Full color included
Retractable Badge Holders (Badge Reels)
A retractable badge holder, also called a badge reel, clips a badge to a retractable cord so it pulls out to scan or swipe and snaps back against the wearer's chest afterward. Encore's badge reel and lanyard combo runs from $1.99 a piece at 100 units down to $1.49 at 2,500, full-color dye-sublimation printing on the strap included.
The full ladder is $1.99 at 100 pieces, $1.79 at 250, $1.69 at 500, $1.59 at 1,000, and $1.49 at 2,500, following the same volume discount steps used across the collection. Pick the reel combo below, run your quantity through the price estimator, and click "Add to quote" to get final numbers from a real person.
Choosing the right badge reel style
A badge reel lanyard makes sense anywhere a badge needs to move: swiping a reader at a locked door, scanning at a nurses' station, or handing a badge over for a signature. Encore's combo pairs the reel with a full-color dye-sublimated strap and a safety breakaway at the neck, so the connector releases if it snags on equipment. For a workplace that only displays a badge without scanning it regularly, the plain clear ID-holder combo is usually the simpler and cheaper choice.
What's included in the price
At 100 pieces the badge reel combo costs $1.99 each; at 250 it's $1.79; at 500 it's $1.69; at 1,000 it's $1.59; and at 2,500 it's $1.49. That price covers the retractable reel hardware, the full-color dye-sublimated lanyard strap printed on both sides, and the breakaway connector, all in one unit price with no separate run charge for the artwork. A one-time art setup fee of $31.25 applies per design.
How ordering works
Choose the badge reel combo, use the price estimator to see cost at your quantity, and submit through "Add to quote." A real person confirms your logo file, reel color, and strap width before finalizing the quote, and most orders quote from 100 pieces.
Choosing cord length and attachment style
A badge reel is not one-size-fits-all. Cord length and attachment style change who it actually works for.
Cord length
Standard reels extend about 24 to 34 inches, enough for most waist-high badge readers. If your team scans at a raised turnstile or a wall-mounted reader, ask for the extended-reach cord before you order; a reel that comes up short gets yanked, and a yanked reel breaks early.
Clip vs slide vs carabiner
A metal clip is the cheapest mount, fine for a badge that mostly just hangs. A slide clip grips a wider range of fabric without leaving a pinch mark, useful for anyone wearing the badge on a blazer or scrub top all shift. A carabiner is the heavy-duty option: bulkier, but it can share a hook with keys or a multi-tool.
Where each style earns its keep
Healthcare staff who scan a badge dozens of times a shift usually want the slide clip, since it is in near-constant use. Event and conference badges see the opposite case: high volume, short lifespan, where the plain clip keeps per-unit cost down.