A "label" of love

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2004

What kind of name tags does your department use? This question was recently posted from Landisville, Penn., on NRPA's forum, eCommunities. For information on how to join the discussion, become a member by clicking on "Join Now" on the right-hand side of NRPA's Web site, www.nrpa.org. Here are some responses on labeling your staff:

"Try calling PA Correctional Industries, (i.e.. State Prison www.pci.state. pa.us/pci/site/default.asp.) They might be able to make nametags cheaper titan a commercial place. How about getting "blank" plastic nametags and then just adding their name, kind of like what McDonald's or other stores use. --Pottstown, Penn.

"We use a P-Touch label maker machine attached to our computer. Because it's done on the computer, the software allows you to use any font, size, lines, etc. We print out black ink on clear tape. We then tape the name onto our nametags, which are gold and have our logo on them. The tape isn't at all detectable, and the tags look very nice. Staff are required to turn nametags back in each year with all the other uniform items assigned to them. We can then redistribute the following year, or peel off (very easily I might add) and put on a new name." --Pocono Pines, Penn.

"We purchased our punch from a local company called Team Photo ID www.teamphoto.com. We use a hand punch. I believe they also offer a desk style punch."--Kettering, Ohio

"You might want to consider the Photo ID System from Class. We use them as resident ID for our yard waste disposal facility, for a discount on general admission to the pool and also discounted greens fees at the golf course. Some of the Boy Scouts who were going on an overseas trip used theirs as photo IDs for their passports. We use them for township employee ID cards, the fire company uses them as ID and we use them as cards for phone numbers. Fits perfectly in your wallet." --Mechanicsburg, Penn.

"We use Avery Clip Style Name Badges--these are clear plastic badge holders. We use them for a classroom and hospital clinical course that runs three to four Kill days a week for four to five weeks. We recycle and clean them each time. We've probably used the majority of them for at least a dozen courses. Students are required to take care of them for the course (a responsibility "assignment"), but occasionally we toss one. We got ours from Staples--100 badges, holders, etc. They are printer-friendly. Cost was around $50-$60."--Jonestown, N.Y.

"Depending upon your budget you can make them yourself Staples, Office Max, Wal-Mart, etc., carry name badges and name cards can be made on the computer."--Altoona, Penn.

"Our intern came up with using 3.5 floppy disks, and writing names with gold or silver permanent markers. These can either be pinned or hung around the neck on cord. Disks are cheap."--Murrysville, Penn.

"We do use the plastic name badge holders and they seem to do alright. We have been investigating the idea of using a similar machine that our township uses to create our "credit card"-like name badges. These are bard, sturdy plastic with our name digitally imprinted on the card and the holders that they come in are also sturdy and clip to a belt loop. Our staff shirts say "staff" on the front chest under our township's logo and across the back of the shirts we actually put our parks and recreation logo. This way, our staff shirts don't get confused with anyone else's and we get some advertising when the staff members wear the shirts in public."--Fort Washington, Penn.

"We are currently using out" Recreation Software to create passes for all of our staff members. We are using RecTrac! We then punch slots in the passes and add a break away lanyard or clip. It seems to work very well." --Kettering, Ohio

"At Spring Garden Township, our summer staff also wears the shirts, and we do ID badges as well. What I do is take a digital picture of each employee and then we print that on a business card (pick up blank ones at any Office Max/Staples) along with the township name at the top and their name is then printed across the bottom and the department in which they work. These cards are then laminated. At the end of the summer they are returned to us as well. Also, if you have a United Way office close to you, you could check with them about doing name badges as well Here in York, there is one and they employee several challenged employees and make various signs and name badges to learn a trade." --York, Penn.

"Have you tried using Avery labels? They make a name tag that you can run off like you would a return address ... doing it this way will allow you to get a creative and do more with it. Another option, Dick Blick Art company makes a sticker machine. It is really cool, you can create your name tag/ item, and then run it through this machine and it turns it into a sticker ... I think even the reusable kind." --Warminster, Penn.

"Our camp programs with the Peoria Park District does use the plastic, see-through name badges and they seem to hold up. We attach them to lanyards and require them to wear them when on site. Have done this for two years and haven't had to replace one yet, but, since we use the name badge template in Microsoft Word, we save the file and could just reprint each one if need be. You cart buy the name badge print sheets to match the template at most office stores (Office Depot, OfficeMax, etc.). They are cheaper than the hard plastic ones and easy to make." --Peoria, Ill.