CPUWIZ Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Damn, I forgot about the Heini's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 Thanks guys, you've given me quite a bit of food for thought there. The only way I could think of for printing on box-thickness card would be to have a completely flat bed printer (expensive item I would think - if they exist!). I knew that jpg format is less size hungry but image quality of a jpg is never as good as bitmaps. One idea I had was to produce the box cover art & logos as high res images but have the main box (which is just plain big rectangles of one colour) at a lower res (around 400 dpi) and simply transfer the higher quality images on top the main box template. This seems like a valid approach but whether I get any great reductions on the file sizes remains to be seen. I've tried making box templates from paper - just to see how difficult it was to construct one. The real pain in the backside was trying to include the cartridge support tab. It can be done but it's a very fiddly job. I couldn't imagine ever trying to hand-make 100 or so boxes like this, including the cart support too. Then again, it would be quite a challenge So you think that image quality would be fine at 600dpi? It does give me a figure to start with. Would there be any benefit from constructing the image at say 800 dpi & printing at 600? Thanks for the advice guys , whatever happens the results of this will be at PC4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Actually, I was able to feed some pretty thick card stock through my old Canon printer, which has a straight paper path. It has a little lever on it somewhere to adjust for thicker or thinner paper, IIRC. I think most Canon and Epson printer still print this way, as opposed to HP units which have a U-shaped path. But the "full page glossy sticker applied to thicker cardboard and then cut" method might not suck too badly either, depending on how it's done. Good luck... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keir Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 I think I would be more interested in homebrews if more of them came with boxes. Here's another possibility: Commodore 64/VIC-20 style boxes They're just generic boxes with a hole in front. The manual goes inside the box in front, effectively serving as a cover. Regarding the folding, gluing, etc. maybe you could go with plastic cases like the ones Genesis carts came in, with a sheet of paper that slides into the outer clear plastic sleeve. In order to make it cost effective you could also sell them for people to hold their loose carts in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 If plastic cases are acceptable then it seems reasonable to just do what they did for Space Instigators, i.e. a modified VHS case. I'd want to try to mod it with some kind of foam cutout rather than sticking velcro to the cartridge itself, but that's just me. I think the people pushing for actual cardboard boxes are people who want to try to duplicate the standard Atari cartridge size box from 1977-1984 or so. Can't say I blame them but it's a subtly different goal than just something to protect the cart and manual while providing more space for art. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xot Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Thanks guys, you've given me quite a bit of food for thought there. The only way I could think of for printing on box-thickness card would be to have a completely flat bed printer (expensive item I would think - if they exist!). I knew that jpg format is less size hungry but image quality of a jpg is never as good as bitmaps. One idea I had was to produce the box cover art & logos as high res images but have the main box (which is just plain big rectangles of one colour) at a lower res (around 400 dpi) and simply transfer the higher quality images on top the main box template. This seems like a valid approach but whether I get any great reductions on the file sizes remains to be seen. I've tried making box templates from paper - just to see how difficult it was to construct one. The real pain in the backside was trying to include the cartridge support tab. It can be done but it's a very fiddly job. I couldn't imagine ever trying to hand-make 100 or so boxes like this, including the cart support too. Then again, it would be quite a challenge So you think that image quality would be fine at 600dpi? It does give me a figure to start with. Would there be any benefit from constructing the image at say 800 dpi & printing at 600? Thanks for the advice guys , whatever happens the results of this will be at PC4. I would think 600 more than adequate. Most high-quality, 150 line stuff is done at 500 or even sometimes 300 if the ink coverage is heavy. I think my vote would go to a generic box with a large label slapped on it, IF the label was a nice, high quality reproduction. You can make beautiful prints from a decent color photocopier- put 'em in a frame and you can't even tell the difference usually. Print on some of those 5x8 half sheet labels and the results could be very nice. As far as the cart holder thingy, I think it'd be more than adequate to have an empty shell box with a box-sized piece of styrofoam inside. Cut a cart-sized hole out of the styrofoam and voila. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Thanks for that Xot, I'll try out 400/500 dpi quality tonight. The foam supports work great in a box (Cassidy used these in last year's Polo boxes) & to be honest are actually far more durable than flimsy bits of card - I just had to try it! Raindog is spot on though, I really like the whole authenticity side of things and (for me) the box is more than just a case to protect the cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 There is another possibility concerning the generic box idea: 1. Have the generic boxes printed out in the style of the boxes for the original system (ie silver and blue Atari 5200 boxes with generic side art and maybe the AA logo on the bottom), but leave the parts specific to games blank. 2. Create a basic template using photoshop that fit the dimensions of the box. This would only have to be done one time as it could be reused as your first layer as many times as you like. 3. Design/scan whatever cart art you wanted to use for the front and back. 4. Print out the finished art on thin transparent pre-cut glossy paper and print out one label for the front and one for the back. It wouldn't take that long to stick those on and the box would look decent unless you are really close up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 That's got it! Images constructed at 600dpi turn out great without eating up about 2/3 of my hard drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I have successfully created my first box, picture(s) to follow either later or tommorow, gotta go eat. It kicks ass, that's all I can say for right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaManFan Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I have successfully created my first box, picture(s) to follow either later or tommorow, gotta go eat. It kicks ass, that's all I can say for right now. Doed it go with the Oil World prototype in your avatar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I have successfully created my first box, picture(s) to follow either later or tommorow Looking forward to them gotta go eat What?! Before displaying the pics!! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Well, go ahead and flame the hell out of me ... It's not glued yet but shrinkwrapped to keep it in shape, that's why you see weirdness around the edges. I am not happy with the outcome of this peticular box but it's the first one and it's glossy, even without the shrinkwrap, time will tell. I managed to create the template now and bought a photo printer that can handle 13 x 19 inches just for this peticular job. Little practice and I'll make boxes that look better than the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 That is absolutely superb!! Seriously, that box could easily pass for the real thing. Did you re-draw the image or alter scans? Even the choice of colours is spot on, it has that real late 70's/early 80's look. Truly impressive CPUWIZ, hope that you do more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaManFan Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 All those images are broken, I can't see what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 I removed them from the server. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I removed them from the server. I thought it looked great and was nicely identified as a repro. So why did you remove 'em? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Not happy enough with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Damn collector nerds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Hehe, Albert is way worse than me when it comes to perfectionism. He is Mr.UeberPicky ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 No news there. I've got two label variations of "Missile Command TB" and neither of them looks like : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 No news there. I've got two label variations of "Missile Command TB" and neither of them looks like : Yeah, there is no starburst on the label. I'll stick a new graphic up there soon. The pictures of the cart (the angled shots) are accurate, though. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Neither of mine looks QUITE like that either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmeroid Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Not happy enough with it. Hmmm, you produce that on a BAD day???????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Neither of mine looks QUITE like that either! Mine does. Could you post a scan please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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