what came 1st the art work or cp?

[G1zm0]

hi i want to start doing my cp, do i do the art work 1st then use it as a template or do i do the cp 1st? also got a cab with a existing trackball on it (gt) do i need to try measure it then judge where the trackball is or do i make a new cp from scratch?

[Jdurg]

Trust me, it is MUCH easier to design the artwork first and then use it as a template for making your CP.  This way you have ZERO worries about stuff not lining up.  I did mine the other way around, and I'll probably have to spend $20 to $40 on initial "drafts", not to mention the unrecoverable time spent measuring and re-measuring everything, before I can even print out my artwork.  If I could do it all over again, the artwork would be the FIRST thing I did.

[G1zm0]

thanx, but the gt one i got i want to fill holes and use the trackball so might just put vinyl on it and label the holes

[Minwah]

I don't think it's too bad doing the artwork after the CP.  Just make sure you print out paper drafts to try before having it printed properly.

It's good to note the positions you cut the holes at before cutting tho...otherwise it's hard to measure the centre of holes etc.

[BASS!]

I figured I would jump in here and say, do your graphics first if you are planning anything like button halos and text around buttons or joystick arrows. I am a pretty good craftsman but when I did my panel and installed my graphic after I did my panel things did not line up perfect. If you are going to have someone like mameroom or arcadesrfun do your pannel then it doesn't matter. If you are planning on doing your own, it will save you some time and in the end may save you $80-$90 on a reprint.