What is a Lanyard? What is a Lanyard Used For? If you’ve come here for a Dictionary Definition of a lanyard meaning, you’re in the wrong place! Here’s a link for it just in case you’re interested (or bored).
We will explain what a lanyard is and highlight its key features. You’ll learn about its uses and discover the different types available on our website.
What is a Lanyard Used For?
These securely hold and display your ID or access control card. The strap is typically made from polyester or rPET (recycled plastic), both popular choices for lanyard material. Although you can wear a lanyard in different ways, most people wear it around the neck.
Most lanyards are around 45cm in length when connected. You might find some around 60cm in length.
Wearing a lanyard is a great way of promoting your company or brand. Visitor lanyards and Staff lanyards can also help you identify who should and shouldn’t be in your building!
What Is the Connector on My Lanyard?
Most lanyards have a safety breakaway connection. The primary purpose of this is to ensure the safety of the wearer. If you pull the lanyard quickly or it catches around your neck, the safety breakaway will activate and separate.
The usual number of safety breakaways varies from one to three. If you have purchased your lanyard from us, you will see the lanyard has at least one safety breakaway fitted to it.
Some public sector organizations need at least two or three safety breakaways on their lanyards. We make a majority of our NHS lanyards with at least two safety breakaways.
You won’t find any of our lanyards available without a safety breakaway.
What Are the Different Lanyard Clips?
Your lanyard will probably have a clip at the bottom. You will use this to connect your ID card or access card or ID card holder to your lanyard. The material varies, but it will usually be a metal clip or a plastic clip.
The most common types of clips are:
- Plastic Clips
- Metal Clips
- Badge Reels
They all do the same job, but each has its own pros and cons.
Plastic Clips
These clips are the most cost-effective option when making a lanyard. They can fit into most card holders or slot punches but can be fiddly. They can be slightly more fragile than metal clips, so they could break easily if trodden on, twisted or pulled quickly.
Metal Clips
The most used clip. Some metal clips have a trigger that opens the clip. Others (usually called Lobster Clips) rely on applying pressure to open. These clips are slightly easier to connect to your ID card or badge holder.
Badge Reels
These are the least commonly used clip. The badge reel clips use a retractable “yo-yo” cord. The average length is 80cm when fully extended.
They cost a bit more to make, especially with a logo or text added. However, they work well with access control cards. If you often need to tap in and out of doors and lifts, badge reels might be the best choice for you.
The three clips above aren’t the only clips available for lanyards, just used with our most popular lanyards.
What Are the Types of Lanyards?
We often receive inquiries about the various kinds of lanyards. Three types of lanyards are available for purchase. At The Lanyard Shop, we sell all of them!
Plain Lanyards
Our plain lanyards are the cheapest lanyards we sell. They are safe and secure (fitted with a breakaway) and have metal clips like our other lanyards. They are also made from a comfortable polyester material (10mm wide or 20mm wide).
Both our 10mm and 20mm lanyards are available in 13 colours.
Pre-Printed
As described by a previous customer, our “pre-printed lanyards are less boring than the plain ones”. That’s not the only perk of our pre-printed lanyards!
You can quickly identify students, staff, visitors and others. The bold text stands out clearly, even from a distance. Most pre-printed lanyards have text visible on both sides.
Personalised / Customised
You can create personalised/custom lanyards to your desired specification. You can choose the width, the lanyard colour (CMYK or Pantone close match), the clip type and the number of safety breakaways. We can print your logo and text onto the lanyard.
Some printing methods of branded logos, such as dye sublimation allow multiple colours and gradients at no extra charge. The number of printed colours determines the cost for screen print lanyards.
Hopefully, this post answers the age-old question “What is a Lanyard?”.
You can easily order any of our products via our website. However, if you have any questions or want a quote, please contact us!