This is a 4 inches hard enamel pin inquiry from a pin creator. The designer said she saw the finished pin badges we had made for other customers and was very impressed. The design inspiration mainly comes from Disney characters, plus some of her ideas, combined into a fantasy pin design. She made the following points in the first email:
- She has never been involved in the creation of a pin before
- The hard enamel pin size is to be 4 inches tall, gold plating, hard enamel
- Would like the colors to match the drawing
- 40 pieces only
- She has done homework on other additional effects (pearl, glitter, glow in the dark), and would like to ask us if the effects fit her design
- She needs some design assistance
- Would like to request a sample before the pins go into mass
The customer used a PNG file format, indicating what colors would need to be done. The main body design seems easy, but the actual operation is not. With the large size and 12 hard enamel colors, many details need to be displayed through screen printing as well, and additional effects may need to be added. Out of confidence in quality and to repay the trust of our customers, we would make her products as the best as possible.
1. The solution recommendation
After receiving the email and seeing the design, we promptly responded to this customer’s email:
- Don’t worry too much though it’s the first time to create and make pins. We will do our best to help her overcome the difficulties of making enamel pins and assist her in understanding the production process. We will proactively maintain communication frequency with the customer to relieve her anxiety.
- Tell her that one of the secrets to making large-size imitation hard enamel is real gold plating, which is very effective in reducing the flaw rate and improving the texture of the pins. In terms of materials, zinc alloy will be used.
- The Pantone colors will be chosen closest to the original drawing. If she is not satisfied with the colors of the artwork, we can change them unlimited times until she says OK. In actual production, color mixing will also be done by professionals.
- There is a large area of dark base, which is very suitable for making pearl effect, pearl swirl can fill the atmosphere more. The pomegranates on Katara’s hand and on the side will be an amazing look with gold glitter, which greatly echoes the gold-plated vines.
- The design is beautiful, and our experienced artwork designer will show all the details within the scope of production. Although it is in PNG format, tracing is time-consuming, we are able to send the production vector file to her for confirmation within two days (usually one day).
- We support proofing before mass production. On the one hand, it can reassure customers; On the other hand, if some actual colors are different from expected, we can make timely adjustments to ensure that the production effect of mass goods is what customers want most.
The customer was very touched by the speed and depth of our communication, and said she was afraid that the factory would give up cooperation with her, or not take her order seriously while seeing such a big size of enamel pin with such a small quantity. She was surprised that when she entered the pin badge industry for the first time, she could meet a reliable and responsible enamel pin manufacturer. So lucky! After confirming the price, proofing time, bulk delivery time, payment method and other details, we officially started with the drawing.
(Another related client case: Custom Hard Enamel Pin for USA Illustrator)
2. Cooperation process
One day later, the artwork was drawn, with 12 enamel colors and 8 screen colors. The screen print area is mainly concentrated in the eye area and the lines are very thin. The more colors, the thinner the lines, they mean the more difficult it is to do it well. Thus, many factories generally refuse to do screen-print with more than 5 colors. The customer was very satisfied with the artwork as we highly restored her original drawing, after changing and confirming several colors proposed by the customer for the second time, we began to enter the proofing stage.
There is basically no difference between proofing and mass production in actual production. There is no doubt that the customer must be very concerned about the progress and steps of the production. We understand it very well and take the initiative to take photos of production updates for her review.
(Another related client case: Cross-country Running Race Medal Project from New Zealand)
3. The production process of 4 inches hard enamel pin
The production of the hard enamel pin includes 5 processes, mold engraving, stamping out, enamel color, plating, screen printing and shipping the product.
The customer felt that Katara’s skin tone and hair color was not dark enough and wanted a darker color to see the effect for comparison after seeing the sample. So we made an extra color version for reference, she finally decided to go back to the original skin colors and go back to Katara’s original hair color.
(Another related post: Top 10 Medal Manufacturers to Custom Medals)
4. Frequently asked questions during cooperation
Q: Do you support proofing?
A: Support. Many customers do not have enough confidence in the quality made by new factories. In order to better demonstrate our excellent quality to customers, we support mold making and proofing and then proceed to mass production after getting the customer’s green light.
Q: Which color palette do you use as enamel colors?
A: Pantong Solid Coated. This is the palette that all paints use. The color is rich, with standard color reference and color proportion.
Q: What format does the original art need to be in?
A: Any image like PNG, JPEG, GIF fromat will work, we can vectorize the design through pictures and match the Pantone colors. Also, vector format is good too.
Q: What special enamel process can you make?
A: Translucent sandblasting, Glow in the dark, Screen printing, UV print, Glitter, Pearlescent, Stained glass and so on.
Q: Do you do a thorough quality inspection on every pin order I place?
A: We will conduct a full inspection of each process, and repair it immediately if any defects are found. Before shipment, professional QC will also inspect strictly to ensure that the finished products sent to customers fully meet the quality standards.
Q: What shipping methods do you support?
A: For lightweight packages, we usually use FedEx, UPS, and DHL Express, 3-8 days of transit, which not only guarantees delivery time but also reduces a lot of troubles for customers by door-to-door express. In some countries and regions, we also support door-to-door, double-clearance, and tax-free express delivery. If enough time is reserved for the event, we also support sea shipping for heavier medal cargo to reduce the customer’s budget.
（All the FAQs About SICpin Products: SICpin Product FAQs ）
5. The customer feedback
The customer was very excited and happy after receiving the enamel pins! And shared the photos she took with us. We also feel very blessed! Everything is worth it!
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6. Summary
Through this 4 inches hard enamel pin case, why can we be favored by customers and reach long-term cooperation?
- Our design team has many years of industry experience and is very familiar with design and process. Be able to clearly control the focus of customers and restore the real design intention of customers.
- Our process is very complete, and always keep improving, process technology has continued to lead the industry.
- From business communication, vectorization design, to production, quality inspection and delivery, every step is very smooth. Communication is simple and efficient, saving time and cost.
- In terms of quality, we have always been adhering to the meticulous craftsman spirit. At each product step, a full inspection has to be done to ensure high-quality finished products before leaving our factory.
As an experienced hard enamel pin manufacturer, whether it is hardware equipment, service concept, staffing, or quick response, we are very confident in providing customers with a full range of services, that greatly exceed customer expectations.
SICpin has a workshop area of 2300 square meters, 42 employees, and 26 sets of production equipment. We always maintain technological innovation in the enamel pin manufacturing industry and guarantee product quality with advanced equipment and strict management concepts.
At least 500,000 pins are produced monthly, involving corporate groups, political events, sports, fashion culture, product accessories, art design, and other fields. We maintain in-depth cooperation with customers in more than 40 countries and regions.