ⓘ This article is for Event Organizers
When designing badges in Expo Pass, the Shell Layer is your creative foundation — it’s the background artwork that sets the look and feel of your badge.
Let’s start with the basics and walk through how to navigate the Shell Layer in the Expo Pass Badge Designer.
The key terms below will help you get familiar with the Badge Designer and make the most of your badge layout.
🔑 Key Terms to Know
Shell Layer: The fixed background design used on all badges (e.g., logos, colors, borders). It does not change from attendee to attendee.
Print Layer: The layer that overlays attendee-specific information like names, titles, and QR codes. This content is added through the Expo Pass platform, not your uploaded design.
Full Bleed: A printing term that refers to background designs extending all the way to the edge of the badge (BLUE LINE) without white borders. This ensures a polished, professional look.
Bonus Terms:
CMYK colors: used in print designs.
It is essential to ensure your designs are in the CMYK color scale to ensure accurate color reproduction when badges are printed.
RGB colors: used in digital display designs
If you are using RGB for designing, it is essential to convert to CMYK before submitting for print to ensure accurate color production
Select Your Badge Shell
💡 Tip: Before you get started, take a look at our best practices and suggestions for designing a high-quality, crisp badge design.
1. Log in to Expo Pass and choose your event.
2. Click on Onsite ➜ Design Badges. The Badge Manager will pop up. Click on Get Started.
If you have already created a badge shell, and want to create a new one, click Create New Badge.
NOTE: If you have already created a badge shell, the Badge Manager will no longer pop up. To create a second badge shell, click Create New Badge next to the badge OR hover click Edit.
3. Follow the steps below to create a new badge:
Design Your Badge Shell - The Basics
Once you’ve created your badge shell, it’s time to add elements such as images and shapes to bring your badge to life.
After creating a new badge, whether through the Get Started flow or by selecting Create New Badge, you’ll land on the screen shown below. You’ll begin in the Shell view (top left).
What Is Full Bleed and Why Is It Important?
Full Bleed means that your background artwork extends all the way past the edges of the printed badge to ensure there are not white borders. In Expo Pass, this is the blue border around all edges of the badge.
Ensure your badge artwork extends 0.125 inches (1/8") beyond each edge of the finished size. For instance, a 4x6 inch badge should have a design size of 4.25 x 6.25 inches.
Why It Matters:
Prevents unintended white edges due to slight trimming misalignments.
Delivers a clean, professional finish with edge-to-edge color.
Meets industry-standard print specs.
How to Design for Full Bleed
If your badge size is 4" x 6", you should create your artwork at 4.25" x 6.25" to include 0.125” bleed on each side of the badge (left, right and top, bottom). Think of it as a buffer.
When adding your images, these should extend to the BLUE bleed line.
The extra 0.125" is an extension of the design.
It should NOT include any images or logos you want included on your badge.
The printer will cut through this extension ensuring the color extends to all edges of the badge
Use the safe zone (aka the dotted line within the badge) to ensure important content (like logos or text) remains at least 0.25” away from all edges.
4x6" Badges
Bleed Area 4.25” x 6.25” (Blue Box around the badge)
Trim 4” x 6” (the edge of the badge)
Safe Zone 3.75” x 5.34” (the dotted grey line)
4x3" Badges
Bleed Area 4.25" x 3.25" (Blue Box around the badge)
Trim 4" x 3" (the edge of the badge)
Safe Zone 3.75” x 2.34” (the dotted grey line)
Safe-to-Print Area Around the Notch
Most Expo Pass badges are printed with a notch or hole at the top for a lanyard. Designing around this area is critical to avoid printing issues.
Key Guidelines:
Leave at least 0.25” (1/4") of clear space around the notch — no text, logos, images, or shapes.
Solid background colors are okay, but avoid detailed graphics or any critical design elements near this area.
Overlapping this zone may trigger printer sensor errors, which can result in:
Misaligned badges
Double prints
Badge jams or reprints Ensure your designs leave at least 0.25 inches free of text or logos in this area to maintain alignment and avoid interference with the printer sensor.
Why This Matters
The notch area is where the printer senses each badge. If your design interferes with this space, it may cause your printer to malfunction.
Start Your Badge Shell Design
💡 Tip: Click the Open Template button at the bottom of the screen to display the Expo Pass template with guided best practices on how to complete your design.
1. Click the green + at the bottom of the badge to start the design process.
2. Select if you would like to:
Add Text
Upload an Image - we support JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF
Create a shape
3. For double-sided badge shell designs, click on Front to toggle to the back of the badge, and vice versa:
❗ Important: DON'T FORGET TO DESIGN THE BACK OF YOUR BADGE if you are looking for a double-sided shell. Click on Front to toggle to the back of the badge.
4. Toggle the Print Layer Overlay Mode to see or dim your Print Layer fields as your design your badge
💡 Note: If you would like to move the print layer fields, simply click on Print in the top left of the page. You will then be on the Print Layer and are able to move the First Name and Last Name around.
FN and LN are automatically added to every new badge. They can be edited and/ or deleted.
Uploading a PDF? No problem!
If you have your badge design already done outside of Expo Pass, you can upload your PDF directly into the badge shell designer.
Make sure your file has a bleed on the design to ensure a clean cut.
What's bleed? An extra 0.125" of design extended around the edge of the badge to ensure a clean cut for print with no white space).
The PDF should NOT include crop marks.
If your file has crop marks, no worries. You can remove them using our cropping tool.
Ensure you crop the image to not include the crop marks or they may show up on the badge design.
![5th Annual Art + Tech Expo (Demo) - Badges - 27 February 2025 (1).mp4 [video-to-gif output image]](https://downloads.intercomcdn.com/i/o/ij3yrbte/1657762852/a62372ac3c65053d93e047392bfc/ezgif-200c5c6695e86c.gif?expires=1765773000&signature=85c31157cc0a6bd6ff1509cdde549e5f031fdf6bab40d33cbb86f44d613d9b19&req=dSYiEc54n4laW%2FMW1HO4zT85Qbu4aDq2Q80tgv9virWSCz5711US0R4cgkAh%0AV0U2K9n5%2BpmOwxDihIs%3D%0A)
Once you have completed your shell design, click SAVE. You can also toggle to the Print to start on your Print Layer Basics.
Edit Your Badge Shell
If you need to go back and edit your Badge Shell after it's been saved.
Click on Onsite ➜ Design Badges.
Hover over the badge that you want to edit. Click on Edit.
Edit the design elements of your badge.
Badge Shell Design Details
Congratulations!! Now you've gotten comfortable with designing your Badge Shell. What's next? Let's get a little more into the details:
Badge Print Layer Basics
If you'd like to skip through the details, feel free to go to the Print Layer below to add in your Attendee Field Data that will be printed onsite by our thermal printers.