Stupid, stupid cartridge labels...

[Ian Primus]

I just picked up a fairly good pile of 5200 carts, including some made by third parties, and I must say - the brain-dead cartridge design from Atari seems to have infected the third parties as well.

 

On the 2600 and 7800, all the cartridges have convenient labels on their ends so that when the games are piled on a shelf, or in a box, they're easy to identify. All Atari branded cartridges have end labels, and almost all third party carts do too.

 

For the 5200, Atari decided to make their system as inconvenient as possible for people to use. This is where we got the special Atari-only automatic switchbox, the non self-centering stick, and the controller storage bin that won't fit the controllers unless the cables are coiled up just so. And, of course, the cherry on the inconvenience sundae - the cartridges lack end labels.

 

So, Atari's cartidges don't have end labels. Activision, a well-known producer of quality titles for the 2600 must have agreed with this move - since their cartridges don't have end labels either. The end of the cart slopes down ever so slightly, and while some carts do have the name printed there - it hardly helps, since the angle isn't great enough to be able to read it when the cartridges are on a shelf.

 

Parker Brothers produced games for the 5200 with a similar design - much like their 2600 cartridges, only bigger. The end of those carts is angled at a 45 degree angle, so this CAN serve as an end label. Pity that they still hadn't figured out how to work the glue.

 

CBS Electronics actually designed a good cartridge, and came oh-so close to having end labels. The label folds over the end of the cartridge, and the end of the cartridge says... "CBS Electronics". Huh? How does that help? Amazingly enough, it would seem that whoever designed the label actually did a good job - but the idiots the glued them to the cartridge stuck them on upside down. Had the label been put on the other way, it would have been perfect. Look at one, and you'll see what I mean. The games name is printed TWICE on the face of the cart. And the smaller name is just perfect to fit on the end of the game...

 

Of all the cartridges I have - it would seem that only one company did it right - Sega. I only have one game - Buck Rogers - but it has a label that wraps to the end, and the label is well adhered to the cartridge. Way to go Sega.

 

-Ian

[Mirage]

Yeah, and ironically, Buck Rogers isn't even that good of a game, so the only way that really helps is to tell you a cart to not grab! I was thinking of making sets of 5200 end labels. I think some could be made that would fit on there okay.

[Ian Primus]

Yeah, and ironically, Buck Rogers isn't even that good of a game, so the only way that really helps is to tell you a cart to not grab! I was thinking of making sets of 5200 end labels. I think some could be made that would fit on there okay.

 

The funny thing is that about half the time when I find 5200 carts, they are sporting a homemade end label. The games I picked up in this lot all had end labels that were made from that cloth tape, with the names of the games written in red pen. Last few carts I bought had typewritten labels, made by taping bits of paper to the cartridge with scotch tape.

 

I'll probably just use the Dymo label maker and make some legible end labels.

 

-Ian

[Mirage]

I was just going to whip up a label set in InDesign to fit one of the ready-made label sets you can buy at Office Max etc... but I don't see any even close to the right size. It would need to be around .5"x4.5", or smaller. Everything from Avery is wider than that. I could do them on 1" wide labels, then just cut them in half I suppose, but I'd rather not.

 

I'm going to keep looking around, but if someone knows of a good easy-to-find label size that would work, let me know and I'll do a label set that anyone can download and print.

[Ian Primus]

I was thinking more along the lines of:

 

 

Simple, fast, neat. And they fit on the end of the cart. Also, since they're pretty sturdy plastic, you don't have to worry about them getting all wrinkled from the seam in the cartridge housing.

 

-Ian

[Mirage]

I was thinking more along the lines of:

 

Simple, fast, neat. And they fit on the end of the cart. Also, since they're pretty sturdy plastic, you don't have to worry about them getting all wrinkled from the seam in the cartridge housing.

 

-Ian

 

Yeah, that would work. I just hate those things and the look of it, so I won't use that (and I don't have one anyway). I was thinking something that looks a little more like a label that could actually have been there. The seam is an issue, but if careful with them, I think they'd hold up pretty well.

 

I did find these from Avery:

 

Avery® White Removable Rectangular Labels 6109, 1/2" x 1-3/4", Pack of 250

 

and they're only around $2 for the 250 pack. You could do an entire 5200 collection for a buck plus ink. Not bad. I'm going to check them out in the store to see if they look okay, and if so, I'll buy them and make a template for it (there isn't a template from Avery for that one). I wish I could find some thicker, glossy ones, but I may be out of luck on that.

 

EDIT: I see these are "removable" ... they may not stick as good as I like. I'll continue the search. May end up just having to get a large 8.5"x11" glossy sheet of label then cut them with my rotary trimmer. I guess that would work. I will figure this thing out.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[Mirage]

Okay, this is what I've come up with.

 

It will have to be printed on a single 8.5"x11" sheet of sticker paper. It's available in glossy, permanent from several manufacturers. Should be very easy to find. Then, after it's thoroughly dry, you'll need a rotary trimmer (preferably) to cut along the trim marks. I'm including a ready-to-print PDF file, and also an InDesign CS3 document for anyone who would like to modify it before printing. I've included all official Atari releases, some homebrews, and Millipede to finish the sheet. Included in the zip file is the font (Ergoe Bold) for both PC and Mac (these are from the AtariAge fonts page).

 

Tip on cutting them... cut them horizontally first. Then, you won't have any vertical trim marks anymore, but's a simple matter to just cut them in half since the rotary trimmer has a ruler. Then just trim a little inside the blue on the edges. If I had thought ahead, I would have done the trim marks a little better... I'm used to doing them for a machine where the visual doesn't matter anyway... but this will work if you think before you cut.

 

I think if you print it on a good quality sticker paper, they should be pretty durable, if you're careful with them. Granted, they won't hold up as well as the main label, due to not being recessed, stuck onto a textured surface, and having the cart crease on there, but... you can always print out more and replace them!

 

If anyone would like this modified (like it doesn't work with your printer's margins or something like that), PM me and I'll see what I can do.

 

I hope someone can get some use from this. It's what I envision Atari may have done had they had the foresight to print end labels.

 

5200_End_Labels.zip

 

5200_End_Labels.pdf

Edited March 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[phuzzed]

The only problem I have with the Avery labels is that over a period of 5+ years, the adhesive dries out and the labels fall off. I had a parts bin where I had printed out these neat Avery labels that would say "Reisistors- 20 OHM" or "Transistors- 2N2222", and one day, I came into my work area, and several of the labels had fallen off, with the others getting ready to drop off.

 

I've used a Brother P-touch Labeler for my 5200 carts. While it doesn't look impressives, it get's the job done.

[Mirage]

Well, there's two possible solutions to that. One would be to just reprint them occasionally and re-apply. If it's only every 5+ years, that's not too bad. Or, you could put a little bit of glue on them (maybe rubber cement spread thinly? I wouldn't want to use super glue or anything else that might damage the cart) to enhance the sticking power, when you first apply them.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[Ian Primus]

Different adhesives have problems on different surfaces. I have several boxes of these form-feed address labels that I bought at a Radio Shack clearance sale in the early 90's. They're Tandy brand labels, so who knows what the manufacturer is, and they cost me all of fifty cents a box. I've been using these labels for everything for years. All of my parts drawers are labeled with them, cut down to fit. Any time I need to stick a label on something, I use these. They stick great on everything... except floppy disks. I don't know what it is - but stick them to a disk, and they fall off in a couple weeks.

 

So I went and I bought a package of Avery floppy disk labels. And those don't freaking stick either!!! Even on brand new disks, they fall off in less than month. They don't stick to video tapes either - I tried. I've had a similar problem with most other modern labels - except they fall off everything. And in at the office, we had some new packs of Imation disks - and the labels that come with those fall off too. I don't get it. It's like in the last ten years, everyone has forgotten how to make adhesives.

 

Those Dymo labels fare pretty well, but the problem is that the letters it makes aren't quite small enough for descriptive labels. "Space Invaders" would fit, but "The Dreadnaught Factor" would be too long.

 

-Ian

[Mirage]

Well, if anyone wants to give those a shot, obviously they're free to, and if you have a solution you like better, that's okay too. Mine will look awesome though, whether they're on the cart or the floor.

 

Personally, I'll take no labels at all over fugly Dymo or P-Touch labels, but that's just me!

Edited March 8, 2009 by Mirage1972

[Ian Primus]

Well, if anyone wants to give those a shot, obviously they're free to, and if you have a solution you like better, that's okay too. Mine will look awesome though, whether they're on the cart or the floor.

 

Hehe - they definitely do look awesome. If I track down some good adhesive paper, I'll definitely try these out. Actually, if anyone wants to send me all these carts, I'll gladly print out the labels, stick them on, and take a photo of how awesome they look

 

-Ian

[bohoki]

neat this sounds a bit like my microrant from the "show us your cartridge storage" thread

 

ps sorry lushgirl i just assume every body puts on a sticker with the game name on the end of the carts

 

parkerbrothers got close but they couldn't seem to make up their minds on which end was up acitvision failed miserably with their 5 degrees off 90 angled label

 

so the only game i can id correctly every time is miner 2049er since it is red

 

ooh i forgot the sega ones got it right they win the end label challenge

[Ian Primus]

neat this sounds a bit like my microrant from the "show us your cartridge storage" thread

 

Yep - you put it freshly back into my mind, and then when I bought this pile-o-games, I got annoyed all over again. I'd never owned any third party 5200 carts, and it saddened me to see that they didn't do any better than Atari did. Especially CBS Electronics - they came so close... then stuck the labels on backwards.

 

-Ian

[STICH666]

Didn't the AVGN do a video about this. I think he also mentioned how Nintendo did the same thing with the N64.

[hhwolfman]

Thanks Mirage.

[Mirage]

No problem! If anyone actually uses these, please post a pic of them applied. I'll probably get to it this week (my wife is going to see if she has any sticker paper before I buy new stuff), then I'll post a pic.

[bah]

For cartridge labels (like the 5200 end labels I did) I print on glossy paper then laminate the top side with a clear plastic shelf liner for durability, then lastly use a xyron 250 to apply adhesive to the back side. The Xyron label maker basically prints a non-staining adhesive to a surface and makes it into a sticker.

 

The shelf liner is glossy so it might not look original but the goal is to keep the ink from rubbing off the label. The shelf liner came from walmart.

 

The xyron label maker can be found in Jo Annes fabric, Micheals, or other crafting stores.

 

Found out the hard way that this method doesn't work on labels that wrap around and edge like Activision 2600 labels. The plastic top laminate eventually lifts the short edge of the label.

 

BAH

[shadow460]

Anyone ever thought about building a storage device and just labeling that? It would negate the need to add anything at all to the carts. Otherwise my vote goes for the Dymo 'cause it looks kinda 80's ish, especially with black label tape. What other kinds of labels did we use in the 1980's?

[Mirage]

I never did find any good sticker paper to try these out... but then, I really haven't had time to look with travel and whatnot. Office Depot had bumper sticker material, but I didn't want to spend that much on the 10 pack just to try this. Eventually I'll run into something.

 

Most people probably wouldn't mind the Dymo, and there's nothing wrong with it... I just don't want my gaming stuff looking like cheaply labelled office-supplies. I admit it would look '70s or '80s though, but to me, it would just look a bit too generic and junky. Labelling the storage might be a good idea, but my collection changes so much, it wouldn't work, and my stuff has to be alphabetized... I'd be peeling and re-doing the stickers constantly! Good idea though.

[Atari2008]

This is funny. I was at a video game store yesterday, one that has pretty much every system, and I was looking at their 5200 games on the shelf. It took so long since I literally had to pull out every cart one by one so I could see what game it was. Normally when I go look for 2600 games I just quickly glance since they all have end labels. Luckily I only have 6 5200 games at home but already I have to pull all of them out and lay them out just to see what's what. Too bad Atari would repeat the same mistake with the Jaguar.

 

The 5200 has some cool games but it's definitely not the most convenient system in the world, especially for a quick gameplay session.

[bohoki]

This is funny. I was at a video game store yesterday, one that has pretty much every system, and I was looking at their 5200 games on the shelf. It took so long since I literally had to pull out every cart one by one so I could see what game it was. Normally when I go look for 2600 games I just quickly glance since they all have end labels. Luckily I only have 6 5200 games at home but already I have to pull all of them out and lay them out just to see what's what. Too bad Atari would repeat the same mistake with the Jaguar.

 

The 5200 has some cool games but it's definitely not the most convenient system in the world, especially for a quick gameplay session.

 

 

a little rule of thumb with the parker brothers games the ones with the endlable title upside down are the fun ones to play

 

mr.do/montezuma's revenge

[Atari2008]

This is funny. I was at a video game store yesterday, one that has pretty much every system, and I was looking at their 5200 games on the shelf. It took so long since I literally had to pull out every cart one by one so I could see what game it was. Normally when I go look for 2600 games I just quickly glance since they all have end labels. Luckily I only have 6 5200 games at home but already I have to pull all of them out and lay them out just to see what's what. Too bad Atari would repeat the same mistake with the Jaguar.

 

The 5200 has some cool games but it's definitely not the most convenient system in the world, especially for a quick gameplay session.

 

 

a little rule of thumb with the parker brothers games the ones with the endlable title upside down are the fun ones to play

 

mr.do/montezuma's revenge

 

Nice rule. What about Frogger II? I won't touch Frogger or Q-Bert since the control scheme is screwed up.

 

But I ended up getting an Atari title - Moon Patrol which is pretty sweet.

[PacManPlus]

I remedied this a while ago:

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1645072

 

Copied the 'Red Label' layout for the 5200, but changed the background to blue (the 5200 color).

They are printed on label paper (where the whole sheet was a label) and just cut them out.

 

Edited March 25, 2009 by PacManPlus

[Mirage]

Yeah, those look nice. I didn't even think to add the 5200 Super System text to the end. I guess I was thinking more like early 2600 labels. Nice stuff.