Lucian045

Had some questions about Polycarbinate laminate: To all those out there thinking about Polycarbinate laminant here is my two cents. It looks cool and has a nice textured feel to it, but I think it dulls the graphics just a little. Some may like that effect, but I prefer to have the artwork pop and stand out more especially since everyone is creating there own original artwork. The print and laminant I provide will withstand a good amount of abuse. Of course if you are going to go out of your way to try and scrath the print, all you will be doing is scrathing the laminate and you'll see some marks on the surface. The print itself will always be protected and being that the laminate I provide is 3.5 mils thick, you really have to go the extra mile to damage it. Polycarbinate laminate is very durable yes, but really it's designed to go on control panels where hundreds of people will be playing the machine. To really protect your graphic on the control panel, you should cut a clear plastic top to lay over the graphic. Again, just my two cents. My hands are all over the sides of my Pinball Machine everyday for 2 hours since I built it in March. No problems, no discoloration, no lifting.

Had some questions about Polycarbinate laminate: To all those out there thinking about Polycarbinate laminant here is my two cents. It looks cool and has a nice textured feel to it, but I think it dulls the graphics just a little. Some may like that effect, but I prefer to have the artwork pop and stand out more especially since everyone is creating there own original artwork. The print and laminant I provide will withstand a good amount of abuse. Of course if you are going to go out of your way to try and scrath the print, all you will be doing is scrathing the laminate and you'll see some marks on the surface. The print itself will always be protected and being that the laminate I provide is 3.5 mils thick, you really have to go the extra mile to damage it. Polycarbinate laminate is very durable yes, but really it's designed to go on control panels where hundreds of people will be playing the machine. To really protect your graphic on the control panel, you should cut a clear plastic top to lay over the graphic. Again, just my two cents. My hands are all over the sides of my Pinball Machine everyday for 2 hours since I built it in March. No problems, no discoloration, no lifting.

I can't speak for all print media used by printing companies, but the stuff I offer does not require you to prime the wood. If the surface is smooth and free of wood dust no priming is needed. All holes in the wood should be filled then sanded smooth with fine sandpaper. If you feel like priming, make sure you apply a good smooth even coat. Then, when fully dried, lightly sand any imperfections and wipe clean.

No I have not, but whatever I print will stick to it. You would have to design the image around your dimensions of the tankstick. The vinyl print will easily adhear to the stick. I have had an X-arcade before so I am aware of the material they use in creating the surface. Should be no problem.

Awesome Joe1, thanks for the info. Looks sweet man, looking forward to seeing the cab in action.

Hey Joe1, could you talk about your experience with applying the graphics and the material? Thanks.

I uploaded them for you. So glad you are happy with the prints. Looks like you did an excellent job of applying them. Where is your build by the way on the forum. How about a picture of the coin door?

Sent off my first decal set today for a member a nice TRON Legacy inspired pin. The cost for shipping was $20 so I think this will be fine for all US shipments. I had a lot of interest so far. Looking forward to seeing the designs.

Thanks Jack!

I can but it might be expensive. If you are willing to pay the shipping then I will be happy to help.

sounds good Gbeef, but no pm yet or e-mail on my account so far. If you are sending artwork it must be below 10 megs or my account will not get it.

The default setup in Photoshop is U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2 Any of those colors in the swatch table will work fine including the RGB ones. From there you can change the color by mixing CMYK settings.

Some question on the other thread about preparing artwork and application: Allowance for Bleed When your artwork is finished it's important to leave about 1/2" bleed on the sides and bottom for the printing. Nothing is perfect and there is nothing worse than a seem in the graphic when it is not nessasary. This applies to all areas of the cabinet you are putting graphics on. It is not important to bleed the top as this is a perfect place for you to line up your graphic so it is straight. This is of course assuming that you built your cabinet level. Overlapping This is totally not nessasary if you prepared your cabinet properly. If all the edges are sanded smooth (Not rounded) and are free from defects such as chipped wood and screw or nail holes, then the graphic will bleed over your edge and allow a nice line for you to cut the graphic The key is cutting the graphic with a sharp new exacto knife blade, keeping it level along the edge of your cabinet and taking your time for an even cut. I can't stress enough that the box must have a sharp edge to it. If you round the corner on the cabinet, then the graphic will not have a clean edge and accomplishing a seamless installation will not be possible. If you feel that you want to overlap the image onto the front, then you must allow yourself at least 1/2" as anything less over time will lift. It might take a while but it will eventually lift. Colors On Your Screen and in REAL LIFE! Unless you have calibrated your monitor with software to allow for true 1-1 color accuracy, the colors on your screen may not represent what is actually printed. Certain colors like black have multiple levels of darkness, but on a computer screen black looks like well...black. Too many times people will have me print a design they did on their computer and when the black comes out more grayish they blame my printer. A TRUE black mixture is C-75 M-68 Y-67 K-90. Other percentages are used to achieve specific results, for example 100% black with 70% cyan, 35% magenta, and 40% yellow is used to achieve "cool" black. "Warm Black" is 100%K 60%M 60%Y and 35%C. Calibrating your screen is very important. Going through your monitor calibration will give you a 95% accurate reading on color and that is more than enough in my opinion. CMYK or RGB Files for best color (Vibrance) should be done as RGB, 8bit and saved as a .tiff. I have found over the years of doing this that many people prefer the look of RGB printed files rather than CMYK. CMYK colors are not as vibrant depending on the pallet that is used. Want a nice deep black, use RGB...at least for my printer. If this changes I will update. Resolution If you pull a graphic off of the web and that graphic is 20KB and you choose to expand that image 4 times in size, then you just made that graphic 5kb. That is way too small and it will look like a blocky mess. Things look great on the internet but if the size is not large enough, then the image will look blurry. If you plan on using any image, make sure it is a minimum of 500kb - 1 meg or more in size. The background on my cabinet was 5 megs. I expanded it 3 times in size at a resolution of 300dpi. (No need to go any higher) It's crystal clear because the image was of a high enough resolution from the beginning. Do not design artwork around low resolution graphics because when they are expanded to full size cabinets, they will look awful. Please feel free to bring up anything else. I covered eveything that I usually run into. Give me a little bit and I will try and upload a few videos.

Yes I can cut vinyl from cast films of solid color. Also, my printer does have a cut feature on it so it can print, then cut whatever I tell it to.

Well can't sleep so I'll post a few suggestions and observations on preperation. I think I am going to upload a few videos, as being a visual learner myself, find it easier to understand. That will be later. Also I think I'll upload a video on how to actually install these graphics for those not experienced. Allowance for Bleed When your artwork is finished it's important to leave about 1/2" bleed on the sides and bottom for the printing. Nothing is perfect and there is nothing worse than a seem in the graphic when it is not nessasary. This applies to all areas of the cabinet you are putting graphics on. It is not important to bleed the top as this is a perfect place for you to line up your graphic so it is straight. This is of course assuming that you built your cabinet level. Overlapping This is totally not nessasary if you prepared your cabinet properly. If all the edges are sanded smooth (Not rounded) and are free from defects such as chipped wood and screw or nail holes, then the graphic will bleed over your edge and allow a nice line for you to cut the graphic The key is cutting the graphic with a sharp new exacto knife blade, keeping it level along the edge of your cabinet and taking your time for an even cut. I can't stress enough that the box must have a sharp edge to it. If you round the corner on the cabinet, then the graphic will not have a clean edge and accomplishing a seamless installation will not be possible. If you feel that you want to overlap the image onto the front, then you must allow yourself at least 1/2" as anything less over time will lift. It might take a while but it will eventually lift. Colors On Your Screen and in REAL LIFE! Unless you have calibrated your monitor with software to allow for true 1-1 color accuracy, the colors on your screen may not represent what is actually printed. Certain colors like black have multiple levels of darkness, but on a computer screen black looks like well...black. Too many times people will have me print a design they did on their computer and when the black comes out more grayish they blame my printer. A TRUE black mixture is C-75 M-68 Y-67 K-90. Other percentages are used to achieve specific results, for example 100% black with 70% cyan, 35% magenta, and 40% yellow is used to achieve "cool" black. "Warm Black" is 100%K 60%M 60%Y and 35%C. Calibrating your screen is very important. Going through your monitor calibration will give you a 95% accurate reading on color and that is more than enough in my opinion. CMYK or RGB Files for best color (Vibrance) should be done as RGB, 8bit and saved as a .tiff. I have found over the years of doing this that many people prefer the look of RGB printed files rather than CMYK. CMYK colors are not as vibrant depending on the pallet that is used. Want a nice deep black, use RGB...at least for my printer. If this changes I will update. Resolution If you pull a graphic off of the web and that graphic is 20KB and you choose to expand that image 4 times in size, then you just made that graphic 5kb. That is way too small and it will look like a blocky mess. Things look great on the internet but if the size is not large enough, then the image will look blurry. If you plan on using any image, make sure it is a minimum of 500kb - 1 meg or more in size. The background on my cabinet was 5 megs. I expanded it 3 times in size at a resolution of 300dpi. (No need to go any higher) It's crystal clear because the image was of a high enough resolution from the beginning. Do not design artwork around low resolution graphics because when they are expanded to full size cabinets, they will look awful. Please feel free to bring up anything else. I covered eveything that I usually run into. Give me a little bit and I will try and upload a few videos.

Absolutley, great questions. I'll get something up on the thread tomorrow with some diagrams. Thanks for the support and recommendation guys.

So I thought I would give back to the community and offer my services with the printing of graphics and decals for your projects. I own a sign company in Connecticut and have a 54" digital printer. I have printed some artwork for Mameman and a couple of others on the forum and have been asked by a few about printing their work. You can see the quality of the printer and material on my build http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13088. So I am starting this thread to offer my services at a fair price which I hope will be less than what it would normally cost you around your area. Here is what you get and how much. Material: -Arlon 3165RA (Rapid Air Release Technology) Gloss -Arlon Oraguard 210 Gloss Laminate Quality: -All decals are printed at 720 x 720 resolution -Material is rated at 7 years outdoor (You'll probably have you cabinet sold 3 times by the time these decals fade ) -Rapid Air Technology means a bubble free application -Professionally cut to your size specifications, packaged and shipped Process: Design your graphics in Photoshop, A.I., whatever and send me the files at 100% scale (Using https://www.yousendit.com/ as files will be large). Samples for color proofing can be made if you require it. Once sizes and color profiles are checked printing will begin and the artwork will be sent out within 2 business days by ground shipping anywhere in the US. US Shipping is $20, overseas shipping is $60. Pricing: For a standard size machine you will get: - 2 Side Decals up to 52" in length - Coin Door Front area - 2 Side Back Box Decals Cost: $135 plus shipping (Custom add-ons at an additional cost) This price reflects my cost for ink, material, and time for preparing and packaging your decals. Shipping is $20. To give you an example on value, I would charge a customer in CT for something like this about $275 (Plus $65 per hour for design and/or changes in color, whatever). I am doing this because I wanted to give back to this awesome community, and I enjoy Pinball and Video Gaming! I can design something for your machine if you like but to be honest, I don't have the time or the raw talent that a lot of other people on this forum have. I would much rather you design it and I will make it real. Payment: Paypal would be the prefered method for me. My paypal address is [email protected]. Payment can be made once artwork is sent to me or when it's ready to be shipped. I trust the community. Contact: Please e-mail me at [email protected] and put in the title Hyperpin Artwork or something like this. You may use this thread as a place to ask specific questions for the general community and also your thoughts and feedback, but PLEASE do not use this as a place to ask me when your artwork is shipping, etc. All contact will be through e-mail at the above address. Thanks and I hope you can use my services as a cost effective way to get some great looking artwork on your projects! I welcome your thoughts. Here is a video on how to apply graphics:

So I thought I would give back to the community and offer my services with the printing of graphics and decals for your projects. I own a sign company in Connecticut and have a 54" digital printer. I have printed some artwork for Mameman and a couple of others on the forum and have been asked by a few about printing their work. You can see the quality of the printer and material on my build http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13088. So I am starting this thread to offer my services at a fair price which I hope will be less than what it would normally cost you around your area. Here is what you get and how much. Material: -Arlon 3165RA (Rapid Air Release Technology) Gloss -Arlon Oraguard 210 Gloss Laminent -Arlon Translucent Print Media (For Lighted Marque Printing) Quality: -All decals are printed at 720 x 720 resolution -Material is rated at 7 years outdoor (You'll probably have you cabinet sold 3 times by the time these decals fade ) -Rapid Air Technology means a bubble free application -Translucent material will be printed and laminated with a pre-mask release tape applied for easy application to your plastic -Professionally cut to your size specifications or custom cut to a shape specified by the graphic, packaged and shipped Process: Design your graphics in Photoshop, A.I., whatever and send me the files at 100% scale (Using https://www.yousendit.com/ as files will be large). Samples for color proofing can be made if you require it. Once sizes and color profiles are checked printing will begin and the artwork will be sent out within 2 business days by ground shipping anywhere in the US. US Shipping is $20, overseas shipping is $60. Pricing: As many of the cabinets I have seen on the forums are different shapes and sizes it is hard to offer a one price fits all or even a package. Cost will have to be quoted individually based on what you are ordering. A rough estimate on cost would be around $6.50 a square foot for the standard material, $10 square foot for Translucent (Requires more ink and is more expensive). If people generally have the same build size, I will figure out a package for 2 sides, Marquee and control panel. This price reflects my cost for ink, material, and time for preparing and packaging your decals. Shipping should be around $10-$15 I would think. To give you an example on value, I would charge a customer in CT $10-12.50 sqft for print media, $15 sqft for Translucent. (Plus $65 per hour for design and/or changes in color, whatever). I am doing this because I wanted to give back to this awesome community, and I enjoy Pinball and Video Gaming! I can design something for your machine if you like but to be honest, I don't have the time or the raw talent that a lot of other people on this forum have. I would much rather you design it and I will make it real. Payment: Paypal would be the prefered method for me. My paypal address is [email protected]. Payment can be made once artwork is sent to me or when it's ready to be shipped. I trust the community. Contact: Please e-mail me at [email protected] and put in the title Hyperpin Artwork or something like this. You may use this thread as a place to ask specific questions for the general community and also your thoughts and feedback, but PLEASE do not use this as a place to ask me when your artwork is shipping, etc. All contact will be through e-mail at the above address. Thanks and I hope you can use my services as a cost effective way to get some great looking artwork on your projects! I welcome your thoughts. Here is a video on how to apply graphics:

Here is mine 42-32-19 Hyperpin. http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13088