MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I know about Lanyards?
If the time has come for you to purchase lanyards for your company or organization, you might not know what you need to consider when purchasing your new supplies. Lanyards are available in many different styles these days and it can be difficult to know which type of lanyard to get. That said, here are five things to consider when purchasing lanyards.
What’s your style? How long should your lanyard be?
Lanyards are available in lots of different styles, so you have a lot to choose from. Round braid and flat braid lanyards are the most common, so if you need something simple, check these two out. If being good to the environment is important to you, you’ll want to check out eco-friendly lanyards that are made from either bamboo or recycled plastic. OptiBraid and OptiWeave lanyards give you the ability to detach your ID badge or other item from you lanyard while you’re still wearing it. Meanwhile, awareness lanyards offer you the chance to show your support for various causes such as curing cancer, and reflective lanyards help promote safety. There are also beaded and imitation leather lanyards if you want something a little bit more fashionable. You will also want to consider the length and width of your lanyards. A standard length is 36 inches, while standard widths are 3/8″ and 5/8″.
To break-away or not break-away?
Lanyards come in either break-away or non-breakaway styles. Break-away lanyards are safer to wear than their non-breakaway counterparts because if the lanyard is grabbed by someone or caught on something, the break-away clasp opens so the person wearing the lanyard won’t be injured. If safety is a big issue at your workplace, you should choose break-away lanyards. Break-away clasps are extremely important for use in hospitals, schools and secure facilities such as court houses and prisons.
How does this thing finish?
The end of your lanyard needs a finishing touch. The end can either be sewn, have a bead on it, or be crimped. If it’s crimped, you can choose between a nickel-plated crimp or a black oxide crimp. Choose the one that you like best.
How attached do you want to get?
To attach your badge or ID card to your lanyard, you’re going to need some sort of attachment. There are a lot of different styles of attachments. Two of the simplest are the split key ring attachment and the lanyard hook. Other attachment types include bulldog clips, swivel hooks, and cell phone hooks. OptiBraid and OptiWeave lanyards have their own type of attachments that include a cell phone holder and other cool options.
Other considerations. When choosing your lanyard, you’ll have to make some other decisions. One involves color, of course. If you’re customizing your own lanyard, you’ll need to decide if your lanyards will display graphics, text, or both (or none of those). You’ll also need to decide if you want the lanyards to be silk-screened or not. (If not, dye sub imprinting is available.) If you choose to go with OptiBraid lanyards, you can choose between two different styles of sliders: diamond and round. And finally, price is always a factor. Get the best quality lanyards you can afford. If you do that, you’ll be less likely to have to replace your lanyards anytime soon.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
