help with vinyl decal for enclosures!

[njkmonty]

I have never  done graphics and labels on my pedals, and now after a few lovetone and other larger pedals, having trouble remembering what half the knobs and switches do!

I came acorss the following pics and and webpage and a Love tone clone was decorated with printed " White Decal Vinyl"

Ive had poor results with etching enclosures, and was hoping there was some sort of durable stuff i can print on my laser colour printer and stick on to my pedals.

.. like the pics below.

can anyone point in right direction. I dont want to do water slides or have to clear coat etc either.


http://hownotomakeapedal.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/big-pedals-to-trip-over.html

[Kipper4]

I'm not sure I can help since I use vinyl self adhesive labels NOT decal.
Decals are water floated into position right.
If you want help with self adhesive I can help.
What art application program are you using?
I use Corel draw (similar to Inkscape which is a free to download) it's a vector program.
Rich

[njkmonty]

yes its stickers and labels then!,  not waterslides

i can get most picture programs ,  but i plan to do it lofi,  scan my enclosure ( with unevenly drilled holes)  then use that as a size template then add graphics ( simple cut and paste then print)

i wasn't sure if there was special paper /vinyl thats purchased or you have to stick in onto a piece of paper before printing like that etching "peel and blue" stuff!

[Kipper4]

I'll find an eBay link to the stuff I use. Clear and white A4
My set up will be a little different to yours since I'm using inkjet not laser.
The vinyl stickers I use have a backing paper on already so no need to stick them to a piece of paper.
If you can get and use a vector/paint program why would you go lofi?

In my program. I have made some typical enclosure templates.
If you want the labels to look random this is easy in paint too.
Generally I find the box contents dictate what layouts is possible/best.
If the pcb is large, amount of pots, switches, jacks, dc jack, if it's a positive gnd circuit this also has a bearing.

I start with my template.
Say for example a 1590B
I will want a 3pDt bypass switch. Where this goes depends on.

Is there a battery option inside the box.
No battery.

How many pots
Say three.
Do I put them as high up the top of the box and line them up
Two at the top one cantered but a bit lower.
Line them up down one side of the box.

All this matters especially if I want to include a graphic other than just text to say what knob does what. Where the input and outputs are.
What power supply should be used. (Important because some users think I will use what I have, all I have is an 18v centre positive supply from a pedal I broke years ago, that should do fine.
But the pedal was was designed to be used with a 9v centre negative supply and some componants will smoke with 18v that is even if the polarity was correct.)

No offense but these thing are not always to a guitarist. Then your gonna get a call from a pissed off customer/friend saying it doesn't work.

It's not uncommon for me to spend 8hrs plus creating a label for a pedal.
Partly because I have the time, I want to make it as good as I can get it.
And I only have to get it right once then I can copy and paste it to a new page with all the currently required labels for a batch of my latest things.

Because I use inkjet.
The ink still tends to be wet long after printing. So I gingerly carry the label to the shed and clear coat it to fix the ink. Several very light coats, leave to dry.
Use a gillotine to cut the labels to size around the guide lines.

Make a paper label and (not vinyl) with a draft light ink setting, tape it to the enclosure to mark out the drill holes. I use a exact one knife to score the aluminium surface. Throw this away.
Drill, sand and clean the box with alcohol.
I hold the drilled box to the light remove the backing from the vinyl label and position it so the drilled holes and label cross hairs line up.
You might be able to have a few goes before the label starts to stretch. The trick is to not apply pressure and stick the label down hard before your certain it's right.
When you are certain use a piece of hard foam to squeegee the ladle down and try to remove any remaining air bubbles.
Clear coat. Several times and bosh.

If you need more details or I didn't make stuff clear shout up.
I can probably elaborate more.

Sorry if it's not so lofi

Rich

[Kipper4]

Label eBay link

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WHITE-A4-HIGH-GLOSS-INKJET-SELF-ADHESIVE-STICKER-VINYL-NOT-PAPER-10-SHEETS-/131347752311?hash=item1e94efa577:g:ah0AAOSwe-FU2PWv

[Jdansti]

Kip (or anyone else), have you ever tried applying clear vinyl on top of a printed vinyl sticker or other graphics?

Here's an example:
http://www.topvinylfilms.com/intermediate-vinyl/clear-vinyl-adhesive-film/

[stallik]

Yes. Clear vinyl or laminate is available in many surfaces and can be stuck onto many products and there's a whole industry out there doing it. Think of it as being he same as applying a vinyl label but in this case you get to see all of the air bubbles behind it. It can be done by hand but you'll get the best results by applying it with a felt squeegee and working from one end getting all the bubbles out. Easiest way to do this is to peel the backing sheet off at one edge, attach that and then gently work your way over while pulling off the the backing.

You get one chance at it. This stuff is meant to stick like s**t to a blanket. If you get an air bubble, don't be tempted to pull the stuff off. Instead, when you're done, prick the bubble with a pin and gently push the air out of the hole. Sounds really difficult but with 2 of us working at it, I managed a 8x4 sheet once(though I'll never do it again)

Fine bubbles cause an effect called silvering which mostly disappears after 24 hours

[Kipper4]

@John
No I've never done that although I did get a friend to do a thermal former coating but he could'nt get it good enough around the bottom edges. Great shame.

[njkmonty]

do you think this stuff would work the same on a coloured laser printer?   as i do not have an Ink jet anymore

[stallik]

White adhesive vinyl is available for both. Whether any are universal I don't know. Clear stuff will stick to most anything

[Kipper4]

It is available for laser printer. most times theres more for laser than inkjet. Kevin is right.

[Jdansti]

Thanks for the answers on the clear stuff. I can see where bubbles would be more obvious with clear vinyl.

[Kipper4]

True that with the bubbles Kevin. A technique used in flexographic print setting.
For a foam squeegee I used a piece of packaging that came in a curtain pole pack.
It's about 10mm thick 2"x2" and stiff. Top tip I use it under the feet of my monitor speakers on the desk too. Waste not want not.

I also make the designs with all the cross hairs and layout lines for drilling and remove them before printing on vinyl. Mostly 1/2pt lines. The outline of the label is left on the vinyl for cutting out.
Just cut short of the lines.

One other great thing about vinyl is you can do unusual shaped labels that can partially cover the sides of the enclosure.
Think Dali....

[stallik]

I'm with you on that Rich. I always leave the drill marks on the artwork, center punch them and drill. It beats measuring and getting it wrong. Trouble with the enclosures we use is the rounded top edge which makes it harder for me to accurately measure.
Here's one I'm working on at the moment. The first image is the vinyl I use, the second shows the guides for knobs, switches etc. I print the second onto paper at 100% then lay all the components on it to check that I've left enough room. The grey background isn't printed, it just replicated the colour of the enclosure and allows me to see where the text is when doing the layout. There's also a path round the edge which allows me to use a contour cutter to get even rounded corners



The LED for the chasm is under the shoulder mounted weapon on the main figure and the other ones are my attempt to make them look like scattered planets

[njkmonty]

i ended up buying

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131347752311?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

as recommended however just to let others know it doesnt work with laser printers, the toner just rubs off and hardly attaches itself to the paper!,  bummer


i also bought this stuff and it did the same

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201130314707?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=500297376475&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


does anyone know of a product that i can print on a laser printer then stick onto a pedal thats hard wearing?   arh!!!

[mph]

Hi

to my experience, with special papers, you often need to use an original drum for your printer.
On my cheap 35$ brother laser printer it is obvious that the generic replacement drums don't stand plastified stuff: it melts the plastic and destroy the drum (you'll find imperfections even while printing on regular paper after that).
I think an OEM drum can heat properly, but a generic one is way too hot for the same task. Can't explain more...
However the toner cartridge can be generic or OEM it doesn't make any difference.

Maybe you have the same problem?

BTW you can have more controls over your printer using a third party software like Gutenprint. It can allow to tweak the settings further and maybe help to print onto something which your printer "doesn't like"?