Category Archives: Barbed Elastic

Elastic Cord with Metal Ends

Thousands of people, working in several different industries, need bulk quantities of a particularly useful, yet hard-to-name item: barbed elastic cord. That’s the technical term. But whether you need to order boxes of these for your restaurant menus, theater programs, Halloween mask manufacturing, POP signage, trade shows, etc., these “stretchy thingies with metal ends” and “elastic mask fasteners with metal ends” and “elastic cord with metal ends” are available, and yet, how do you search for them when you literally can only think of the word “elastic thingies with metal tips”? You’re not alone by any stretch—we’re here to help.

Would Elastic Cord with Metal Tags Stretch as Far by Any Other Name?

Here are some of the most common search queries you might have tried if you were looking for barbed elastic cord recently:

Elastic cord with metal ends
Stretchy cord with metal things on the end
Elastic cord with metal stoppers
Elastic cord with metal tag ends
Stretch cord with metal tips
Elastic cord with prongs
Elastic cord with metal barbs on the ends

All of these queries are easy to understand, but sometimes difficult to pin down when you actually need to find this particular item for a manufacturing or marketing project. That is often the case with small, yet essential elements of any project—nailing down what the actual industry terminology is so that you can easily find what you want since, “stretchy thingies with metal tips” could really define more than one thing. So here we are.

Elastic Cord with Metal Ends = Barbed Elastic Cord

The two metal pieces on each end of the elastic cord are called “barbs”. They help the elastic cord hold securely to the item you need to stretch, whether those are Carnival masks, restaurant menus, programs for theater or other events, name tags, trade show signage, POP displays, etc.

Elastic Cord with Metal Ends (Barbed Elastic Cord)

Contact Elastic Connections today to order bulk stretchy cord with metal stoppers—A.K.A “barbed elastic cord” for your next project: 847-426-6830.

Strong Barbed Elastic Cord for Restaurant Menus

The restaurant industry is exciting! New restaurants themed after clean eating, sustainable food sourcing, international cuisines, and a host of other niche dining experiences spring up daily. And the menu is as much of a centerpiece as the food. Go classy and flexible with menu folders bound with strong barbed elastic bands and cord.

Elastic Menu Cord Keeps Your Menu Flexible

The best reason to create a sturdy menu folder bound with barbed elastic cord is that you can change your offerings whenever you need to without completely discarding the old menu folder. This saves you money and time, whether you’re well established or just starting out. Use plastic pockets inside the menu covers to change up your appetizers, beverage offerings, dishes of the day, etc.

How to Order Bulk Barbed Elastic Loops for Menus

The bulk barbed elastic loops you need to order for your menu design depend largely on size, shape and weight. Once you’ve settled on the size, weight and dimensions of your menu, Elastic Connections can make recommendations on which gauge and length will work best for your menu elastic. Obviously, the heavier the menu, the thicker the elastic cord should be; we carry 5 different diameters from 1 mm all the way up to 2.4mm. The most frequently ordered diameter is 1.2mm.

Customized Barbed Elastic Menu Cord

Of course, the menu is one of the most important aspects of your marketing efforts, so customization is important, right down to the color of elastic menu cord you use. Our menu elastic comes in many different colors; The 1.2mm, 1.7mm widths come in 24 standard colors, but can also be customized to fit your needs. We can also customize colors for the 1mm, 2mm and 2.4mm elastic menu cords

Contact Elastic Connections today with any questions as you design your restaurant menus and need to order bulk elastic menu cord: 847-426-6830.

Elastic Cord with Barbed Ends for Event Planners

Event planners have one of the coolest jobs ever—throwing huge parties for corporations, organizations and families! But the stress can be huge; the tiniest details matter. This is one of the reasons event organizers need to keep elastic cord with barbed ends on hand.

Hanging Décor and Signage—No matter where you’re event is being held, you will need to hang decorations and signage. One of the most versatile and seamless ways to hang things is to use barbed elastic cord. We carry a wide range of lengths and colors, and we can create custom orders to fit exactly what you need to hang decorations and signage securely, beautifully and easily.

Event Folders—Producing event folders and packets is particularly essential for corporate and organizational events. Make sure that your event packets are secured with barbed elastic cord so that all materials stay in place. You can also use barbed elastic to create secure attachments on folders where attendees can affix their pens.

Masks & Party Hats—If you’re planning an event on the festive side, you may need bulk barbed elastic for party hats or masks. One activity that’s gained popularity at many large events is the group photo where friends and colleagues put on masks and funny hats for a picture that can then immediately be posted to social media. Activities with accessories like these are great for icebreakers, as well as publicity for your event planning services!

Name Tags—Big events usually also need ways to get around the social awkwardness of people not knowing each other. One easy ice breaker is providing simple elastic lanyards with fun, interactive, conversation-starter name tags that help people get to know one another quickly.

If you’re an event planner in need of bulk barbed elastic for any of these (or more) reasons, contact Elastic Connections today at 847-426-6830 to discuss your needs and get quick turnaround on an order for your next big event!

Elastic Lanyards for Name Badges

Name badges are a uniform essential for a wide variety of organizations, particularly large organizations where hundreds or thousands of people work each day, interacting with customers, patients and co-workers. Pinned-on name badges can snag and cause holes in clothing, so many large organizations are going with the cost-effective barbed elastic neck lanyards for name badges held in plastic sleeves. And they’re including all kinds of new features on the badges as well:

Transportation Perks—Some organizations are including special electronic tags in their name badges that employees can swipe to use public transportation for free or for a lower price. This boosts the company’s eco efforts, saves employees money getting to work and reduces their carbon footprint.

Lunch Perks—Another morale booster is the barbed elastic neck lanyards carrying name tag pouches with QR codes or coupons for discounts to local cafes and restaurants where employees frequently head for lunch. It’s also a way for local businesses to support each other.

Personalization—Today’s organizations are celebrating the individuality of their employees. Barbed elastic neck lanyard name tags can have the standard name, photo badge and department design on them, but they’re certainly big enough to include an employee’s favorite quote, hobby or something that would help co-workers, patients or customers remember and connect with them faster.

Easily Updatable—A large-scale logo upgrade, a big set of new hires or a company merger can wreak havoc on the seemingly smallest items in a company, including the name badges. One of the reasons barbed elastic lanyard name badges are so cost-effective is that the cards within the pouches can easily be changed if necessary, for whatever reason.

Contact Elastic Connections today at 847-426-6830 to order bulk barbed elastic neck lanyards for your organizations name badges today. Contact us to find out about different options for your order and to discuss any other needs you have for barbed elastic for signage, promotions and other projects.

Barbed Elastic String for Party Hats and Costume Masks

Whether it’s a kids’ birthday party or an adult cocktail party, the popularity of party hats and masks is skyrocketing. What with the Cosplay craze and the “Chewbacca Mom” phenomenon, marketers must step up their game and order plenty of barbed elastic string for manufacturing party hats and masks to keep up with the demand. The latest trends include:

Fascinators and Classic Hats—Party goers are hailing back to a bygone age of elegant hats, particularly for adult parties and holiday parties. Fascinators are particularly popular for the ladies and manufacturers need barbed elastic to attach fascinators securely to a wide variety of heads and hairdos. Inexpensive versions of top hats, fedoras, bowlers and other classic hat styles are also making their way to the party hat scene.

Beyond Cone Hats—For the kids and the adults, cone-shaped hats are still an essential party favor, but the designs are more varied. Instead of just the typical colored balloon or flowered cone patterns you see on mass-produced party hats with barbed elastic, many party hats now have designs from favorite movies or have a more art deco look to them. Some look like mini-Mad Hatter hats. There are also lots of crowns and tiaras.

Masks and Eye Patches—From superheroes, video game characters and wizards to stormtroopers, animals and pirates, kids are wearing these for dress up play as much as they are doing it for Halloween. We have comfortable, durable barbed elastic that doesn’t tug on the hair or skin so these masks can be worn again and again.

Fancy masks—Sophisticated party goers are wearing beautiful filigreed, bejeweled and feathered party masks to cocktail parties and other soirees more and more as well.

If you need bulk barbed elastic for party hat or costume mask manufacturing, contact Elastic Connections today at 847-426-6830 to order. We have a wide variety of colors and widths of barbed elastic for you to choose from!

Point of Purchase Materials

Retail merchandisers are constantly looking for ways to “wow” the consumer, and trends are very fluid at the moment. One aspect of POP signage that remains stable is the need for flexible, movable, customizable signage secured with barbed elastic cord. These Point of Purchase materials can be used just about anywhere, in a variety of retail environments, and are also easy to change up to keep the look fresh. As you design your next POP signage campaign, consider incorporating these trends and tips, and stock up on the barbed elastic cord:

Interactivity—Even a mere store aisle sign hanging with barbed elastic cord can be interactive. Grocery stores can incorporate QR codes and other mobile-device friendly aspects on signage to show their customers exactly where they can find a certain item, what other items in the store would go well with what they’re looking for, provide easy recipes, special sale information, etc. This strategy works well with clothing stores as well.

Surprise them—POP signage that moves, is incorporated with clever mannequin displays and that pops up in different areas of the store on different days keeps customers on their toes, wondering what to expect next. The great thing about using barbed elastic cord for these POP displays is that they can easily be moved anywhere in the store and provide both flexibility and stability to keep the signage in place wherever you decide to put it up. This gives retailers the option to customize based on needs in their location.

Show, don’t tell—The most effective POP signage uses visuals to show customers how a variety of products work together to create the complete “lifestyle experience” that your products can provide, whether it’s outdoor gear, food, clothing, tech, or all of those things mixed together.

Elastic Connections has a wide variety of barbed elastic cords especially designed for retail POP signage. Contact us today at 847-426-6830 to discuss your needs with us!

Barbed Elastic Cord for Trade Shows

Whether you’re organizing or attending, barbed elastic cord is an essential element for success at any trade show event. It is one of the basic foundational items behind so many of the aspects of a show, regardless of what role it’s playing. For example:

Name badges—It’s all about networking, so there’s almost no point in a trade show without name badges. Everyone needs one fitted with sturdy, barbed elastic cord. But make your trade show name badges extra smart:

Name and organization should be in large, easy-to-read print
Include a QR code for a special offer or freebie
Print a map of the venue or neighborhood on the back

Welcome packages—Don’t forget the bulk barbed elastic cord for the folders you hand out when everyone arrives. Attendees really appreciate the envelop-type of folders secured with elastic cord so things don’t fall out. Go the extra mile with thick barbed elastic cord loops where they can safely stash their pen or other items as they roam the booths.

Signage and displays—For those designing their booths for the next trade show, you know that barbed and looped cord is essential for any hanging display in your booth. Focus on good layout and don’t over clutter the displays; but don’t go for overly simple either (a trend that is on its way out). Look for ways to incorporate technology in useful ways, even with your display materials.

For example: understand that the smartphone is an essential tool for attendees and organizers. Incorporate QR codes, displays that make good selfies, phone charging stations, touch screens and image projection into your booth this year!

We have a wide range of barbed elastic cord and barbed elastic loops available in custom widths, lengths and colors so you can get your trade show displays, welcome folders and name badges perfect for your upcoming event!

Contact Elastic Connections today at 847-426-6830 to discuss your specific needs.

Bulk Barbed Elastic Cord for POP Displays

Several trends in the merchandising industry are making bulk barbed cord and barbed elastic cord an absolute must for POP displays. Budget conscious, multi-configuration displays are particularly on trend right now at shops across the country because the economic atmosphere, though brighter than a few years ago, is still shaky. POP display trends reflect that sentiment:

Portability—Merchandisers for big chains and smaller local shops alike want their POP displays to go anywhere they know they can get the biggest bang for their bucks. They fit in smaller spaces, they hang from the ceiling and they’re easier to move to different areas of the store depending on current need. Hanging signage and POP displays fastened with strong, yet light barbed elastic cord meet this need.
Flexibility—Gone are lavish, wasteful, one-time only displays. Merchandisers need ways to adapt, reconfigure, reduce, reuse and recycle POP display elements multiple times while still keeping the displays fresh. Barbed cord for hanging displays can be reused time and time again in many POP display configurations.
Environmentally-Friendly—Speaking of recycling, merchandisers and their retail customers must respond to the growing demand for using eco-conscious materials in their end products; marketing materials and POP displays must also keep pace with this need.
Quick Turn-Around—Unlike the long-range merchandising planning cycles of the past, today’s retail POP cycle is faster and tighter. POP displays attached with barbed elastic cord are flexible enough for quick changes and multiple design iterations, they’re perfect for what’s next in POP display design.

Elastic Connections can fill big merchandising orders for barbed elastic cord and non-elastic barbed cord for POP displays and signage. We have standard colors in stock for bulk orders, but we can also create custom bulk orders in different colors and gauges to provide that extra level of customizability for the end client.

Contact Elastic Connections today at 847-426-6830 to discuss barbed elastic cord for your POP display designs and orders.

Barbed Elastic Cord for Menus, Booklets and Programs

Bulk barbed elastic cord is an essential element for large print jobs with multiple pages. The elastic gives the printed piece a level of flexibility for the customer while the barbs secure the pages in place.

The important thing to remember about trends in large print jobs these days is a high level of customizability. More than ever, customers are demanding more customization to ensure that their printed pieces are totally unique and stand out. That is because each printed piece is an element of the marketing strategy and must fit within that framework.

As the economy expands, printers need to stock up on varying lengths, widths and colors of barbed elastic to handle incoming print jobs such as:

Menus—As restaurants, pubs and other eateries expand with the improving economy, the need for menus is also expanding. While menu trends vary wildly, many establishments, particularly the higher-end ones, still prefer the classy, go-to menus attached with barbed elastic or twisted rayon cord. Longer, thicker menus require a thicker gauge of cord than thinner, shorter menus.
Theatrical Programs—Barbed elastic or twisted cord is also a great choice for large print runs of programs for plays, musicals and other ongoing cultural programs.
Trade Show Programs and Freebies—Trade show organizers are coming up with all kinds of reasons to ask printers for products with barbed elastic cord elements. Beyond multi-page program spreads, they’re also incorporating barbed elastic pieces as attachments for securing writing implements, identification tags, etc.
Booklets—Aside from menus, programs and trade show pieces, printers need to keep a variety of barbed elastic in stock to handle a wide variety of custom booklet orders.

Elastic connections carries an impressive range of lengths, widths and colors for both bulk twisted rayon cord with barbs and barbed elastic cord. To order bulk barbed elastic for big, multi-page print jobs, contact Elastic Connections at 847-426-6830 today and we can discuss your needs.

Name Badges for Big Events Using Elastic Cord Lanyards

Name badges dangling around attendees’ necks with elastic cord are essential at any conference or convention. They facilitate better networking because they connect names with faces—if the print is big enough to read from a polite distance. Slapping the old “Hello, my name is…” sticker on your shirt doesn’t cut it anymore. But these ideas will raise the bar considerably:

Big Badges with Big Type—One of the biggest complaints of conference attendees is having to squint to read name badges. Awkward! Today’s better name badges measure about 4×6 inches and feature the wearer’s name in 72-point “highway gothic” or “interstate black” font at the top, with the first name appearing above, not next to the last. This makes the name clearly visible from across the room. The wearer’s company, title and other information can appear in smaller font beneath that.
Elastic cord—Convention organizers are leaning towards lanyards these days, but there are better choices. Name badges that go around the neck with barbed elastic or non-elastic twisted cord are more economical without sacrificing the high-end look. Attendees also don’t have to add yet another lanyard to the growing collection at the backs of their closets.
Back of the Badge—Wasted space, or useful information? Use the back of the badge to post a schedule of events, a QR code for mobile devices, a meal coupon, a map of the conference center or local area, or anything helpful and meaningful to your attendees.
Multi-use and Recyclable—One recent event had their name badges printed on wild-flower seeded paper that could be planted later. And eco-conscious event planners are leaning toward badge sleeves made from biodegradable plastic that can be reused if stored at the office, but safely become one with nature if tossed into a landfill.

Make this year’s conference name badge a big win with barbed elastic cord lanyards and thoughtful design! Contact Elastic Connections at 847-426-6830 and get the party started.