Lanyards are basically a cord of some type worn around the neck to hold certain things such as an ID card, keys, a whistle or other small items that need to be kept readily available and visible without having to hold them in your hands. Optional hardware that goes with the corded part includes O-rings or swivel snap hooks that attach the item to the lanyard and a breakaway connector for safety that will open the lanyard before it pulls on the neck. Some even have a small retractable reel that can be used in conjunction with an ID card.
Lanyards can be made from round cord or flat strap cord made from cotton, nylon or polyester. The flat cord is the most popular because the surface can be printed with a variety of colours, patterns and logos for promotional purposes. There are three main ways that such printing is done:
Hot stamping This method uses only one colour but is considered to be the most economical. A metal plate is prepared to a specific design, colour is placed on the lanyard and the hot metal plate is then stamped over it. The heat transfers the colour to the lanyard permanently.
Screen printing is rather more durable than hot stamping and the result is one of high resolution. The cost is still reasonable, though higher than hot stamping.
Dye sublimation is the third way of transferring patterns or logos to lanyards. Multiple colours can be used in this process and the design is less likely to be affected by abrasion as the colours are enmeshed into the fabric.
The latter option is the most expensive method of adding a design or logo to a lanyard, but in cases where the lanyards will have a lot of wear and it is important that the name remains highly visible it could prove the cheaper option as it will reduce the need for replacements. Besides, a quality lanyard says something about the corporation or organisation it represents.