Bezel Printing

[gavinb]

Afternoon all,

I'm trying to find a reasonably priced, quality bezel printing / cutting service. I have a specific (presumably non standard) size and it's the last part of my bartop to be done (i use bartop very loosely as its a tab bigger than initially intended)

anyone got any service they have used before?

gavinb2013-07-02 14:53:52

 

[RGP]

I have used http://www.colourgraphics.com before with excellent results.

They will print almost anything at any size on any material, they don't do reverse printing onto glass but can do it to perspex. I had complete custom art made for my Mr Do cabinet I converted from a DECO cassette system.

 

[gavinb]

Thanks alot.

Just taken a look and seems the only do white Perspex though?

 

[RGP]

They used to do clear perspex, the image is printed on the back side of it and then they cover it with a white backing behind that so that the image is behind the perspex as you look at it from the front.

The only thing is that you have to organise an Adobe Illustrator file with a cut-path for them if you want the centre to remain clear.

Hmmm, they seem to have taken clear off for some reason, I need to speak to them anyway so i'll find out.

 

[gavinb]

Cheers James

 

[RGP]

Right then, conversation had this morning, the white acrylic is front-printed only. I spoke to a contact there and he said that they have to order in large clear perspex boards which are then cut to size, the remainder is put back on the shelf but when they next come to use it, the board is scratched etc and so no good for production and they have to order in another board.

He did say they'd do them as special orders - not sure what the price might be though but i'm sure that if we combined a couple of prints into one order then the scrap wouldn't be that bad for them.

I need a Frogger marquee doing and you want a bezel. Last time I ordered, the marquees worked out around £13 for a 605x180 and the bezel was just shy of £60 - this was 580x620 ish.

The other option is to setup your artwork to be printed on gloss paper and apply a cut path to remove the centre, then get 2 pieces of 2mm perspex from a local supplier and sandwich the print in-between - you could seal the edges if you wanted to keep them together - should the bezel ever get hit with something your artwork would be preserved against most bumps and bangs and you'd just have to replace the perspex.

 

[RaveN]

Hi Guys,
Out of curiosity, how do you think it would turn out if you got the bezel printed on glossy and then sprayed the front with 3M adhesive and fixed it to the perspex/glass? The reason I ask is I need to sort my Pacman glass bezel at some point and getting someone to silk screen onto glass is very expensive!
Cheers,

Andy

 

[RGP]

The only thing i'd be careful of is the spray adhesive not unfixing the colours on the print first. I might be tempted to give it a lacquer coat of something first that would prevent the colours from running and then use adhesive.

I could be totally wrong about that though.

And i'm working on a Pac-Man cabaret at the moment for someone that I might need to sort the bezel out on too.

 

[RaveN]

Thanks for the reply, the lacquer idea is good. Unfortunately, the trial-and-error approach is a bit scary when you consider the cost and effort of getting these things printed. I'll keep an eye out when you come to do the cabaret.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[shrunkenmaster]

I know a printer down here in Brighton who does vinyl at good rates - I got a Burgertime bezel printed onto self-adhesive vinyl, with the sticky stuff on the top rather than underneath:

Luisa at Weeza Graphics, Brighton (tell her Ian with the arcade machines sent you)

http://www.weezagraphics.co.uk

She doesn't do crystal matt laminate for CPO's, but all the self-adhesive vinyl stuff I've got from her has been quality, at a decent price.