Choose your ExpoBadge based on what the badge has to withstand and how you issue it. For a one-day event with self-service, T180 is often a logical starting point: you fold it without glue or backing paper. Want to print full-bleed? Then you'll end up with 260 or 260T. Does the event last several days, will there be a lot of movement, or do you expect moisture? Then we recommend the tear-resistant 260T, including for self-service.
After that, you choose how much space you need and whether you want extra features, such as tear-off vouchers. Below, we walk you through the choices. Looking for an overview of printer, software and check-in process first? Then read what you need to print visitor badges in colour yourself.
Start with the conditions of your event
A badge has to work well at check-in and throughout the event. That's why we start with three questions: does the event last longer than one day, do visitors move around a lot, and could the badge get damp? In each of these conditions, we recommend ExpoBadge 260T.
260T is the tear-resistant variant of the paper 260. You notice that difference, for example, when a visitor changes clothes at home or in the hotel after the first day. If the lanyard comes under tension, the attachment slots of a T180 badge can tear out. Moisture matters too: paper gets soft when it becomes damp. In those conditions, choose 260T.
The standard 260 remains a deliberate choice for customers who value a lower price and a paper badge. With both 260 and 260T, you remove the backing paper and fold the badge double with the adhesive layer. Choosing 260T is about extra tear resistance; it is not a promise that a badge will remain undamaged under all conditions.
Self-service or issued by your reception team?
With self-service, the visitor folds the badge themselves, often for the first time. ExpoBadge T180 and the smaller T180S are well suited for this: they are glue-free and have no backing paper that has to be removed first. This also means no waste from loose liners at issue. The folded badge may bulge slightly.
When badges are issued by hosts or hostesses or your reception team, 260 and 260T are a good fit. The team removes the liner, folds the badge and hands it over. Place waste bins where the backing paper is removed.
Self-service doesn't decide everything. For a multi-day event with self-service, we recommend 260T. Visitors then have to remove the liner and fold the badge themselves. Factor those steps into the layout of your reception area and provide a service desk where you can quickly print a new badge if something goes wrong.
Full-bleed design or a deliberate white border?
Want colour all the way to the edge of the badge? Then choose 260 or 260T, in the size that fits your design. The Label-in-Label construction, or LiL for short, makes full-bleed printing of the badge possible. With self-service, though, this choice does require attention to removing the backing paper and folding.
For T180, we recommend keeping the white borders from our template. Include them in your design from the start: even with a white border you can make a polished badge, with clear names, colour blocks and a strong look. The absence of glue and backing paper is a concrete advantage for issuing.
Some customers still print T180 full-bleed. We don't recommend it: it falls outside the official specifications, requires very precise adjustment and can bring ink into the printer system, resulting in extra maintenance.
S or large: how much space does your design need?
The sizes below are the folded badge size, width × height. Always use the template for your specific version when designing; the badge size is not the same as the full print size.
S size: 96 × 82 mm. Often suitable for a small gathering with limited information. Think of a design in which mainly the name and organisation take centre stage.
Large size: 96 × 134 mm. Offers more room for information at a trade show: a QR code, personal agenda, event programme or advertisement. Your design also gets more room.
The scale of the event is therefore an indication; what you want to put on the badge is decisive. If you want to include an agenda, the large 260, 260T or T180 are logical options. Then choose the material based on conditions of use and how you issue it.
Check the design on a real print. Does everything fit without names or other important information becoming too small? Only then can you really see whether the chosen size works.
Vouchers, attachment and compact cards
260+: a large badge with separate vouchers
Want to include a coffee voucher, a food or drink voucher, or a voucher for a goodie bag? ExpoBadge 260+ combines the large 260 badge with two tear-off vouchers. The vouchers sit outside the LiL border. After tearing them off, you keep the full large badge size, not the smaller S size.
The perforations make the vouchers easy to tear off and are designed so the version can be fed through the printer. Hand the vouchers to the visitor as separate vouchers. Want to combine vouchers with multi-day use, a lot of movement or moisture? Discuss that combination with us; the 260+ is based on the 260 and is therefore not automatically the tear-resistant 260T.
One or two attachment points for your lanyard
With one attachment point, the badge can rotate. That's why customers often choose the same design on both sides: the information stays the same, whichever side faces forward.
Two attachment points help keep the intended front facing forward. This is useful if you put name, organisation and role on the front and use the back for an agenda or other information for the wearer.
The standard versions of the regular and S badges discussed here b
oth offer both attachment options. EU versions have only one attachment point. So also pay attention to the chosen version when you decide on the design and the lanyard.
A compact card for a small gathering
TC and TCN are compact card versions. TC has one attachment hole. TCN has no holes, is the size of a debit or credit card and can be used as a loose card or in a holder. These versions are chosen less often; they are mainly an option for very small gatherings where little information is needed.
Try the badge the way your visitor will
With our free trial pack, you can compare the badges before making a final choice. Test with your own design and pay attention to:
Print quality and look. How do colours, text and the design come across on the material?
Available space. Does the information fit, and does the design remain easy to read?
The first time folding. Ask someone without experience to fold a badge. Your visitor usually won't have that routine either.
Sturdiness and attachment. Assess the badge with the chosen lanyard and the handling you expect during the event.
Also set up a service desk for reprints. Especially with self-service, you want to help a visitor quickly if folding goes wrong or a badge needs to be replaced.
Personal advice with your design
View the visitor badge range or let us help you think it through. Tell us how you currently issue badges, what you run into, how many days the event lasts and whether you expect a lot of movement or moisture. Also let us know whether visitors fold their own badge or whether your reception team does it.
About the Author
Levi van der Molen
Your trusted partner for high-quality labels and printing solutions. We share insights on label design, material selection, and industry standards to help your business grow.
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