Two cases make the decision easy. The first is brand artwork that has to match exactly — printing reproduces gradients, thin strokes, and tight color transitions that a mold cannot hold. The second is a design carrying a lot of small text: a 1″ pin has very little room, and a molded design needs a metal border around every color, which is what makes fine text illegible at that size.
If you want the weight and texture of a molded pin, soft enamel or cloisonné is the better pick — and you can still combine the two, see below.
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