Homebrew Front Panel's Label or Product's Graphics

[Mechatrommer]

Ingredients:
1) Paper Sticker (Glossy or Normal) - available from Stationary Shops.
2) Photo Laminate Sticker - available from Photo Printing Shops or suppliers. you can buy in roll, or if they are kind they can sell cutouts at cheaper price.
3) Normal Budget Printer (Laser or Inkjet) - make sure the ink is compatible with the paper.

Steps:
1) Make your own graphic in Graphics Editing Software.
2) Print using your normal printer onto the Paper Sticker
3) Cut the paper with some excess area on every sides
4) Laminate it with the Photo Laminate (including the excess area)
5) Cut with your favourite cutter to the proper size, ie cutting out the excess area (laminated)
6) If you need holes etc, cut with your favourite tools.
7) Stick it to your product.

You'll get long lasting and "thinner or chemical resist" graphics printout.
In the attached pictures below i used Luster (or bumpy) surface Photo Laminate. The Glossy one is boring.
ps: Sorry i cant show you the steps in the form of pictures or videos. I've completed my latest printout. So use your imagination, its easy.
Cheers.

[robrenz]

Very nice job!

[Mechatrommer]

Thanks Rob for the kind words. I think Photo Printing Technique works in this ee area. thought might be usefull for some begineers. Cheers.

[robrenz]

I have done the video step for you here in this post repy# 21.  It shows details on things to watch for in making a overlay using your method. It does get to the overlay part, be patient.  I use Papillo products in the video but what you used accomplishes the same thing and is more readily available worldwide.

I hope you dont mind me posting the link, just trying to help   I will happily remove at your request.

[PaulAm]

Another option is a dry transfer decal process by a comapny called DecalPro.  It's a toner transfer process and you can make full color labels.  The only hitch is that it only works with laser output, not inkjets.  If you want a multicolor graphic, you need a color laser printer.

I ran into this because I have to make a replacement panel for an instrument and it requires white lettering which gets applied to a red plastic LED bezel.  Getting white lettering on decals is darn near impossible.  The only 2 ways I've found are Alps printers, which are obsolete and in high demand, and this process (screen printing UV ink is another, but not cost effective for one offs or small jobs)

Haven't tried it yet, all of the materials are sitting there, but other stuff is in the way.

You can also use the same process to put a white "silk screen" on a pcb

[robrenz]

Another option is a dry transfer decal process by a comapny called DecalPro.  It's a toner transfer process and you can make full color labels.  The only hitch is that it only works with laser output, not inkjets.  If you want a multicolor graphic, you need a color laser printer.

I ran into this because I have to make a replacement panel for an instrument and it requires white lettering which gets applied to a red plastic LED bezel.  Getting white lettering on decals is darn near impossible.  The only 2 ways I've found are Alps printers, which are obsolete and in high demand, and this process (screen printing UV ink is another, but not cost effective for one offs or small jobs)

Haven't tried it yet, all of the materials are sitting there, but other stuff is in the way.

You can also use the same process to put a white "silk screen" on a pcb

Doesn't a color laser printer still count on a white background? I don't think they have white toner do they?

[Mechatrommer]

I hope you dont mind me posting the link, just trying to help   I will happily remove at your request.

i request you dont remove it feel free to add the value, its "freedom of speech" world

i just downloaded and watched your video Rob i havent seen it before because its about milliOhm meter, kudos you showed some aspects in printing art such as scaling to get the right output. i didnt aware about laminate technique mentioned in this forum (i textually searched maybe i missed). you showed the finished laminated label but you didnt show how to stick the laminate to the paper, it takes some "art" to do that and i believe thats the most important part we both did not demonstrate for smaller size we can do with hand (with proper "artistic" finger sweeping direction) but for bigger and better result we use cold laminator, also there is some art and experience when doing it, otherwise we'll get bubbles or wrinkled laminate. for bubble the easy fix is to punch the center of the bubble with sharp object (i used tip of my paper knife) and then rub the bubble from the side to push the air through the hole, if you are lucky the bubble will dissapear. and one more comment Rob. you can leave the center of your cutted out label/panel white instead of all black (it will go to the dustbin anyway) you can save some black ink by doing it and hence make the world greener

now about white object or letters... an old friend of mine has made me some labelling sometime ago, he got this rotating handheld lettering punch device (i dont know what its called even in my language. i googled letter punch i got different tool set), he got somesort of stiff red tape roll and punch the letter manually and cut. i still have the lettered tape sticked on my PC (attached picture), the red tape will be streched and leave white mark on the letter. there's another type of lettering in plastic usually found in art shops, we scratched the plastic from above onto anything, the white letter will remain on the object, we can later spray or put adhesive tape on it to protect it, i usually did this during kid time. and lastly, printing from home using simply an inkjet... make a graphics or white letter on black background, follow the steps, done! the paper will give you the white letters YMMV.

[robrenz]

You are right about the proper technique for applying large sticky stuff.  I mentioned it in the video but assumed it is common knowledge.  I will do a quick video and post it here.

In the US the DYMO company made embossed tape labels famous Wiki here a long time ago. 

[SeanB]

Dymo label system...... Used to be a very common thing, but the high cost of the tape and limited fonts made them very rare these days, where you can buy a cheap thermal label printer that will print a similar style label that is hard wearing and can be customised easily.

[Mechatrommer]

In the US the DYMO company made embossed tape labels famous Wiki here a long time ago. 

exactly that! except maybe my friend's is the cheapo one. now i know what its called thanks.

[Thor-Arne]

Have anyone tried to use fixation spray (like the one they use one charcoal drawings) on these paper sticker sheets?

I used this on a front label for a book with very good results.

Labels was printed on Canon printer with ChromaLife100 ink and left to dry overnight, prayed with fixation spray the next morning and left to dry.

Can't remember the brand of the fixation spray, but it was bought in a local art-shop.

[SeanB]

Careful with those, a lot of the inks and toners will run or bleed when sprayed with that, from the alcohol solvent in them. A few very light coats will often work, but they are not terribly resistant to marking or fading.

If you can hot laminate that is good. Cold lamination is better than nothing, but generally will peel after a while. If you print on a self adhesive plain paper label back it with a plain paper backing, then hot laminate, cut out and then peel apart and stick the now very durable label down.

[Thor-Arne]

There has been no sign of bleeding or fading, and it's been more than 10 years since I did it.
My main concern was the glue on the labels, but that worked out just fine.

It might be that I was just lucky with the combination of ink, label glue and fixation spray.

Perhaps I should do some testing.

[robrenz]

You showed the finished laminated label but you didnt show how to stick the laminate to the paper, it takes some "art" to do that and i believe thats the most important part we both did not demonstrate for smaller size we can do with hand (with proper "artistic" finger sweeping direction) but for bigger and better result we use cold laminator, also there is some art and experience when doing it, otherwise we'll get bubbles or wrinkled laminate.

Just for you Mecha,  this is the technique I use.  I used a large sheet to show you can do any size with this technique.

[Mechatrommer]

thanks Rob nicely done . thanks for taking the trouble of doing that. i currently dont have a laminate to waste for the demo thats how we do it, stick from the side. i didnt realize you actually already described the process (with finger motion demo) in your micro ohm video the first time i saw it. for smaller size (like the one i posted in OP), if we gain some experience we can just take out the whole backing tape first and stick it to the artwork with some finger motion (its faster for me), but for bigger job, Rob's steps must be followed closely otherwise you'll mess up the whole thing. if you have damaged laminator, you can salvage the rubber roller inside and manually roll with hand to do the job. we also can punch the hole or cut the sides at the last step after lamination, so we can get nicely aligned laminate and artwork. YMMV.

[notsob]

And here's how to do a panel label with just normal inkjet paper and a laminator

http://www.pcbheaven.com/userpages/How_to_make_a_professional_like_panel_label/

[robrenz]

i currently don't have a laminate to waste for the demo

we also can punch the hole or cut the sides at the last step after lamination, so we can get nicely aligned laminate and artwork. YMMV.

Those laminate sheets were a flea market buy. I think a couple of dollars for 2 boxes of 100 sheets. Not good enough quality for instrument panels.

I punched the holes thru both the "artwork" and  "panel" at the same time for a quick way to show a need for alignment in the demo. Normally I would do it just like you mentioned.

[jimmc]

I too use a laminating machine, but I prefer to cut the holes after fixing the label to the panel.
I find that cutting against a metal panel makes rectangular cut-outs easier.
The corners of the laminate can easily lift and it's worth cutting a small mitre on them.

Using silver pearlised paper (from a craft shop) gives an effect similar to anodised aluminium which I prefer to a plain background.

Jim

[robrenz]

I too use a laminating machine, but I prefer to cut the holes after fixing the label to the panel.
I find that cutting against a metal panel makes rectangular cut-outs easier.
The corners of the laminate can easily lift and it's worth cutting a small mitre on them.

Jim

Agreed, but you need a visible reference in at least 2 locations on the graphic with the laminate attached to align the graphic artwork with the cutouts on the panel you are mounting to.  Since most backings are opaque you need to cut out 2 details on the graphic that correspond to a cutout on the panel to act as fiducials for locating the graphic/laminate properly on the panel. Then cut all the remaining cutouts using the panel cutouts to guide the knife.  You obviously want those 2 reference cutouts to be as far apart as possible for maximum positioning accuracy.

[PaulAm]

Another option is a dry transfer decal process by a comapny called DecalPro.  It's a toner transfer process and you can make full color labels.  The only hitch is that it only works with laser output, not inkjets.  If you want a multicolor graphic, you need a color laser printer.

I ran into this because I have to make a replacement panel for an instrument and it requires white lettering which gets applied to a red plastic LED bezel.  Getting white lettering on decals is darn near impossible.  The only 2 ways I've found are Alps printers, which are obsolete and in high demand, and this process (screen printing UV ink is another, but not cost effective for one offs or small jobs)

Haven't tried it yet, all of the materials are sitting there, but other stuff is in the way.

You can also use the same process to put a white "silk screen" on a pcb

Doesn't a color laser printer still count on a white background? I don't think they have white toner do they?

Correct, there is no white toner.  To make a white graphic, you print using a normal black on white toner image then laminate a white film that turns the black toner white.  It's a multiple step process that's a bit involved (which is why it's still sitting on my desk), but the results look quite good.  They have multiple color films available, so you can turn a black image into metallic silver for example.  You only need a color laser if you want to make multicolor transfers.  Somewhere I ran across shots of a control panel made for an experimental aircraft using this process and some commercial shops reportedly use it for prototype panels.

[robrenz]

If you have the time, please document the process in photo or video when you do it.  I am sure many would be interested. Especially what the materials are and where to get them.

[free_electron]

i use a self-adhesive polyester foil for laserprinters. The toner melts in the plastic. even scratching does not remove the print.
Onlinelabels.com OL713LP

[PaulAm]

Here's a link for Decalpro
  http://pulsarprofx.com/
They have videos, examples, etc.  They also do a pcb fab-in-a-box.  It's a toner transfer process but augmented by one of their laminate films which is supposed to improve the resist qualities.  I have some of that film too, but haven't tried it yet.

It looks good, I'll have to see for myself soon how it works.

[robrenz]

That is quite a neat system. It definitely is the ducks guts for what you need to do on the red plastic bezel. It is a lot of work if you don't need the dry transfer aspect where only the toner ends up on the part. From what I saw you would still want to use a high quality clear laminate over the dry transfer for durability.