Buttons

Bumper Stickers

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RIVER CITY BUTTONS

• Can I design my own buttons?
• What kind of designs is it possible to have on a button?
• I can have anything I want on my button? Really? Anything?
• What shapes and sizes are the buttons?
• What shapes and sizes are the decals, stickers, and bumper stickers?
• How much do your buttons cost?
• How do your prices compare with other button-makers?
• Can I pay with a credit card?
• Is there a minimum order? Or can I order just a few buttons?
• Is it more expensive to get a small order?
• If I have my own design, can I print up my own artwork? Or do I just give you the design and have you print it?
• Can I put my photo on a button? Or my spouse's photo? Or my kids'? Or anybody's photo?
• How do I get my buttons? Do you mail them to me, or what?
• Do you have buttons that are already designed? Or are they all made-to-order?
• Who works at River City Buttons?
• What's the most fun button you've ever made?

QUESTION: CAN I DESIGN MY OWN BUTTONS?

ANSWER: Sure! You can send me your finished design, or if you just have an idea for a design you can tell me about it and I'll come up with a design, or you can sketch out an idea and we'll go from there.

Any way you want to do it should work. If you have a real complicated idea that takes me a long time to work out, there may be some modest design charges. That doesn't happen too often.

Give me a call and we can talk about it. Or, you can click HERE and see all the ways we can make your idea come to life. <top of page>

QUESTION: WHAT KIND OF DESIGN IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE ON A BUTTON?

ANSWER: I have the equipment to do just about anything.

Complex designs, any possible color, shadow images, layered designs, text, graphics. Even photos can be put on a button! Basically, whatever you think of can be done. <top of page>

QUESTION: REALLY? ANYTHING?

ANSWER: Well, remember that buttons are kind of small, so the design has to take that into account. For instance, on a three-inch button (the largest I make), we can print the words big enough that people can read them from some distance, but there won't be room for much else. Also, if you want a flowery, or elaborate text font, it won't be as readable as a simple, bold font. So we'll take those kinds of things into account. But, within those aesthetic considerations, yes, basically anything is possible. <top of page>

QUESTION: WHAT SHAPES AND SIZES ARE THE BUTTONS?

ANSWER: All the buttons I make are round. The smallest buttons I make are one-and-a-quarter inches (1¼") in diameter, and the largest are three inches (3") in diameter. The most common size in buttons is the two-and-a-quarter inch (2¼") size. I also make one-and-three-quarter inch (1¾") buttons.
No one has ever asked for them, but two-and-a-half inch (2½") buttons are also possible. These little half-inch or one-inch differences may not seem like much, but when you see the buttons, you'll see that a half-inch size difference is a lot! <top of page>

QUESTION: WHAT SHAPES AND SIZES ARE THE DECALS, STICKERS, AND BUMPER STICKERS?

ANSWER: There is so much variety here that it is hard to describe it all.  For non-button items I contract with a union shop that can make all shapes and sizes of decals and stickers.  From 1" circles up to 2' by 4' lawn signs, in shapes from round to square to oval to rectangle to custom shapes.  Plastic cards, notecards, bookmarks.  Whatever you can think of, we can probably do. Give Jeff a call, or e-mail him, about your product needs (612-703-6157, jeff@rivercitybuttons.com).

QUESTION: HOW MUCH DO YOUR BUTTONS COST?

ANSWER: Click HERE to find out. <top of page>

QUESTION: HOW DO YOUR PRICES COMPARE WITH OTHER BUTTON-MAKERS?

ANSWER: Let's put it this way: I don't think you'll find this quality of button cheaper anywhere. When you factor in the personal, friendly service, and the fact that these buttons are union-made, you really won't find a better value. If you think you have found such buttons, let's talk about it. I may be able to match the prices you see, but it might be that they aren't really cheaper once we factor in the hidden charges that you might not have noticed. <top of page>

QUESTION: CAN I PAY WITH A CREDIT CARD?

ANSWER: River City Buttons accepts Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
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QUESTION: IS THERE A MINIMUM ORDER? OR CAN I ORDER JUST A FEW BUTTONS?

ANSWER: There is no minimum order whatsoever. You can get just a single button, custom-made to your specifications. Or ten, or twenty, or however many you need. Also, once a button is made, I keep the design on hand, so you can call me up and we can make more on a moment's notice.
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QUESTION: IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE TO GET A SMALL ORDER?

ANSWER: Yes. There are actually two different kinds of small orders, with two different prices. One kind is the kind where each button is different, which I call "Unique" orders. For example, if you just want one button with your photo on it, that will cost $7.50. If you want five buttons, each one with a different, unique photo on it, that will be $3.00 each, for a total of $15.00. Twenty five of this type of Unique button will be $2.00 each, or $50.00 total.

The second kind of small order is where each button is identical. These are the same price as the others, up to a total of 10 buttons. But then they get a lot cheaper, per button. For example, 25 of this kind of button will just cost you $1.00 each. Click HERE for details. <top of page>

QUESTION: IF I HAVE MY OWN DESIGN, CAN I PRINT UP MY OWN ARTWORK? OR DO I JUST GIVE YOU THE DESIGN AND HAVE YOU PRINT IT?

ANSWER: Since it won’t save you any money, and since it’s more complicated than you may think, the best thing would be for me to print the artwork.  If you really have your heart set on printing your own, it’s not totally out of the question, but we’ll have to talk about it first.
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QUESTION: CAN I PUT MY PHOTO ON A BUTTON? OR MY SPOUSE'S PHOTO? OR MY KIDS'? OR ANYBODY'S PHOTO?

ANSWER: Sure! I make photo buttons all the time. You can just give me the photo you have in mind, and I'll take it from there. If the photo is on paper, make sure that the part you want will fit on the button. For example, if it's a photo of a group, it may extend out beyond the size of the button itself, and some people will be cut off. If you give me a photo in an electronic format, on the other hand, I can size it as you like. What you have to think about here is whether or not it will look good if I have to shrink it to fit. Just talk to me about it, and I should be able to tell you if it will look good or not. <top of page>

QUESTION: HOW DO I GET MY BUTTONS? DO YOU MAIL THEM TO ME, OR WHAT?

ANSWER: In most cases I will ship them to you via UPS Ground, and I will add the shipping charges to your invoice.  Most UPS orders will arrive within 3-4 days of shipping, sometimes faster.  If you want next-day, or two-day delivery, there will be an additional charge, depending on the weight of the order. <top of page>

QUESTION: DO YOU HAVE BUTTONS THAT ARE ALREADY DESIGNED? OR ARE THEY ALL MADE-TO-ORDER?

ANSWER: The entire collection of designs from the Northland Poster Collective catalog are available from River City Buttons. Click HERE to see the catalog. <top of page>

QUESTION: WHO WORKS AT RIVER CITY BUTTONS?

ANSWER: I do. Jeff Nygaard. It's (almost) a one-person shop. Local. Independent. Friendly. Personal. Creative. Union.  The reason I can guarantee excellent quality on every order is that I personally approve each and every order, and most of the work I do myself.  If there’s something tricky or difficult to execute, I contract with Kees Graphics.  I work very closely with Richard at Kees Graphics, and he does much of the special design work as well as pre-press and technical work that needs to be done.

It’s because Richard is such a wizard that I can say that no design job is too tough or too complex for us to take on.  In addition to your special design projects for buttons and other products,

Richard would be happy to take on other graphic and design projects, such as brochures, catalogs, print advertising, and so forth.  Richard can be contacted directly at keesgraphics@q.com. <top of page>

QUESTION: WHAT'S THE MOST FUN BUTTON YOU'VE EVER MADE?

ANSWER: There is a lot of competition for this honor, because so many of the buttons I make are fun. I think birthday buttons are my favorites. I made some "Happy Birthday Grandma" buttons last year that were fun. A friend turned 60 recently, and I made 60 different buttons, each with her initial in a different font, one for each year of her life. I get a kick out of the photo buttons I make for high school kids. Sometimes they are hockey players, sometimes high-school band members, or who-knows-what. They really like them, and I do, too! <top of page>