Pinback Buttons vs Enamel Pins: Cost, Turnaround and Minimums Compared

When people search for custom pins in Canada, they find two very different products. Enamel pins are small die-struck metal badges, filled with coloured enamel, almost always manufactured overseas. Pin-back buttons (also called button pins or pinback badges) are printed designs pressed behind a mylar-topped steel shell with a pin on the back, and they can be made domestically in days. Both clip to a jacket, lanyard, or backpack. The right choice comes down to budget, timeline, quantity, and what the pin is for.

The comparison at a glance

Pin-back buttons

• Price at 100 pieces: $0.75 to $1.10 each
• Minimum order: none
• Turnaround: 2 to 3 business days, made in Toronto
• Artwork: full-colour print, photos, gradients, fine text
• Design changes: free digital proof, easy revisions
• Best for: campaigns, events, bands, fundraisers, giveaways

Enamel pins

• Price at 100 pieces: $3.50 to $6.00 each
• Minimum order: usually 50 to 100 pieces
• Turnaround: 3 to 5 weeks (overseas production plus shipping)
• Artwork: solid colours separated by metal lines; no gradients or photos
• Design changes: new mould fee for any revision
• Best for: retail merchandise, staff recognition, collector items

When pin-back buttons are the right call

You have a deadline. Enamel pins are moulded overseas and travel by freight; five weeks is normal and rush fees are steep. Buttons are pressed in our Toronto shop in 2 to 3 business days. If your event is this month, buttons are the only realistic option made in Canada.

You are buying for a crowd, not a collection. Handing something to every attendee, canvasser, student, or supporter changes the math. At 500 pieces a 2.25″ button is $0.60 each versus roughly $3 to $4 per enamel pin; the same budget covers six times as many people.

Your design has colour depth. Photographs, gradients, tiny text, and full-colour illustration reproduce exactly on a printed button. Enamel physically cannot do gradients — every colour must be separated by a metal line.

You want no minimum. We press single buttons. Enamel moulds make one-offs impractical: the mould costs the same whether you make 1 or 1,000.

When enamel pins are worth it

Honesty matters: if you are selling a premium collectible at retail, building a pin-trading community, or making staff service awards, the metal feel of enamel is the point, and a 3 to 5 week wait is acceptable. In that case a dedicated enamel manufacturer is the right supplier — we make pin-back buttons, and we would rather point you the right way than sell you the wrong product.

The hybrid play most merch tables use

Many bands, artists and brands run both: enamel pins as the $10 to $15 premium retail item, and buttons as the affordable multi-buy at $2 to $3 or the free handout that spreads the logo. Buttons fund the table; enamel anchors it. If you are testing a design, press it as a button first for a few dollars before committing to a $100+ enamel mould.

Ordering pin-back buttons in Canada

Upload your artwork to our button calculator, pick from nine sizes (1″ to 4″ round, plus square and rectangle), and get a free digital proof. Volume pricing applies automatically, and for bulk runs see our wholesale buttons pricing. Every button is pressed at our Toronto facility and ships across Canada.