A lanyard looks like a simple product until you have to choose one. Material, width and attachment style all change how it wears, how it prints and how safe it is on site.

This guide breaks lanyards down into the three decisions that matter: what they are made from, how wide they are, and what clips onto the end. Every option below is a real product Dynamic Gift prints and supplies.

Lanyard Materials Compared

Material decides how a lanyard feels, how long it lasts and how it takes your logo.

Polyester covers most conference and event briefs. Move to woven when the lanyard needs to survive daily wear and washing, and to bamboo or recycled PET when sustainability is part of the brand story.

Lanyard Widths: What the Numbers Mean

Width is measured in millimetres, and Dynamic Gift stocks lanyards from 6mm up to 20mm as standard. Custom widths are made to order.

Wider lanyards carry more logo and text, but 10mm and 15mm remain the two most ordered widths for everyday ID use. If your artwork includes a tagline or multiple colours, size up to 15mm or 20mm so nothing gets cropped.

Breakaway Clips: A Safety Essential

A breakaway (or safety release) lanyard has a section near the neck that pulls apart under pressure. If the lanyard catches on a door handle, machinery or a child, the strap releases instead of pulling tight.

This is not optional for some workplaces. Anywhere with moving machinery, young children, or crowded public-facing roles should default to breakaway. Dynamic Gift's Black 10mm, Black 15mm and Black 20mm Safety Release Lanyards build this feature in as standard, and the breakaway point can be added to most other lanyard styles on request.

Double ended lanyards, such as the Black 15mm Double Ended Lanyard and Double Ended Lanyards, attach a badge or key at both ends instead of one, which suits staff carrying an ID card and a separate access fob.

Badge Reels vs Bulldog Clips: Which Attachment Fits?

The end fitting matters as much as the strap. Two products cover most jobs.

Badge reels hold a retractable cord that pulls out and snaps back, keeping the ID card close to the body between scans. The No Twist Style ID Badge Reels are built to avoid the cord twisting up over repeated use, which is the main complaint with cheaper reels. These suit staff who scan in and out often, such as reception, security or retail.

Bulldog clips and badge pullers are a simple spring clip that grips the top of a card or pouch directly, no reel or cord involved. The Standard Badge Pullers are the lower cost, no-fuss option, and suit conferences and short events where the badge is worn once and does not need to retract.

As a rule of thumb: choose a badge reel for daily staff use where the card comes out often, and a bulldog clip or badge puller for one-off events where cost and speed matter more than the retract feature.

Choosing a Lanyard: Quick Decision Guide

• One-day conference, budget matters: 10mm Printed Polyester Lanyard with a standard bulldog clip
• Daily staff ID, needs to survive years of wear: Executive Woven Lanyard with a badge reel
• Construction site or warehouse: High Viz Safety Lanyard with a breakaway clip
• Sustainability-branded event: Bamboo Fibre Lanyard or Recycled PET Lanyard
• Public-facing role or site with machinery: Any material, always with a breakaway clip
• Staff carrying two items, ID and a key fob: Double Ended Lanyard

Ordering Custom Lanyards From Dynamic Gift

Every lanyard on this list can be printed with your logo, in your brand colours, with a free design service and no obligation quote. Choose from 18 in-stock material colours or a custom pantone match, and pick the width, material and clip that suits how the lanyard will actually be worn.

Not sure which combination fits your event or your team? Send your brief through the lanyards and ID accessories range and get a free quote back in minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions