a moment, event, camp, training and a badge often emphasises the group feeling of your association’. Because an emblem really is more than a piece of cloth, it is proof of your achievement or membership in a group.

Whether you are a member of an air force squadron, have travelled 1000 km on your motorbike or are a real scout, a badge is always a good idea. A badge often shows the name of your group, department or event. Usually, the year is also put on it. The image refers to your achievement, event, annual theme or camp theme.

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It may seem complicated: embroidery, weaving, sublimation, rubber badges. But don't worry, we have the know-how to advise you. Or maybe this explanation can help you a little further?

Check the technical tips

How many pieces do you want? 
For embroidered badges and embroidered badges with sublimation, there is no minimum quantity. Really: we embroider your design from 1 piece. Although it goes without saying that the piece price becomes more interesting the larger quantity you want. 
The minimum print run for woven badges is 100 pieces. Rubber PVC badges are produced from 100 pieces upwards.

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How detailed is your design?
If your design is highly detailed, then embroidered badges with sublimation or woven badges are the way to go. 
The level of detail is determined by the height of the letters, the thickness of the lines and the number of colours. For embroidered badges, the letters must be at least 4mm high to embroider them beautifully and legibly, and lines must be at least 1mm thick. See more info on technical requirements.


How many colours does your design contain? 
Embroidered, woven and PVC badges may contain a maximum of eight colours. If necessary, we can reduce the number of colours in your design to the required eight, so that we can embroider everything neatly. Exceptionally, we can embroider and weave up to 10 colours, please contact us for the correct price. 
Less is more, but some designs contain more colours or colour gradients and then embroidered badges with sublimation are the solution. With this technique, we embroider your entire design in white embroidery thread, on top of which we sublimate your design. So your exact design appears on your badge, even small text, colour transitions, QR codes, photos, drawings.... Cool huh!

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This is very simple: any shape you wish!

Most emblems are round or rectangular (with or without rounded corners). Such a design is simply easier to make now, or it should belong in a series of badges that fit together as a collection.

But we certainly invite you to think out-of-the-box, as our laser can really cut out any badge according to the contour of your design. Check out our Pinterest boards for badges with special shapes.

TIP 1: If your design consists of separate pieces (e.g. text around a drawing), place a border around the whole thing so that everything fits together on one badge. 
TIP 2: Badges with special shapes are often more difficult to sew on with a sewing machine. A backing with iron-on adhesive can be handy. :-)

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A badge can always be sewn on, regardless of the finish on the back. There are also other options, depending on which option you choose during the ordering process.

An overview of the possible options

A badge with a standard or eco-friendly finish: 
These badges can be sewn on with a sewing machine or even by hand. The eco-friendly finish has no plastic layer on the back, choose this finish if you want to sew on your badges by hand. 
Some customers also use textile glue or badgefix to stick badges on with glue. We ourselves have no experience with this, but know that it is also a possibility. 
Oh yes, important: if you want to remove your badge later and hang it on another garment, we always recommend sewing it on. That way, the badge will stay perfectly intact even after taking it off your shirt, skirt or uniform.

An iron-on badge: 
An iron-on patch can be attached with an iron or heat press. 
Badges with an iron-on layer are very convenient to use, but the adhesive layer is not flawless. If you will wash your clothing frequently, we recommend sewing on badges. Even for resellers (such as clothing brands), sewing on is always the best option. If your badges are finished with a thermal glue layer, you can always sew them on as well. 

A badge with a sticker on the back:
A sticker badge is super convenient to use. You can apply the badges to your phone, laptop, backpack, pen bag.... The sticker layer is strong and sticks nicely. However, in the washing machine it comes off, so it's not a permanent solution for clothing. But good news, because you can also sew it on once it gets a permanent place.

A badge with velcro: 
These badges have hard velcro on the back. You can usually hang them directly on your uniform or tactical bag. To be on the safe side, we also supply the soft side of the velcro. You can hang this on your clothing and attach the badge to it. 
Badges with velcro are ideal for when you need to be able to hang or remove them quickly, as is often the case in defence. 

A badge with safety pin or pin:
As the name suggests, you can easily pin these badges onto your clothing. We recommend a safety pin for large badges, as they will not twist. A pin is ideal for relatively small badges. 
If you do not want a hole in your suit jacket or blazer, we recommend a badge with a magnet. Our strong magnets ensure your badge stays neatly in place.

A badge with a magnet:
We always contact you to ask what type of magnet you would like: a ‘fridge magnet’ or a strong magnet to attach your badge to your clothing.

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Your emblem is definitely machine washable and 100% washable, promise! You won't see any threads come loose, the colours won't fade, the shape won't change. Rest assured!

If your emblem is firmly sewn onto the clothing, chances are it will last for years without any problems. 
An iron-on patch with a thermal adhesive layer, on the other hand, is less resistant to washing machines. You read it: ‘thermal’ adhesive layer. That means it is heat-sensitive. If the iron-on patch is applied correctly, it will last about ten cycles in the washing machine at 30°C. If the emblem comes off, it is best to sew it on. That way, you can be sure that your badge will not come loose in the washing machine or tumble-dryer.

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To ensure the durability of your iron-on patch, it is incredibly important that it is carefully ironed or pressed on.

These are our guidelines for ironing on a badge: 

  • Use a simple iron without a steam function, or turn off the steam function of your iron. 
  • Put your iron on the hottest setting. 
  • Choose where you want to attach the badge. Place your badge, top side up, on your clothes. 
  • Put your iron on the badge and press firmly for at least 30 seconds. 
  • Do the same, but turn your garment inside out and iron along the inside again for 30 seconds. 
  • Let your garment with the patch ‘rest’ for 24 hours. That means: don't fiddle with the edges! :-) 

These are our guidelines for heat pressing on a badge:

  • Set your heat press to 160°C and the pressure to 2.5kg per cm2.
  • Place your garment between the press and place the badge, top side up, on your clothes. 
  • Press for 30 seconds. 
  • If possible, do the same but turn your garment inside out and press along the inside again. 
  • Let your garment with the patch ‘rest’ for 24 hours. That is: don't fiddle with the edges! :-

If, after frequent use or washing, you notice that your emblem comes loose, you can iron or press it on again and again. After all, the thermal adhesive layer can be reactivated. Is that not enough? Sewing on is always the safest and most durable option!

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Of course, you are completely free to decide what will or will not appear on your badge. You are the designer of your own badge!

But are you designing a badge for the first time, or do you lack inspiration? Don't worry, these tips can help.

The theme of your event or camp is a good start. Maybe you have a logo or there is an image that totally typifies you. If it meets the technical requirements, we can certainly embroider it or weave it into your emblem.

If it is an annual event, friends' weekend or camp, it is nice to mention the year. This will make your emblem truly unique and serve as a piece of evidence or reminder of a wonderful time.

You can also mention the name of your group or event. With youth movements, this is certainly not a must, as the group name can surely already be found in other places on your uniform. :-) We do not recommend long names or text, because technically they are not always easy to incorporate in your badge. But we will gladly give you advice on that! 

You can find more tips here

Definitely don't be afraid to experiment or even mess around while designing. Use simple tools like Canva.com and rest assured: no matter what, your emblem will be the eye-catcher!

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This answer is very simple and our calculator will give you the full answer in just a few clicks. iBadge values transparency, especially when it comes to our prices. There are no catches, no hidden costs, no setup fees or you name it. The price the calculator shows you is the price you pay at the end of the day. Promise!

Calculating the price of my badge

Oh well, some insights:

  • The unit price of badges gets significantly lower for larger runs. That means you will pay a lower piece price for 200 than for a 20-piece order. 
  • The size of your badge helps determine the price. 
  • Finally, badges with an eco-friendly or standard plastic finish (if you want to sew them on) have the same price. We charge a few cents extra for the ‘iron on’ option, as well as for the other options.

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The difference between embroidered and woven emblems is in the smoothness of the badge and the level of detail of your design.

A woven badge is very smooth. With a woven badge, you feel no difference in height; it is like a piece of fabric with your unique design woven into it. This looks really smart, is very detailed and refined.

An embroidered badge has a more authentic look. You can see and feel the needle-and-thread work in it, as it were. Embroidered badges have a luxurious look, it is real craftsmanship to go embroider your design with certain details, text, use of colour. They are less flexible than woven badges, they feel stronger and thicker. 

When making your choice, be guided mainly by your design. If there is a lot of small text or a detailed drawing, a woven badge may be interesting. Note: this has a minimum order quantity of 100 pieces. Embroidered badges, on the other hand, have no minimum quantity and can be ordered from 1 piece.

More about embroidered badges

More info about woven badges

Yes, we deliver both the soft and the hard side of the velcro. The hard side is sewn to your badge. The soft side is supplied with it.

We put a lot of importance and care into sewing the velcro correctly to your badge. We never glue them on, but always sew them on with transparent thread. This ensures that, even when removed frequently, the badge stays perfectly in place. The velcro will not come off.

We know that many uniforms already have velcro pieces on the sleeve or chest. Even on tactical backpacks, we often see areas with Velcro already. Still, it is important that the velcro is the right size, i.e. the same size as your emblem. Even if you do not yet have Velcro on your clothing, you can use the soft piece of Velcro that we supply as standard.

Badges for defence, fire brigade and police

By the way, did you know that we can also finish contour-cut designs with a special shape with velcro? We also cut out the soft side completely with the laser, giving it the same shape as the badge. Cool, right?

Find out what other options we offer here

We have to admit, we too are craftsmen. When it comes to badges and emblems, we are as perfectionist as Gaudi was when designing the Sagrada Familia. ;-)

It sometimes happens that by making minimal adjustments to the design, we can embroider a better emblem. Our years of experience and expertise mean we can see fairly quickly which adjustments will optimise the result. If these are minor adjustments, we implement them automatically. After all, we find it important to respect the promised shipment date; after all, you want to receive your emblems quickly. Don't you? 
Sometimes our suggestions are of a slightly larger nature, in which case we always get in touch via e-mail, phone or whatsapp.

Check our design tips and technical sheets

We see these as minimal adjustments and implement them automatically:

  • Adjusting the text size so that it can be embroidered beautifully and legibly. 
  • Reducing a very colourful design to a maximum of 8 colours when embroidering. If this has little or no effect on the final result, you will not receive a signal from us. For example, for a ‘safari’ themed camp badge, it is about using the same shade of brown for a monkey and a lion. This does not change the design, but makes it embroiderable for us. 
  • We always choose the colour tones that most closely match your design. We have a wide range of thread and fabric colours so we find the ideal match for 99% of badges. 
  • If the end result would look better if the emblem as a whole is half an inch larger. Sometimes it happens that the text size is just too small for badges of diameter 6cm, and just enough for badges of 6.5cm. 

     


     

When making these changes, we do contact you: 

  • If we move or shorten text, we ask for approval. In that case, we make the adjustments in the digital file, which we forward via email or whatsapp. 
  • If it is an established logo of a company or event. We know that such logos are often developed by designers. If we find that the final result will be improved by some changes, such as putting a slogan on two lines instead of one, we always contact you. Only after approval will we start up the embroidery machines. 
     

Some designs are simply impossible to embroider ‘traditionally’, even if we make some changes. In that case, we always contact you to suggest the other embroidery technique using sublimation. This often involves a small additional cost, but ensures the exact result you had in mind for your badge.

Does this make you nervous? Not at all! We know what we are doing, have years of experience and always put quality first. Should you wish to be kept informed of any minor changes, please indicate this in the comments field during the ordering process.

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Depending on your target audience, we see different sizes passing by. Hopefully, this overview can help you make your choice.

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Youth movements: 
The standard size for badges on your uniform fits within our category of 13 cm. That is, the width plus the height are a maximum of 13 cm. A circular sleeve badge can be 6.5 cm in diameter, or a rectangular badge on your skirt or shirt can be 6x7 cm. Of course, a sewing-on badge with a different shape is also always possible. 
A rectangular branch badge or badge is usually 5x10 cm.
Sometimes you want your new camp badge to go with your other badges, then you can measure the other badges and choose the same size. 
Be aware that very small badges may contain very little text and only a simple image.

Fire brigade:
Fire brigade badges have a standard size of 8cm diameter. They are also usually finished with velcro on the back.

Defence and militia: 
Although there is no set size for militia badges, we provide some guidelines: 
On most uniforms, the soft side of the velcro is already sewn on. It's best to order emblems that are exactly this size, or just slightly larger. 
Pencil patches are typically 2.5 x 4.5 cm. Badges in the typical shield shape are usually 7x9 cm. An emblem with a crest is usually 9x12 cm. Circular badges are often 9 cm in diameter. 
Certainly don't stare blindly at these common sizes, we can produce badges in all shapes and sizes. Even the velcro can be any shape, even nicely cut in the shape of your crest. 

Back emblems:
Carnival associations often use back emblems to make their costume shine just that little bit more. And how nice is it to wear the name of your carnival association with pride? Back emblems usually have a width of 25 to 30 cm. 
We always make a tailor-made price for back emblems. Send us an e-mail (if possible with your design) and you will receive a competitive iBadge price in your mailbox within 48 hours.

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Rockers:
Motoclubs use these bows as badges on the back of their moto vests. 
Rockers usually have a width of 38 cm.

Name tags:
An awful lot of groups use nametags, name badges or function bars. 
We can make them in all sizes and colours, with or without Velcro. 
Name tags that bear one name (possibly with blood group) are usually 10x2.5 cm.

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