How Do I Make...?

Question

... a plastic name tag, such as the ones in Market Basket. My older sister opened up a nail salon and I want to make her and her employeessome tags. Remember... plastic!

Answer 1

I do not live in a country with Market Basket, so I do not know how they make their tags, but I work with plastics and we make labels at work, so I know what not to do ;o)

The easiest way to make plastic name-tags is making paper name-cards, and have them laminated.
You can use every printer, so you can make them on your own computer.

If you want to use plastic to start with, there are a few kinds of plastic you can print in a laser printer, but for name-tags you will want to laminate those too, so there is not much advantage over paper to start with.

The heavier kinds of plastic they often use for name-tags and name-plaques for doors are special plastic that is sandwich white between colour or black between colour.
You make your text on those by engraving, taking the upper layer away in the letters.
It might be possible to do that with a handheld dremel tool, like they use for engraving glass, but mostly it is done on a machine with 'stencils' to get the letters right.

If you can get your hands on a kind of plastic that is thin and strong enough, you might make a name-tag as if making a mini scrapbook page, using embellishments and glued on photos. Some kinds of glue will hold on plastic, and there are foam sheets you can also use for small details, but you will have to work small scale and with care for detail, as a name-card is soon overdone.

To attach the tag to their clothing they can use the holders with clip or pin that are sold for conference use, or you can glue a pin or clip to the back of the tag.
If they like the idea you can also make a hole in the tag and have it hang from a necklace. If you do that, remember to have a weak link, do that in an accident the necklace will break, not their neck.

If you use the heavy sandwich plastic you can also melt the back of the pin into the plastic.

Answer 2

You can't make plastic at home, but you can get the pieces in office supply stores. There are also engravers who do plastic name badges. I get mine at http://www.earthstores.com/kistlers/

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