Your Best Lanyards Manufacturer & Supplier in China

Lanyards Manufacturers In China – A Complete Guide

Introduction

In this guide, we are going to give you everything you need to know about wholesale custom lanyard production and distribution within China.

We will look at the main centers of production, the materials, the design, the trade fairs where you can meet the lanyard suppliers, the types of Lanyards made and their purpose.

types of lanyards

Lanyards serve several functions across all forms of industry from advertising and souvenirs to business functions such as ID holders.

China is one of the leading nations when it comes to lanyard manufacturers who produce wholesale custom lanyards.

It’s important you know as much about the industry as possible before making a purchase and this guide will help you.

Lanyards Manufacturers Clusters

While there are Lanyard manufacturers in other areas a large cross section can be found in a select few areas.

Lanyards Manufacturers Clusters

South East China is home to most of the lanyard manufacturers and lanyard suppliers. Most of the lanyard factories can be found in the cities below:

DongGuan, GuangDong

GuangZhou, GuangDong

ZhongShan, GuangDong

WenZhou, ZheJiang

XiaMen, FuJian

It’s in these areas that you’ll find the most skilled and best lanyard manufacturers.

Each factory will have production specialties. They will also work with some materials better than others. So this is where you will have to do a lot of research to find out who will be best for you.

Material Specification

When making wholesale custom lanyards you can choose from a variety of materials, colours, and widths.

The materials you choose should reflect what you intend to use them for.

If you’re in a factory workplace then you want to go for the most durable material possible. Whereas if you are in an office workplace or giving them away at events then your first thought will be comfort.

You also have different options when it comes to printing on your custom lanyards. The detail of your design and how many colours you want will decide what type of print is best for you.

Below are some of the materials that can be chosen and some of the most popular printing methods for wholesale custom lanyards.

Nylon & Polyester

These two fabrics have been grouped together in this article as they hold many of the same attributes.

They are both lightweight and strong man-made fabrics that share many of the same things. These include easy care, wrinkle resistance, stretch resistance and shrink resistance.

Nylon is softer to the touch than polyester but also stronger on a weight for weight basis. It’s highly elastic and water resistant.

However, polyester is faster drying, easier to dye and scuff resistant. It can be woven with a higher thread count to make it as strong as nylon.

While there are differences between the two they both make for very good choices when it comes to wholesale custom lanyards.

Neither one is a better fabric than the other it all depends on your needs as a buyer.

Each fabric lends itself better to certain uses; this is why it’s important that you talk with your lanyard manufacturer about your personal needs.

Cotton

Cotton is a naturally grown fabric that is breathable and soft to the touch. It will give a more deluxe feel to your wholesale custom lanyards.

It’s a strong material that has lasting power. It’s biodegradable which makes it very eco-friendly.

This fabric could be used more for event purposes where you were giving the lanyards out to potential clients. It would leave future clients with a good view of your business.

The cost per wholesale custom cotton lanyard would be a little higher than nylon or polyester but this could be brought down by using a simpler design in the printing.

The change in cost is marginal and any good lanyard manufacturer will find a way to make the choice work within your budget.

Product Design, Customisation, and Tech Pack

After you’ve chosen to work with a lanyard manufacturer the next stage is for the lanyard supplier and you the client to create a design for your wholesale custom lanyards.

At the start, you will brief the lanyard manufacturer on what you need the lanyards for, what type of design you want and how much you’d like to pay.

As we talked about earlier different materials suit different purposes.

In the same way, now that we are in the design phase, you need to think about how different colour schemes and prints will suit you best.

Will you go for Screen printed, Dye Sublimation or woven wholesale custom lanyards? This will be decided on how many colours you’d like or how much detail is in your design.

What type of fastening will you need on your lanyards? Are they for ID cards, keys or perhaps mobile phones?

In this section, we will give you an overview of the design process and the options open to you.

Lanyards Product Design

Lanyards Design

As we talked about in the intro of this segment the first phase of design is understanding your needs.

The lanyard manufacturer will talk to you in depth about what you want the lanyards for and how you see them being used.

The lanyard manufacturer will also discuss the budget and schedule. This is because different materials have different costs and printing processes take different amounts of time.

Customisation

The lanyard manufacturer will then talk about what you want on your lanyard. Is it just your logo or text? Or is it a design with a more complicated approach.

Based on your answers the designer will come up with a mock-up of your design.

You will review the mock-up of your design and see if the colour, style of print and materials are what you imagined.

If the mock-up design meets what you need then the lanyard manufacturer can go ahead and create a tech pack for your design. If not then the designer will work with you until the design fits your needs.

Tech Pack

The tech pack includes a full specification for your design that the factory uses to complete your order and finalize the price.

A lanyard manufacturer can only give a basic quote at the start based on what you think you want.

After the materials, design, colour scheme and fastenings are agreed on then the lanyard manufacturer can confirm your quote.

Once you have given the okay to the quote then production can get into full swing.

Below are some of the popular printing styles you should think about when choosing your lanyard. Also listed are some of the fastenings that are available.

Screen Printing

Screen printing first appeared in China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). It was then changed by other countries like Japan before eventually making it to the west.

ultraviolet light to the screen pattern

Screen printing involves making a print of your logo on a mesh screen and forcing the ink through the mesh onto the lanyard fabric.

For today’s Lanyard screen printing we firstly fix uncut Lanyards side by side to our screen printing table until we have made a canvas that is just under the width of the printing mesh.

We then place our mesh, which has a print of your design on it, over the top of the lanyards.

Then, using very high-quality paint and a rubber squeegee, we scrape paint along the screen which paints your design onto the lanyards.

screen printed finished

After we have transferred the paint onto the Lanyards we place them into a heat press below a silicone sheet so that the ink sets firmly.

Most of the time you will only print one side of the lanyard with this process but it is possible to print both sides. You just have to make sure you set the ink with the heat press before starting the other side.

This is a low-cost way to print a single or two colour design.

Dye Sublimation

Dye Sublimation is the most up to date technology when it comes to printing Lanyards.

This process will produce a printed image that is very smooth to the touch. It works like this because the dye bleeds into the material rather than sitting on top.

printing paper

This printing process creates edge to edge prints across your lanyards.

Dye Sublimation uses the full Pantone colour range. This means that your design can be as complex as you wish without any loss of detail.

The process starts with a designer adapting your design to the lanyard’s sizes.

The next step involves printing your design onto heat resistant transfer paper as a reverse image of your final design.

transfer onto the material

The image is then transferred onto your material in a heat press at temperatures of around 220 degrees Celsius.

The end result is a vivid print that won’t crack or fade over time.

Dye Sublimation provides almost a photo like quality to your lanyards.

Woven Lanyards

Woven Lanyards

The Woven Lanyard technique involves weaving your design or text onto the Lanyards, in a similar method to embroidery.

This result in a textured more natural feel.

Simple designs are best to prevent the distortion of the design.

It gives a very professional and classic look if done well.

We start by putting the design into the machine.

The machine is adjusted to suit your design.

After this, the lanyards are fed through the machine and your design is stitched onto them.

The end product is a very strong high-class Lanyard that will feel soft to touch but will last a long time.

Fastenings, Adjusters, and Breakaways

Wholesale custom lanyards come with both metal and plastic options. You can also in some cases have different colour finishes.

Metal attachments

There are different fasteners depending on what you intend the lanyard to hold. You have dual clips, hook end or even detachable and retractable options.

Plastic attachments

What you use as a fastener will depend on what you want your fastener to hold.

This is also important as you also don’t want your lanyard fastener to be too heavy or too weak because you chose wrongly.

A safety aspect needs to be considered for your lanyards if they might be used with children, around heavy equipment or in medical centers.

If this is the case you should think about adding quick release or breakaways to your lanyards. You should also consider adjustable straps so that the wholesale custom lanyard can be adjusted to suit the needs of the wearer.

These extra options come at a cheap cost. But they add much more value to the end product.

Consumer Goods Regulations and Standards

When you purchase any textile product from another country you have to consider whether the product meets the standards of your country or area.

Here are some of the laws that need to be thought about in the US and Europe.

Europe – In Europe, there is a law called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and restriction of Chemicals) which restricts the use of chemicals and heavy metals in all products, including textile goods.

Third party testing is not required by law, but non-compliance results in fines and a forced recall.

US, California – In California Proposition 65 restricts more than 800 substances in products, including textiles. Compliance is vital for all companies with more than 10 employees, selling in, or to buyers in, California.

US as a whole – In the US a law called FHSA (Federal Hazardous Substances Act) restricts many substances, some of which are found in textiles goods.
We have shown the laws in Europe and the US as these areas tend to be the strictest.

Most of the time lanyard manufacturers and/or lanyard suppliers will meet all the laws in every area.

Even so, it is worth checking with the lanyard manufacturer and/or lanyard supplier to make sure that their lanyards meet the laws in the place where you are.

Lanyard Trade Shows in China

If you are going to be a regular customer or you are ordering a large number of lanyards then you might want to visit a trade show.

These events are good because you can meet many lanyard suppliers in one place and compare their products.

You can talk to the lanyards manufacturers and lanyard suppliers about your needs and get a lot of answers on the day.

It is often easier to get clear answers when you meet face to face.

Some of the biggest and best trade shows to attend are listed below:

Shenzhen International Gift Fair

• Location: ShenZhen
• Time: Oct 20 – 23

Beijing International Gifts & Housewares Exhibition

• Location: BeiJing
• Time: Aug 16 -18

Ningbo International Consumer Goods Fair

• Location: NingBo
• Time: Jun 7 – 10

HKTDC International Gifts and Premiums Fair

• Location: Hong Kong
• Time: Apr 27 – 30

Taiwan International Gift Show

• Location: Taiwan
• Time: Apr 19 – 22

China Import and Export Fair

• Location: GuangZhou
• Time: Oct 23 – 27

China Shanghai Gift Fair

• Location: ShangHai
• Time: Dec 17 – 19

Use Cases for Lanyards

It may surprise you to see the number of uses wholesale custom lanyards have. As we explain some of the most popular uses you will begin to see why they are such a versatile product.

promotional lanyards

Promotional Lanyards – A popular use that springs to mind are as a promotional tool for your business. Custom made lanyards are a good and bold way to show off your logo or institution.

Given away as souvenirs the lanyard user will be promoting your business and brand for as long as he/she uses the lanyard.

lanyards for keys

Lanyrds for Keys – One of the main use cases for lanyard users is as a tool to hold their keys. Lanyards offer a secure method that ensures your precious keys don’t fall out of your pocket.

Lanyards for Sale – Lanyards don’t just have to be handed out for free. They are great items to stock in your gift shop as souvenirs from a certain place. They could also be sold to raise money for charity with the charity logo on them.

You could design a variety of original patterns and sell them. You could also sell them as novelty items with funny phrases on them. There is a big market for customers who want to buy lanyards.

Lanyards for Women/Men – You can have gender-specific lanyards. You might come up with different slogans that each gender specifically.

This could even be used for husbands and wives or mothers and fathers.

lanyards for teacher

Lanyards for Teachers – Teachers need lanyards for many things such as classroom keys or ID badges or both. Lanyards make holding these items a lot easier and by using a lanyard they can separate them from their personal items.

Lanyards for Cruises – When you go on a cruise your room key-card is also used to purchase food and drinks on the boat. Seeing as you have to carry these cards everywhere you go and they are needed for everything you do on the boat you don’t want to lose them.

This is where lanyards become very useful. You can use a lanyard with a cardholder to make sure you don’t lose your room key-card. It also means you don’t have to take your wallet everywhere as your key-card is used as cash on the boat.

lanyards for phone

Lanyards for Phones – If your phone has a strap hole on it then you can attach a lanyard to it which stops you from losing it or dropping it.

If your phone doesn’t have a strap hole then some phone cases do which will make it extra safe as you have the protection of both the case and lanyard.

Lanyards for Glasses – Glasses are delicate and the last thing you want to do is drop them as they will likely break. This is where lanyards come in.

You can make attachments at the end of the lanyard that will attach to the arms of the glasses. This ensures that your glasses will remain securely around your neck.

lanyards for badges

Lanyards for Badges – When you carry an ID badge for work you don’t want to always get it out of your pocket. Also, it may not clip on properly to your jacket or shirt and therefore might fall off.

A lanyard is a perfect solution for carrying your ID badge as it will sit around your neck comfortably always visible to whoever needs to see it.