The common sizes
| Size | In millimetres | Format | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 3 in (landscape) | 102 × 76 mm | Insert for a clear holder, 6 a letter sheet | Conferences, workshops, anything all day |
| 3 × 4 in (portrait) | 76 × 102 mm | Insert for a vertical holder | Badges with a logo and a role, lanyard events |
| 3⅜ × 2⅓ in | 86 × 59 mm | Adhesive label, 8 a letter sheet | Meetups, evening events, a few hours |
| 4 × 3 in thermal | 102 × 76 mm | One label at a time from a label printer | Printing at the door as people arrive |
| 4 × 6 in thermal | 102 × 152 mm | One large label at a time | Badges with a schedule or a big QR code |
4 by 3 inches is the safe default. It fits the most common holders, leaves room for a large first name, a company and a QR code, and the stock is widely sold.
Avery 5392 vs 5395
These are the two Avery numbers people ask about most, and they're quite different products.
| Avery 5392 | Avery 5395 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Printable inserts for badge holders | Adhesive name badges (stickers) |
| Badge size | 3 × 4 in | 2⅓ × 3⅜ in |
| Per sheet | 6, on 8½ × 11 in sheets | 8, on letter sheets |
| Pack | 300 inserts | 400 badges |
| Needs | Holders, sold separately | Nothing: peel and stick |
| Best for | All-day events, reusable holders | Short events, quick setup |
Avery 5392 is a box of 300 printable 3 by 4 inch inserts, six to an 8½ by 11 inch sheet, for clear badge holders you buy separately. Avery 5395 is 400 removable, self-adhesive badges of 2⅓ by 3⅜ inches, eight to a sheet. If you want holders and cords in the same box, Avery's 74459 hanging badge kit has 100 clear holders with neck cords and printable 3 by 4 inch inserts, six to a sheet.
Avery lists the 5392 size as 3 by 4 inches. Printed landscape, it's the 4 by 3 badge most conferences use; turned the other way it's a portrait badge, so check which way your holders open before you design.
Templates line up only if the printer prints at 100%. Turn off "fit to page" or "scale" in the print dialog, and print one sheet on plain paper first. Hold it against a label sheet to the light to check the alignment.
Inserts or stickers?
- Inserts in holders last all day, don't fall off, don't damage clothes and can hang at chest height on a lanyard, where people can read them. They cost more, and holders are an extra thing to order.
- Stickers are cheap and fast: no holders, no lanyards. They can peel off by the afternoon and some fabrics don't take them well. Good for an evening meetup or a workshop of a few hours.
- Thermal labels print one at a time as people arrive, so you only print for people who came and nobody has to sort a table of badges. You need a label printer and a laptop or phone at the door.
What to print on a badge
People read badges from across a room and in a glance, so hierarchy matters more than design.
- The first name, as large as it fits. It's what people use to start a conversation.
- The full name, smaller.
- The company or organisation.
- One more line, if it helps people talk: a role, a ticket type, "Ask me about…". Not three.
- A QR code, if you check people in by scanning, so the badge is the ticket.
- The event's logo or colour, small, at the top. People already know which event they're at.
Print on both sides if your holders can flip, or use a hanging holder that clips at two points, so badges don't turn round. Keep a pen and some blank badges at the desk for walk-ins and corrections.
Pre-print or print at the door?
Pre-printing a sheet per person works when nearly everyone you register turns up. For free events, many don't, so a table of pre-printed badges ends up half full of people who never came, and someone has to search it while a queue builds. Printing at the door means each badge is printed when the person is checked in, for people who actually came. A middle path: pre-print for speakers, staff and sponsors, and print everyone else at the door.
For more on running the desk, see event check-in.
Doing this in Programmable Talk
The Check-in tab makes a PDF of badges for everyone registered, or prints one badge as each person is checked in. Sheets come in Avery 5392 and 74459 inserts (4 by 3 inches, six a sheet), Avery 5395 stickers (eight a sheet), plain 4 by 3 and tall 3 by 4 sheets, and single 4 by 3 or 4 by 6 inch labels for a thermal printer. Each badge has the first name large, the last name, the company, an optional line from one of your sign-up questions such as a role, and the person's ticket QR code, so the badge itself scans at the door, in your event's colours with your logo. See name badges and check-in, or start from the name badge template.