Press Pass Design and What to Put on Your Badge
A good press pass design shows your full name, a clear photo, your role, the outlet you actually work for and a way to reach your editor, in text big enough to read at arm's length. Everything else is optional. Size it to a standard holder, like a CR80 wallet card at 3.375 by 2.125 inches1 or a 3 by 4 inch lanyard badge.
This guide covers the fields to include, front and back layout, photos, readable text and color contrast, QR codes, sizes and holders, printing, and the design rules that keep a badge honest. It ends with what organizers ask you to send, because that matters more than how the card looks.
Facts and prices checked November 13, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.
Key takeaways
- Put your name, photo, role, real outlet, contact and dates on the front, and your editor's contact and author page on the back.
- Make text readable, with a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text under the WCAG standard2.
- Print a QR code at least 2 by 2 cm with white space around it, and test it on more than one phone34.
- Size the badge for a standard holder, such as a CR80 card or a 4 by 3 inch vertical badge holder15.
- Never use seals, badge shapes, police colors or words like OFFICIAL, and never imitate a federal agency's badge or ID design, which is a crime6.
Press pass design basics
A press pass has one job. It helps a person at a check-in desk, a press table or a scene match you to who you say you are, fast. Good design serves that job. It's clear, it's truthful and it's quiet.
That means three rules. Show only real information. Make the important parts big. And don't borrow the look of anything official. If you'd rather start from a finished layout than a blank page, use our free template. It has a PRESS header, bracketed fields, a photo box and a disclaimer on both sides, with no seals, badge shapes or official wording.
Free template
Download our free press pass template
A blank wallet card, a 3 by 4 inch lanyard badge and a letter of assignment. Edit it in Word or Google Docs and print it.
- Standard ID card size, front and back
- Letter of assignment for your editor or client to sign
- Want your bylines checked and a QR verification page? See the Press Pass
A blank design you fill in yourself. Not an ID and not a credential, and nobody checks what you type. You're responsible for how you use it.
The rest of this guide explains the choices behind a layout like that, so you can adjust it or build your own. For how to edit and print the template itself, see the free press pass template page.
What to put on a press pass, field by field
Every field should help someone confirm you. If a field doesn't do that, leave it off.
| Field | Side | Why it's there | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRESS header | Front | Says what the card is at a glance | One plain word, no seal or shield |
| Full name | Front | Matches your application and ID | Use your legal name, as city press offices like New York's require on their own cards7 |
| Photo | Front | Lets staff match your face | Recent head and shoulders shot |
| Role | Front | Reporter, photographer, editor or producer | Pick one |
| Outlet | Front | Who you're working for | Only an outlet that will confirm it |
| Dates | Front | Shows the card is tied to an assignment | Event or assignment dates |
| Editor or assigning contact | Back | Someone staff can call to confirm | Name, email and phone |
| Author page link | Back | Where your published work lives | A short URL or a QR code |
| Disclaimer line | Back | Says it's self-made and grants no access | Small but readable |
Skip things that don't help anyone check you, like a slogan, a tagline or a long list of past outlets. If you're also wondering what a press ID is and who issues real ones, our press ID card guide covers that.
Front and back layout
Most press badges use the same simple structure, and for good reason. People know where to look.
The front
- A solid header band across the top with the word PRESS and your outlet's name in smaller type.
- Your photo on the left on a wallet card, or across the middle on a portrait lanyard badge.
- Your name as the largest text after the header.
- Role, outlet, contact and dates below, in smaller type with short labels.
- A thin color stripe at the bottom if you like. It helps the card look finished without looking official.
The back
- A short heading such as About this card.
- Your editor or assigning contact, the outlet website, a link to your author page and the assignment.
- A one-line disclaimer that the card is self-made, isn't an official or government ID, and grants no access.
Portrait or landscape
Wallet cards are landscape. Lanyard badges are usually portrait, because they hang straight and the photo sits in the middle. Pick one orientation per item and stay with it.
Your photo
The photo is what people check first, so it's worth five minutes.
- Recent. It should look like you today.
- Head and shoulders. Face the camera, with your face filling most of the frame.
- Plain background. A light wall works well and keeps the edges clean when you crop.
- Even light. Face a window, not a lamp behind you.
- No filters. No heavy edits, no sunglasses, no hats that hide your face.
Real card schemes take the photo seriously too. The UK News Media Association asks press card applicants to send a digital JPEG headshot with their form8.
Crop the photo to the box in your layout before you insert it, so Word or Google Docs doesn't stretch it. Use a high-resolution original, because small photos look blurry once printed.
Readable text and color contrast
A badge is read at arm's length, often in bad light, often while you're moving. Contrast and size do most of the work.
Use a contrast standard
The web accessibility standard WCAG is a handy benchmark for print too. It asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and at least 3 to 1 for large text2. Large text means at least 18 point, or 14 point bold2. Your name and the PRESS header should easily be large text.
| Element | Suggested size | Contrast to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| PRESS header | Large and bold | At least 3 to 1, large text2 |
| Your name | 14 point bold or bigger | At least 3 to 1, large text2 |
| Role, outlet, dates | Smaller body text | At least 4.5 to 12 |
| Back of card details | Smaller body text | At least 4.5 to 12 |
Colors that work
Dark navy with white text, or white with dark text, both read well. Pick one or two brand colors at most. Avoid color schemes people associate with police or emergency services where you work, and never copy a government agency's look.
Fonts
Use one clean sans-serif font in two or three weights. Skip script and thin fonts. Keep labels in small caps or a light gray, and values in bold dark type, so the eye goes straight to the facts.
QR codes on a press badge
A QR code saves people typing a long link. It can open your author page or another page that shows your work. A few rules keep it scannable.
- Size. One QR guide recommends 2 by 2 cm, about 0.8 by 0.8 inches, as a minimum when it's scanned from about 20 cm away3.
- Distance. The same guide gives a 10 to 1 ratio between scanning distance and code size3. A code that people scan from a meter away needs to be about 10 cm.
- White space. Leave a quiet zone of 4 units of white space around the code3.
- Contrast. The code should always be darker than the background, and black on white scans best4.
- Test it. Scan a printed proof, not your screen, with at least three phones, including an older one4.
What the code opens matters most
A QR code is only as convincing as the page behind it. If it opens a page you wrote about yourself, it shows what you say about yourself. That's fine, but an organizer will still want to check your bylines another way, and if no editor is vouching for you, that check is the hard part.
Media List Press Pass
Get your published work checked
We check your bylines and your site, then you download print-ready pass designs with a QR code that opens your live verification page.
- At least 5 articles with your byline from the last 24 months
- Wallet card in 4 styles, lanyard badge, letter, certificate and placard
- Event Pass $49 one time, 24 months $149, 36 months $199, or 12 months $99 that renews every year until you cancel
- Full refund if you don't qualify
Media List reviews the information and links you submit and confirms whether they meet our published-work criteria as of the review date, and gives you design files that show that result. That's the whole service. NOT AN OFFICIAL OR GOVERNMENT ID. Not a legal credential, license, accreditation or proof of employment. Grants no access, rights or privileges. Based only on information the holder submitted to Media List as of the issue date. The holder is solely responsible for their actions and for following the law. Scan the QR code for current status. Press Pass Terms.
Sizes, holders and lanyards
Design to a standard size so your card fits holders you can actually buy.
| Format | Inches | Millimeters | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| CR80 wallet card | 3.375 by 2.125 | 85.6 by 54 | Standard ID card size1 |
| CR100 | 3.88 by 2.63 | 98.5 by 67 | Large visitor and event cards1 |
| Lanyard badge | 3 by 4 | About 76 by 102 | Insert for a 4 by 3 inch vertical holder5 |
| Plastic card thickness | 30 mil | 0.76 | Employee and student ID cards1 |
A CR80 card has 1/8 inch rounded corners1. If you design to that size, keep text and photos at least 1/8 inch from every edge so nothing gets trimmed.
Holders and lanyards
For lanyard badges, a vertical holder keeps the badge hanging straight. Avery's 4 by 3 inch vertical holders, for example, are top loading and pre-punched for clips, lanyards or reels5. Use a plain lanyard. Many events give you their own lanyard and badge at check in, and that's the one to wear there.
Printing and laminating
Print on heavy card stock at 100 percent or Actual size, never Fit to page, which shrinks the card. Cut with a trimmer or a ruler and a sharp blade.
Laminating
For a card that clips to a lanyard, a 10 mil pouch gives it about the heft of a credit card9. A 5 mil pouch is the most popular general thickness and fine for wallet cards that live in a sleeve9. Leave at least a 1/8 inch border of clear film around all edges so the pouch seals9, and match the laminator's heat setting to the pouch, because a 10 mil pouch run at the 3 mil setting will under-seal9.
One more design tip. Lamination adds glare. Glossy surfaces can make QR codes harder to scan, and one QR guide suggests making the code 15 to 20 percent larger on glossy stock4.
Front and back
Print the two sides separately, glue them back to back, then laminate. Line up the edges before the glue sets. A clear badge holder is a simpler option if you'll change the insert for each event.
Design rules that keep it honest
Some design choices make a badge look like something it isn't. Avoid all of them.
- No seals, crests, shields, stars or badge shapes.
- No OFFICIAL, AUTHORIZED, ACCREDITED or CREDENTIAL wording on a card nobody issued.
- No police, sheriff, fire or emergency services wording, and no color schemes that copy them.
- No government names, logos or flags arranged like an agency ID.
- No outlet name or logo unless you really work for that outlet.
- No holograms or security-style patterns meant to suggest a card was issued by an authority.
Why this matters
Federal law makes it a crime to make or possess a badge or ID card of a design prescribed by a federal agency, or a colorable imitation of one, punishable by up to six months in prison6. Pretending to be a federal officer or employee and acting as one carries up to three years10. States have their own impersonation laws and they vary. This isn't legal advice, so check the rules where you work.
Honest design also protects you in practice. A plain badge that says exactly who you are and who sent you is easy to trust. One that tries to look official invites questions you can't answer. Our guide on whether online press passes are legit covers the same red flags from the buyer's side.
What organizers ask you to send with it
A well-designed badge helps at the door. It doesn't decide whether you get in. Organizers decide from your application, and they're specific about what they want.
- A letter of assignment. SXSW requires one for each attendee, on company letterhead11.
- Outlet details and audience numbers. SXSW asks for circulation, viewership or follower figures and the type of data11.
- A coverage plan. SXSW asks for a detailed plan for each event you'll cover11.
- Photo ID at pickup. The NCAA asks you to show a government ID when you collect an approved credential12.
Once you have the event's own badge, wear it where people can see it. NCAA credentials must always be worn visibly and can't be transferred12. Your own badge is a backup for identifying yourself, not a replacement for theirs. For the full application process, see media credentials for events.
A designed pass that comes with a check
Designing your own badge gets you a clean card. It doesn't get you a quick way to show organizers that your published work is real, and that's what most media pages ask for.
The Media List Press Pass is a verification of your published work, based on what you send us, plus print-ready design files. We check for at least 5 articles with your name as the author from the last 24 months, proof the bylines are yours, a site registered 5 or more years ago (or 2 or more years of your work on Substack, Medium, beehiiv and similar), and a site that mainly publishes news, reviews, analysis or commentary. Most checks finish in minutes.
The design work is done for you. You get a wallet card front and back in 4 styles (Classic navy, Green stripe, Minimal white and Dark), a 3 by 4 inch lanyard badge, a letter of verification, a certificate and a vehicle placard, all with your photo laid out and a QR code on every file that opens your public verification page on medialist.com. You can make new files any time during your term.
It isn't an official or government ID, a credential, a license or proof of employment, and it grants no access. You can show it or attach the letter when you ask, and organizers decide. If you'd rather design your own, the press pass basics and our free template are there for you. If you buy the pass and don't qualify, you get a full refund. See the Media List Press Pass page.
Media List Press Pass
Show your work when you ask for access
We check your bylines and your site, then you download print-ready pass designs with a QR code that opens your live verification page.
- At least 5 articles with your byline from the last 24 months
- Wallet card in 4 styles, lanyard badge, letter, certificate and placard
- Event Pass $49 one time, 24 months $149, 36 months $199, or 12 months $99 that renews every year until you cancel
- Full refund if you don't qualify
Media List reviews the information and links you submit and confirms whether they meet our published-work criteria as of the review date, and gives you design files that show that result. That's the whole service. NOT AN OFFICIAL OR GOVERNMENT ID. Not a legal credential, license, accreditation or proof of employment. Grants no access, rights or privileges. Based only on information the holder submitted to Media List as of the issue date. The holder is solely responsible for their actions and for following the law. Scan the QR code for current status. Press Pass Terms.
Questions, answered
What should be on a press pass?
Your full name, a recent photo, your role, the outlet you actually work for, a contact and the assignment dates. On the back, add your editor's contact, the outlet's website, your author page and a short disclaimer that the card is self-made.
What size is a press badge?
Wallet cards are usually CR80, 3.375 by 2.125 inches1. Lanyard badges are often 3 by 4 inches and slide into 4 by 3 inch vertical holders5.
How big should a QR code be on a press pass?
At least 2 by 2 cm for scanning from about 20 cm, with 4 units of white space around it3. Test a printed proof with several phones before you print a batch4.
What colors should a press pass use?
High-contrast pairs like navy and white. WCAG asks for at least 4.5 to 1 contrast for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text2. Avoid color schemes associated with police or emergency services.
Can I put OFFICIAL or a seal on my press pass?
No. Those suggest an authority you don't have, and federal law bans imitations of federal agency badges and ID cards6. State laws vary, so check the rules where you work.
Should I laminate my press pass?
Yes, if it'll get handled a lot. A 10 mil pouch suits badges that clip to lanyards, and you should leave at least a 1/8 inch clear border so it seals9.
Does a well-designed press pass get you into events?
No. Organizers decide from your application, which often needs a letter of assignment, audience numbers and a coverage plan11. Wear the event's own badge once they issue it.
Related guides
- What Is a Press Pass, Who Issues One and How It Works
- Free Press Pass Template to Download and Edit in Word
- Media Credentials for Events and How to Apply Step by Step
- Press ID Card, What It Should Show and Who Issues One
- Are Online Press Passes Legit, and How to Spot a Scam
Sources
- NameBadge.com, What is a CR80 card and what size is it, checked 2026-11-13
- W3C, Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), checked 2026-11-13
- Deloitte QR help center, What is the minimum size of a QR Code, checked 2026-11-13
- Uniqode, QR Code printing guidelines, checked 2026-11-13
- Avery, Secure Top Badge Holders 74472, checked 2026-11-13
- U.S. Code via govinfo.gov, 18 U.S.C. 701, Official badges, identification cards, other insignia, checked 2026-11-13
- NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Press Credentials Office FAQ (March 10, 2025), checked 2026-11-13
- News Media Association, Press Cards, checked 2026-11-13
- Ceedo, Laminator pouch thickness guide, checked 2026-11-13
- U.S. Code via govinfo.gov, 18 U.S.C. 912, Officer or employee of the United States, checked 2026-11-13
- SXSW, 2027 Press Application, checked 2026-11-13
- NCAA, 2022-23 NCAA Championships Media Credentials Criteria (August 4, 2022), checked 2026-11-13
Show your published work when you ask for access
Media List Press Pass checks your bylines and gives you print-ready pass designs with a live QR verification page. From $49, full refund if you don't qualify.