Custom lanyards: how to choose and brand them
Short answer
For most custom lanyards, a 15 mm or 20 mm polyester strap with a safety breakaway is the right choice. Dye sublimation prints full-colour designs edge to edge; screen printing gives exact brand colours for a simple logo; woven lanyards have the logo built into the fabric. Choose the clip and badge holder for how the pass is used.
Which custom lanyards to choose.
A lanyard is worn for hours and seen by everyone a person meets at an event. Choose for comfort and safety first, then the design.
- Width
- 15 mm and 20 mm are common widths. 15 mm suits everyday office and staff passes; 20 mm gives more room for a logo and reads better across a conference hall. Narrower and wider straps exist, but they limit the logo or the comfort.
- Safety breakaway
- A breakaway clip at the back of the neck releases if the lanyard is caught or pulled, then clips back together. Some workplaces set a policy: one UK supplier offers triple-breakaway lanyards for NHS trusts that require them.
- Material
- Polyester is the usual pick: smooth, strong and the right surface for sublimation. Recycled polyester (rPET) lanyards are made from recycled plastic bottles. Woven polyester has a textured, fabric feel.
- Fitting
- A metal lobster or trigger clip is secure for ID cards; a plastic J-hook is lighter; a badge reel lets people tap a pass without taking it off. Match the fitting to the card or badge holder you’ll use.
- Badge holder
- A rigid holder protects a printed pass at a multi-day event. A soft wallet holds tickets and business cards. Check the holder fits your card size before you order.
How to brand lanyards: the best decoration methods.
Where the logo goes.
Most lanyards repeat the logo or wordmark along the whole strap, so it shows on both sides of the neck whichever way the lanyard twists. Leave the area near the clip and breakaway clear.
Artwork tips for lanyards.
- Send vector artwork. Screen printing and sublimation both work best from an AI, EPS, PDF or SVG file, and a logo that repeats along the strap needs clean edges to line up.
- Design for a long, thin strip. A horizontal wordmark or a compact icon repeats well. A stacked logo shrinks to nothing on a 15 mm strap.
- Use contrast. A lanyard is read from a metre or more away. Strong contrast between the strap and the logo matters more than detail.
- Choose the method for your colours. If your brand colour has to match exactly, screen print. If the design has many colours or a gradient, sublimate. We confirm the specification for every order.
Making it last.
Sublimated and woven designs are part of the strap rather than a layer on top. A screen print is a raised layer of ink, so it can wear where the strap rubs.
Check the breakaway and clip are sturdy enough for daily use if the lanyards are for staff passes rather than a one-day event.
Worth knowing
Dye-sublimated lanyards are printed with a four-colour CMYK process, so they suit multi-colour designs, while screen printing is the route to an exact Pantone match.
Source: The Card Network, “Screen print or dye sub lanyards: what’s the difference?”, accessed 6 October 2026. Source 1
Event lanyards and staff lanyards.
Conferences and events
A 20 mm sublimated lanyard in your brand colours, with a rigid badge holder, makes every attendee part of the stand.
Event swagStaff passes and new starters
A 15 mm lanyard with a breakaway and a metal clip is built for every day. It belongs in a new starter’s first-day kit alongside their pass.
Welcome packs
Brief your lanyards order.
Settle these, then bring the list to a call. We’ll confirm the specification with you.
Before you order lanyards
Managed
Have us run it.
Custom lanyards aren’t on Go Swag Select yet. We source them for managed orders, choose the right method with you and deliver them with the rest of your programme.
Start your projectQuestions about custom lanyards.
What width of lanyard is best?
15 mm is a common width for staff and office passes: comfortable all day and wide enough for a wordmark. 20 mm suits conferences and events, where a bigger logo is worth the extra width and the strap is worn for a day or two. Pick the width for the logo you need to show.
What is a sublimated lanyard?
A lanyard printed by dye sublimation: the design is printed digitally in four colours and bonded into the polyester with heat, so it becomes part of the fabric. It can carry full colour, gradients and patterns from edge to edge.
Do lanyards need a safety breakaway?
For anything worn around the neck at work, a breakaway is sensible: it releases if the lanyard is caught or pulled sharply, then reconnects. Some organisations set their own policy, such as the triple-breakaway lanyards some NHS trusts require, so check before you order staff lanyards.
How long does an order of custom lanyards take?
A typical managed order takes 3–4 weeks from brief to delivery, and samples usually take 1–2 weeks. Timings vary by order. If you need the lanyards for a fixed date, such as an event, tell us at the brief.
Sources
2 sources
- 01Screen print or dye sub lanyards: what’s the difference? (opens in a new tab) · The Card Network, accessed 6 October 2026.Back to reference 1
- 0215mm NHS staff lanyard with double breakaway (opens in a new tab) · The Lanyard Shop, accessed 6 October 2026.Back to reference 2
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Or call 0800 118 4047 or email hello@goswag.com.