Making Ribbons as Flair Work for You

We all have them. Lanyards and lanyards of name badges and badge holders we have received over the years. We get them as we attend conference after conference. Whether these conferences were for our jobs or entertainment, we still all have at least a couple of these event name tags hanging around somewhere.

You only wear them while you are at the conference, so why do you still have them? Is it the lanyard that makes the name tag so special? What about the name tag itself? Do we cling to everything that has our name emblazoned on it? Or, is it simply because we want to remember what we did while at that particular conference or convention? Or maybe, it’s because of all the RIBBONS AS FLAIR!

stacking badge ribbons on a badge holder with a lanyard to show some ribbon flair at a convention

From cosplay to ancestry conventions, ribbons as flair is everywhere.

Badge ribbons are a tradition that started at sci-fi conventions. World Con (where the world’s supposed first cosplayer was present), may have started this trend. To quickly identify the role of other staff members, World Con employees put ribbons on their badges that denoted positions such as “Dealers,” “Artists” and “Guest of Honor.” World Con attendees took notice and made their own, silly badge ribbons to share with fellow fans. Today, you can find ribbons being passed out at many sci-fi conventions and Anime cons as well.

So what are they? Badge ribbons are little colorful, often shiny ribbons with a phrase printed on them and an adhesive strip to attach it to your badge or to another ribbon. The standard size is four inches by one inch and five-eighths. They can be custom ordered on many websites, and a pack of fifty can range from twenty-five to forty dollars. Depending on which site you use, the ribbons can be made in any color, with any phrase and any simple image.

Lots of badge ribbons used as convention ribbon flair

Much like the above author, we find that these little ribbons can cause excitement around any event booth. Everyone must have one to add to their name badge. And, with the nearly endless printing possibilities, these badge ribbons are the perfect marketing and networking tool to have at any event.

The Marketing and Networking Hack

Step 1: Design your custom ribbons with fun titles or witty sayings. Or, choose from our available stock titles.

Step 2: Pass your new badge ribbons out during any event to attendees and everyone who walks past your booth.

Step 3: Sit back and watch as more and more people show up to your booth, excited to learn about your brand and business.

Yes, it really is that easy! These little ribbons can do all of the talking for you and your business. No matter the event, badge ribbons are a must-have. From stock titles to going a bit crazy with full-color printing and fun messages, your ribbon flair is sure to stand out among the crowd.

Stack your ribbons as flair till your heart’s content!

The best thing about these fun ribbons? You can stack them onto a name tag, a badge holder and even another ribbon! With the adhesive strip that runs along the top of every ribbon, these marketing tools just got even easier to use. Now you really can sport all the ribbons as flair you want. Even if you are a presenter at an event, you can still add additional ribbons to the bottom of your credentials.

And, even if you don’t have a name tag to stick them on, the tape allows you to attach these fun ribbons to a notebook, backpacks and so much more. You can literally spend hours collecting every ribbon. So join in on the fun of ribbon flair by creating your badge ribbons today!

stacked badge ribbons for added ribbon flair to a badge holder

PRO TIP: ORDER BLANK RIBBONS

blank badge ribbons to use as DIY ribbon flair at a convention

Let attendees come up with their ribbon flair with blank badge ribbons and a permanent marker or pen. They can add notes, titles and fun quips to show off their unique flair!

Holiday Decorating with Custom Ribbons

Have you ever asked yourself how to use custom ribbons for holiday decorating ideas?

Well, we’ve said before that using custom ribbons for decorations is a great idea. But, what about the holiday season? Are they any good for Christmas or Hanukkah? What about the New Year holiday? Of course, they are! We have ideas ranging from holiday door wreaths to ribbon walls for a photo booth (and nearly everything in between). However, we want to prove to all of our customers that ribbons can be used for everything, especially holiday decorating.

So, here are some surprising ways to use custom ribbons for your holiday decorating!

Ribbon Rolls: Decorating a Tree

Start at the top of the tree and roll a ribbon straight to the floor. Or, run a ribbon entirely around the tree for a more traditional look. But, no matter how you use those ribbon rolls, make sure to pick the right colors to match the rest of your decorations. Go with red, green or white to match the holiday. Maybe you have a theme for your home this year? Try matching colors or use contrasting colors to brighten up any living space for the holidays.

use custom ribbon rolls for your holiday decorating by wrapping them around a Christmas tree

Ribbon Rolls: Ornament Ties

No ornament is complete without a way to hang it. So, make your tree stand out this year with custom ribbon rolls. Maybe you have a ribbon roll with names from your wedding or your company party. Tie them around each ornament and add a touch of personality to your tree. Or, get creative with where you hang ornaments. They look great dangling from the mantle or a staircase.

Rosette Ribbons: Ornaments

Speaking of a fun idea for custom ornaments, do you have any rosette ribbon awards lying around? Maybe you don’t quite know what to do with them. Well, how about using the string or fastener on the back of those ribbons and adding them to your holiday tree. They are sure to add a pop of color and spark some charm.

Rosette Ribbons: Gift Bows or Tags

We’ve shared before how badge ribbons are the perfect to/from gift tags for every gift. But here’s a new idea. Use the rosette on a ribbon as your tags or the bow. Cut off the circular portion and add it to any gift box for a magical and unique touch. Nothing will quite say, “Happy Holidays” like a fun and festive way to distinguish your gifts from others this year.

red, green and white stock star rosette ribbons are perfect for holiday decorating

Badge Ribbons: Table Runners

One of the best things about this time of year is all of the homemade crafts and goodies. So, get to work and let your badge ribbons do the talking! Although you might require a sewing machine for this craft, using bright, custom ribbons is one way to get everyone excited for your decorating. Either run the badge ribbons in straight lines the length of your table or create a pattern. But, no matter what you do with them, you’re sure to get all of the attention for your crafty thinking!

Badge Ribbons: Christmas Stockings

Another idea that might require a sewing machine is to make everyone matching Christmas stockings. Line up your badge ribbons end to end and get to decorating your home with this fun craft project. These stockings can also make wonderful neighbor or colleague gifts. Fill them with all sorts of goodies and give them away. The recipient is sure to love everything about their new Christmas stocking.

use badge ribbons to make a Christmas stocking for unique holiday decorating

So, no matter what type of ribbons you have, we guarantee you can find something to do with them for the holidays. Now, get back to decorating!

Small Business Holiday Ribbons

Shop Small Business Saturday

You might not realize it, but every time you take a yoga class at your neighborhood spot or buy a gift from the local artist down the street, you’re shopping small and making a difference. In fact, for every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S., approximately 67 cents stays in the local community. So when you Shop Small on Small Business Saturday—and all year long—it can help add up to a big impact.

Since its inception in 2010, the Shop Small Movement has grown rapidly. Many small, community retailers and other businesses participate in the sales involved on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to promote buying locally. And, with more than half of every dollar spent staying in the community where you are making your purchase, the small business owner is becoming more and more significant.

So, how does a small business owner keep up to date with that tradition? Here are three of our products that will aid any small (or large) business during their holiday endeavors.

Custom Ribbon Rolls

a small business can use custom ribbon rolls for product packaging

From using hashtags on social media promotions to advertising in your store or office, every small business owner understands the importance of getting their company name out there. Custom ribbon rolls are here to help you with that. From everyday product packaging to specialty holiday gift wrapping, adding logos and text to any of our custom rolls are sure to bring a bit more life to your brand.

No matter your setting, ribbon rolls can help with your holiday decorating. Create a ribbon wall to cover bare spaces or hang in a doorway to add some festivity to your shop. Oh, and bows! Don’t forget the bows! From large to small, branded ribbons are perfect for adding bows to wreaths, garlands and other promotional displays.

Give your customers an interactive experience at your holiday events with fun party favors wrapped in custom ribbon rolls. Add a festive message or stick with your branding. But, no matter what your decision, these ribbons are sure to be remembered.

Custom Text Vertical Badge Ribbons

a small business can use vertical badge ribbons for holiday sales

There truly is no better way to promote a sale than with custom text ribbons. Get creative with the text you add to these vertical ribbons, and they will become your best friend during any sale or special promotion. Order them with pins to attach them to products or double sided tape to add them to name tags.

Do you have items that are for display only? What about bottles of perfumes or lotions that you want labeled as testers? These ribbons are the perfect addition to those shelves full of products that need distinctions. Add nearly any text you need and go crazy with where you need to place them. With the high-quality satin acetate material, your added tags are sure to be glamorous.

Badge ribbons are the best for adding titles and other needed information to name tags. Recognize your employee of the month with a special ribbon. Or, add a ribbon to the front counter letting customers know it’s an employee’s birthday or another special day. These ribbons don’t have limitations!

Custom Pointed-Top Ribbons

a small business can use custom top ribbons for promoting sales

With full-color printing and the elegant finish on these custom top ribbons, the possibilities are nearly endless. Use these as fancy price tags for larger items in your store. Or, add prices to shelving using these ribbons to make everything have a classy feel.

Design a ribbon to say thank you to all of your customers for their purchase. Then, toss one into their bag as you hand it to them. Customers are sure to remember your business when they see these impressive ribbons once they unload their bags. And, better yet, your customer’s friends and family are pretty much guaranteed to see the ribbons as well, and viola, better advertising!

Do you have a special holiday sale coming up that you need to promote? These custom ribbons are the perfect answer to your needs. With the ability to print in full-color and add bleeds, adding logos and holiday messages just got easier. And, the event cards on the back of the ribbons can be turned into raffle tickets during your sale.

Other Ribbon Uses for a Small Business

What are some other ways you can use these three ribbon types? What about the rest of our ribbons? Let us know, or better yet, show us what you did with your custom ribbons for Small Business Saturday.

Honoring a Special Olympics Coach

From brand exposure to product promotion, donations benefit our company in many ways. But the joy we get from them does not come from those benefits. It comes from knowing we have helped others in some way. Here at Coller Industries Incorporated, we take our responsibility to the community seriously. So, we are always looking for donation opportunities. Recently, we had the privilege of giving back to our local community here in Salt Lake County, Utah. Give a big cheer to our latest donation recipient: The Panthers Special Olympics Utah Team.

Examples of Coller Industries Incorporated products, including name tags, badge holder, name plate, award plaque, lanyard and rosette ribbon.

A Special Olympics team pays tribute to their coach a month after her passing.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Vertical Graphic Ribbons

A purple ribbon with a vertical orientation, imprinted with gold text and a heart graphic used for special olympics.

Made of quality satin, Vertical Graphic Ribbons are a popular choice for fundraisers, conventions and trade shows. While they are often used to promote products, services or sales, graphic ribbons can serve almost any purpose. And, they let you add a graphic or logo to go with your text. Customize the size, font, imprint and material colors to make these ribbons right for you. With different fastener options available, attach the ribbons to a piece of clothing or wear them with a name tag.

We donated 500 Vertical Graphic Ribbons to help the Panthers pay tribute to their former coach, Agnes Marino. A long time volunteer, she passed away September 17, 2019. Keith Tondro, an Assistant Equipment Manager for Special Olympics, spoke highly of Marino. “She gave many years of service and has been an icon for Special Olympics. These ribbons will be worn by the athletes as they compete in the Fall Sports Classic on October 18 and 19, 2019 in golf, bocce and soccer.”

The athletes wore purple badge ribbons to honor their coach as they competed in different locations in Salt Lake City, Utah. The ribbons included a heart with the name of their team and former coach. With the memory of Marino in their hearts, they played bocce ball at Northwest Middle School, golf at Rose Park Golf Course and soccer at Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex. They did Marino proud by placing third in soccer, even while playing in stormy weather. Tondro said, “The Panthers fought hard and played well.”

Tondro, whose son, Darrell Tondro, is on the Panthers team, describes how Special Olympics benefits people with disabilities.

“Developing skills, building self-esteem and having fun, all while participating in year-round sports training and competition, is the life of a Special Olympics Utah athlete. Whatever their skill level, with eight sports to choose from, plus the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP), Special Olympics Utah has something for every person with an intellectual disability.”

No matter what product we donate, it is always a privilege to support organizations like Special Olympics. And this time, we got to help pay tribute to a woman who, like us, wanted to give back to the community. For us, giving back through donations is a way of saying thank you to those who make our company successful. After all, where would we be without the people in this community, our customers. So, thank you Special Olympics Utah for letting us serve you and your remarkable athletes. Go Panthers!

The Panthers Special Olympics Utah Team honor a former coach by wearing custom badge ribbons during their Fall Sports Classic in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 18 and 19, 2019.

100 Yards of Ribbon & What to Do with It All

what would you do with 100 yards of ribbon with multiple ribbon roll types

100 yards of ribbon = 300 feet = 3600 inches

Wow! That’s a lot!

If you are hosting a significant event like a national conference or a large convention, the answer to using 100 yards of ribbon is easy. However, using all of the ribbon might seem daunting if you order ribbons for a smaller occasion, such as a department party or small corporate meeting. While the ribbon will last a long time, you may not have a way to store it.

Now the question is, how do you use all 100 yards of ribbon?

We offer two different types of ribbon rolls: continuous print and favor printing. All of our rolls come with 100 yards of ribbon. So, here are some fabulous ideas for using that roll up to the last inch!

Continuous Printing

Repeated text and logos along 100 yards of ribbon roll

Imagination is the only limitation when using your logo and text imprinted in a continuous print along the entirety of 100 yards of ribbons. While the imprinting process may limit the graphic or logo and text you can use on the ribbon, the continuous printing allows for multiple uses for your ribbons.

Gift Bows, Single Use Shoelaces and Awareness Ribbons

From corporate gifting to small individual presents, bows will make any gift more personal. And with custom ribbons, this personality increases. Small bows, like a simple gift bow, typically take about 20 inches of ribbon. Large gift bows can take up to 48 inches of ribbon to make. With these calculations, your 100 yards of ribbon will make approximately 75 large bows.

grosgrain ribbons used for shoe laces

Making shoelaces for a corporate event can be fun. The standard lengths vary per shoe (depending on how many eyelets the shoe has). The average length is about 60 inches, meaning you can lace nearly 30 pairs of shoes. That should be enough to outfit a small office with a fun and unique way of showing off your brand at your next corporate meeting. (Please note that if used more than once, the imprinting will start to rub off.)

Awareness ribbons are a great way to use all of that ribbon roll and are perfect for showing support or collecting donations. With continuous roll printing, you can control where the printing will occur and use the 100 yards to its best advantage. You should cut each ribbon to about nine inches for three inch awareness ribbons. This will make your roll last for about 400 ribbons! Think about all the support you can show with that many ribbons.

Favor Printing

Print text and logos so they only show on the ends of a cut strip.

This ribbon type is just as useful as continuous printing. Favor printing provides a large gap between the text and logo. They are easily tied around something but you can still see the imprinted information.

Favors, Single End Awareness Ribbons and Party Decorations

If you are giving away door prizes or gifts to every person who attends your event, these ribbons are here to do you a favor (pun intended)! Using ribbons with favor printing, you can easily tie them around goody bags and other quick gifts to give attendees. Wrap them around a bag full of candy and cut the ribbons so that only the ends show printing. This effect highlights your messaging on the ribbon ends and lets your guests quickly remember where they got the present.

Each favor printed ribbon section will vary depending on what it is tied to. On average, if you use 18 inches per ribbon you will get about 200 strips total. This includes two tails with six inches of imprint and the six inch blank space between them. While these measurements will not fit every project, you can use the approximations for many things.

organza and satin ribbon rolls tied around a candle holder for a wedding

For example, if you tie the ribbons around votive candles, you need approximately 28 inches per candle. Setting up this ribbon length should include the minimum of the blank six inches between text, up to six inches of imprinting and a small, two inch bow. This will yield about 128 candle holders.

So, when you think about it, 100 yards of ribbon is easily used for any event!

While both ribbon types can be used for party decorations, favor printing gives the finished product a cleaner look. When tying a continuous print ribbon around something, your text will show all the way around and go into the knot and bow. Favor printing gives the look of a neat, clean bow. You can trim the ribbon with the text only showing at the ends. Even if the object you are tying the ribbon around is bigger, you can manipulate it to display the text exactly where you need it.

Note that all numbers above are approximations based on minimum printing requirements for each ribbon type.