To use the button machine, it works best to work off of a template. American Button Machines (our supplier) provides this handy Button Template Guide that you can use to determine the size of your photos. It’s important to note that the outer rim of the template wraps around the button, so you want to make sure your image stays within the smaller, dotted picture line, and that anything which extends out beyond that to the cut line will be wrapped around. Reminder when using the template that our buttons are either 1.25″ or 2.25″.
We’ve also created a handy Canva template that you can use with a free Canva account. We’ve created both bordered and non-bordered templates that you can slide your images directly into! You can change the color of the border easily in Canva to match your design.
How to use the Canva template
Step 1: Download the pdf of the Canva Template
Step 2: Open Canva.com (if you don’t have an account, you can sign up for free) and create a flyer
Step 3: Upload the PDF you downloaded into the flyer using the upload button on the left. Once uploaded, click on the file that was uploaded to open it in the left panel.
Step 4: Choose the page or pages you want to use by clicking on the one you want, or by applying all 4 pages
Step 5: Upload your image to Canva in the same way you uploaded the PDF. Then drag and drop your image into the circles with the landscape image. This will automatically put the image in the correct sized circle.
Step 6: Once it is in the circle, you can double click the image to reposition it within the frame if needed, right click to detach the image if you no longer want that image in there, and click on the border to change its color.
Printing the Template
Step 1: Download the template (Share > Download > File type: PDF). Be sure to select only the pages you want!
Step 2: Plug the printer into your computer directly (we don’t have a wifi connection available for the unit, please ask for an adapter if you need one). Open the PDF and hit print.
Step 3: Make sure the printer destination is set to EPSON ET-2720 Series, and the scale is set to Custom -> 100
Step 4: Double check! If you’re printing more than one page, make sure the option for two-sided printing is not selected. Then hit print!
We can also help you with formatting during Open Lab hours in the Makerspace. Once printed, don’t use scissors to cut out each circle by hand! We have punch cutters for that. For detailed instructions on how to make the buttons, check out our button making tutorial page!