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Swag "Zipper Pull" Items Need Work


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I have about a thousand luggage-style “zipper pulls” of various styles. Many of them have cool themes of “travel”. So I began making a kind of Swag out of them. I thought I was making a “free trackable” sig item, but the “free site” to list them had ceased adding new listings years before. So they're just serialized Swag. Once in a while, someone mentions taking one and that they think it's cool. Usually, these things evaporate as unmentioned as an Official Geocoin.

 

Anyway, I'd like to redesign the tags, the little paper attachments that have the serial number and “Cache Zippers” text. They're laser-printed Rite-in-the-Rain paper, so not particularly subject to falling off due to being slightly wet in a cache container. And they're placed in their individual tiny ziplock bags, with an info sheet (currently in a Renaissance theme). The whole thing fits a match tube with room to spare.

 

My idea with the tags is, people who want just the zipper pull aren't required to see “kunarion's Cache Zippers #[whatever]”, they can easily take that off. And that tag is then tough to attach to anything else, it's done.

 

But suppose people want to keep and collect them by number. Maybe they trade for lower numbers. In that case, these tags' lack of durability isn't such an asset anymore.

 

These tags printed in the hundreds on one sheet of paper, are inexpensive and don't require additional fiddly pieces to attach, but they're a real chore to cut in strips, glue together and trim, in a way that looks even slightly professional. They're tiny, delicate as paper, and a small number (25 or so) is plenty for an evening. A thousand of loose unlabeled ones will definitely last a while. Then I imagine the labels falling off with light handling.

 

With this in mind, is there a better serialization system? I think it needs at least the “kunarion's Cache Zippers” text and a number, but to avoid having to code some kind of machine-based serialization, I can hand-write scribble the number.

Edited by kunarion
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Etch the numbers on them?

Since the thread is on the move :P, I might as well ask: Milk-a-what?!!

 

That is, detail the etching process. I posted a photo in post #1 for reference, with the tiny text shown on the tags. These are luggage zipper pulls, all different materials including plastic and rubber, with no room to "etch" anything (at least the etching will be redesigned item by item), and will be damaged by machinery. Maybe it would be laser etching?

Edited by kunarion
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Get small split rings (you can buy them fairly cheap at jewelry-making sites like firemountain and fusion beads and artbeads and shipwreck beads) and use them to attach another material that you etch the code upon.

That was one plan I abandoned while designing these, since other material that must be etched multiplies the production time and cost. If people remove the "tag" to keep a cool pull (that's likely), the extra cost and work (above what I'm already doing) is a waste. If it creates something especially desirable, it's starting to get expensive. So there will need to be a balance. But, yeah, I have a vague idea along those vague lines. :anicute:

 

My original idea was a sig item along like the "travel fish" which were beads that had numbers glued on them, and an info sheet. I wanted to make mine so that it was possible to easily remove the identifying stuff, if people just wanted the pull. Which they might, as a pendant to whatever. Most of these items have a cool "travel" theme.

 

So maybe a tiny plastic placard glued directly to each item might do, but it will work better on some than others. The only thing these pulls have in common is an attachment loop.

Edited by kunarion
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Hello,

Have you thought about a strip of leather. You can stamp the information on it and the loop it through. I buy old leather jackets from the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores for about $5.00 and cut them up for craft projects. Just a thought!

Carrie

Thanks! That's good! I also thought of ribbon (various materials).

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I entered the swag item name from Post #1 above on Ebay, and the closest thing I saw was size 10 women's cropped pants:

 

Excellent worn once condition. Stylish, light weight comfortable leopard print Capris. Unique zipper on each leg at side bottom hem. Dry clean. FRONT HIDDEN ZIPPER, BUTTON, HOOK CLOSURE.

 

These zippers are either not selling or they're all sold out.

 

Get 'em early folks, *before* the trend catches fire!

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IMHO zipper pulls are cool, but made way more interesting by your signature/numbers.

Thank you! For now I'll continue to use the water resistant paper tags, because as mentioned (more than once :rolleyes:), these are unappealing to some people. Additional time and expense won't change that.

 

These are just a leetle swag item for fun, and if someone collects seahorses or travel words like "Explore", they can use just the zip and not the "number" portion as they wish. I'm planning on a visit to a sign shop to make custom Geocaching labels, and they'll likely have some ideas.

Edited by kunarion
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I did some googling, because I'm curious. Tried micro tagging, cel phone charm lanyards and custom zipper pulls sliders--which are awesome but seems like it's more expensive ($250 for batch). It all depends on how polished you want your swag to be. Do you want to make your label or order from china? Can you order a custom stamp and punch/stamp your own? Size will be an issue. Maybe you'll find a micro, waterproof tag that can be printed on...

http://www.myassettag.com/BC/Laser-Barcode-Labels.aspx

And maybe you can approach a print shop who might be able to print something super sharp, with numbers.

 

Your tag is not bad by the way, and I don't think a hand written number makes it look bad. A new material would help with durability, and if you somehow, pre-cut notches in the middle where it folds, or can find butterfly shaped labels you could have a slightly bigger print space and still fit it through a zipper.

 

It's fun to think about, isn't it?

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The little tags are pretty nice! I like the ones with the hand stamp. I'd probably attach metal tags using jump rings. It's more expensive and more work than the current plan. Might be good as a special edition. :anicute:

 

The chicken tags are huge (I'm thinking I could fold them about in half for size), but seem like the least expensive tag so far. Especially since they're automatically serialized.

 

That 2nd link has a large variety, and it's hard to tell with setup fees and all. But it looks like you can get some pretty decent custom tags for less than a dollar. That's way more expensive than what I'm doing now for little swag items. But it would be great as a custom Trackable (or for Proxies or replacements), depending on what it takes to individually mark them.

 

Great ideas, thanks!

Edited by kunarion
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