Printing CPO

[sgfootball2006]

Has anybody had a CPO printed at Kinko's? If so, how much did it run you and what other, if any, options did you add? What paper would be the best to have it printed on? Thanks.

[NinjaEpisode]

My advice:  Don't do it.

I didn't listen to others here who suggested the same thing before I went and wasted $60 bucks to have them print on what was supposed to be an indoor vinyl material which, to me, seemed to be just glorified photo quality paper.

The thing was blurry, stretched, etc.  Not a pretty sight at all.  I'd save your money until you can aford to have it done right.

[sgfootball2006]

What if I just had them print on some glossy paper and laminate it? Do they print on adhesive glossy paper? And if so can they laminate only one side? My CPO's dimensions are 23"W X 9.23"H.

[HaRuMaN]

No no no no no no!

Go to http://www.mamemarquees.com/ and have them print your CPO.  They'll use self-adhesive vinyl, and will coat it with a polycarbonate layer (lexan basically) for $39.95.

[sgfootball2006]

I have some galaga artwork on the control panel overlay. Will they still print it? Also is the CPO still flexible?

[rchadd]

if its worth doing - do it properly

forget the photo paper laminate thing.

take a look at this posting

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,36978.0.html

his custom cpo was printed by http://www.classicarcadegrafix.com and looks awesome

[sgfootball2006]

Will this company print a design I have if it has basically the same look as the original Galaga CPO but with a custom control layout?

[HaRuMaN]

Yes

[teetu]

i had kinkos print out the art for my 2/3 scale galaga.  I took them 300 dpi art, and they printed it out on vinyl for me.  They charged me $6 for each piece (kickplate, cp, sideart), and it looks like a million bucks.  I was seriously blown away by the quality, and the picture doesn't do it justice.

I think they can do a test print for you or something.  I took my art in PDF format, because thats what they told me the format the vinyl printer takes (I didn't want them to convert anything and possibly screw me up).

I know people haven't had the best experience at kinkos, but there is no way I'm going to pay any online printer 10X more (I can't imagine them doing any better).

[sgfootball2006]

did you have them laminate them or anything?

[krion]

i had my CPO printed on self adhesive vinyl at a place in whitby (toronto area).  Came out looking fantastic and cost like 20 bucks?

[mmmPeanutButter]

if its worth doing - do it properly

forget the photo paper laminate thing.

take a look at this posting

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,36978.0.html

his custom cpo was printed by http://www.classicarcadegrafix.com and looks awesome

Yeah... his does look awesome!!   

The print quality is amazing and the texture gives it an authentic feel.

[AmericanDemon]

They charged me $6 for each piece (kickplate, cp, sideart).
I know people haven't had the best experience at kinkos, but there is no way I'm going to pay any online printer 10X more (I can't imagine them doing any better).

My local kinkos was going to charge me $10.00 a square foot for a a printout on regular paper.  Thats enough to dissuade me from trying to get kinkos to print anything for me.

[sgfootball2006]

After seeing the picture by teetu, I went to Kinkos and had them print it out for me. I got it printed on the vinyl and then laminated. Total cost with them printing cutting laminating cutting was $20.11 after tax. I'm sorry that so many people have had bad experience with Kinkos. This artwork came out looking awesome. At the Kinkos I went to they only charge $8 a square foot for vinyl.

[sgfootball2006]

And on that note, What would be the best way to install it? It bends over like the Galaga CPO.

[teetu]

you saved a bundle by going with kinkos- it's too bad not everyone gets consistent results with them.

i was thinking of getting my cp and kickplate art laminated for increased durability.  do you think it was worth it to get it laminated? did it change the look of the art at all (ie too glossy or lots of bubbles)?

the best way is probably to use some 3M spray adhesive (they have several strenghts, and I don't really know which one would be most appropriate)

[sgfootball2006]

I assumed that the 3M adhesive spray would work the best so I bought some. I am currently gluing it to the control panel. The laminate seems like it will be alot more durable and skuff resistant. Not sure what it looked like before laminating it but it does not appear to be too shiny just a hint of it. It looks less shiny than glossy photo paper to me if that helps. No bubbles in mine. One draw back is that the laminate might come undone on an edge while folding it over. Mine came undone like a 1/8 of an inch in one place but its on the side so you cant really see it. We will see how it comes out.

[Q*Bert_OP]

@ my local Kinko's they aren't helpful... I was going to have a oversized marquee printed, and got absolutely no assitiance and the employees were not busy just talking behind the counter.

I

[sgfootball2006]

I was highly surprised when I went. It was my first time and I did not know what to expect. There was only one employee there but she was everywhere helping everybody sometimes doing two things at once. She couldn't get the vinyl printer to work but while she was trying she was communicating with another customer trying to help them with the coppier. Had to come back the next day to pick it up because she could not get it to work. When I got there it was waiting for me and I was in and out in 5 min. (That includes paying and talking to the guy who was asking about arcade cabinets)

[AceTKK]

There are good Kinko's locations and there are poor ones.  Not every location has the newest equipment, and many of the employees are clueless when it comes to properly calibrating and operating their machines.  My best advice would be to go during regular business hours if possible, so you have a good chance of dealing with the supervisor or someone who's been there a while and knows their stuff. 

Also, don't ever feel like you have to pay for a print that doesn't meet your expectations.  If your $60 job comes out distorted, stretched, or with major color problems (some color shifting is normal / expected) simply say no thanks and walk out. 

-Ace-

[SpamMe]

Meh, I had mine printed on Kinkos indoor vinyl, and I thought they did a pretty good job (eventually). The bigger deal was that, at the time, I couldn't find anybody that could do it for less than $6/sq ft (or even anywhere near there).

[Crowquill]

Thought I'd chime in as a Kinko's employee and specifically one of the guys running the printer.

The indoor banner material is a plastic that we print on. It's decently cheap at $6/square foot (at my store). It's pretty bad about creasing and scuffing unless you laminate it. Many times customers want to print on it since it's the cheapest material, but then complain when they get a scuff or crease. I can't count how many times I've had to reprint posters because I made a crease or scuff in them myself. Be very careful before laminating it.

Laminated and spray-mounted it should be fine for side art. I'd use the most heavy-duty spray glue you can. I think 3M's toughest is "Super 77".

My marquee is actually a printed piece that I spray mounted onto the back of the plexi. The standard 3M spray mount didn't seem to affect the pigment. I wasn't even that worried about it since the marquee only cost $6 to print.

Personally, I would try to do something else for the control panel overlay. The CPO is obviously going to get a lot more wear and even laminated, I have my doubts on how long it would hold up. Also, I'm out to reproduce the arcade experience I had growing up. I have to have a textured CPO.

I'm planning to have my CPO printed by mamemarquees.com.

[sgfootball2006]

Overall I think it came out looking good. I just hope that it holds up.