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After receiving some feedback to Replacement Covers Made Easy (http://www.bathroomgamer.com/2009/02/07/replacement-covers-made-easy), a secondary foray into printing your own replacement game covers is warranted.
Obtaining Cover Images
Replacement cover images can be downloaded from The Cover Project. The administrative team over at The Cover Project has done an excellent job organizing, and maintaining high quality scans of video game covers. Many games will have scans for multiple regions and additional custom covers created by Cover Project members. Most scans have been retouched to ensure quality, and are preformatted for ease in printing.
Game Storage
Most games can be stored easily in readily available cases. For optical media, DVD, Blu-Ray, and Gamecube cases are available from many distributors. Most cartridge based games will fit into the Universal Game Case without modification. The UGC is the default standard for cartridge games from the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis. The UGC can also be modified to fit Nintendo Entertainment System games. In addition to replacement Gamecube Cases, Nintendo sells replacement DS cases. These DS cases house the DS and Gameboy Advance cartridges without modification. The DS case can also be modified to house Gameboy and Gameboy Color cartridges as well.
Printing Cover Images
Printing cover images requires a few basic tools. First, a good printer is required. The HP 2605DN Color Laser Jet provides excellent prints for covers. If a Laser Jet is cost prohibitive, a high quality photo ink jet such as the Epson R320 works nicely. Often photo quality ink jet printers can be purchased for less than $100. It is possible to print covers at Kinko's or Office Max, but sometimes they will refuse on the grounds that the image is copyrighted. Home grade printers are excellent solutions for printing.
For most covers, the best printing material is standard Legal paper. The heavier the weight of the paper, the less bleeding there will be through the paper. Unfortunately, Legal paper tends to be the only size big enough for covers intended for UGC and DS cases. A4 sized paper is also large enough and is available in thicker stock, reducing bleeding. Unfortunately, A4 paper is a non-US standard and is difficult to find inside the US.
Cutting the Covers to Size
To best cut the covers to size some basic tools are required. First a good cutting surface, such as a Uchida Cutting Mat or similar. If you don't have one available, a sturdy piece of cardboard will work in a pinch. Secondly a good cutting implement such as an X-Acto knife is required. Additionally, a cork-backed ruler between 18 and 24 inches is an ideal straight edge to use along with your cutting implement for a nice straight line.
Before cutting, always make sure your straight edge lines up neatly with the image. A good strategy is to cut the shortest way first, thus reducing the length of the longer cuts. The two shortest sides should be cut first followed by longer cuts.
More Information
The Cover Project has a great forum with many helpful members. Additionally, the forums provide some in depth posts on ordering cases, how to print via various image editing programs, and more.
Originally posted at Bathroom Gamer (http://www.bathroomgamer.com/2009/02/07/replacement-covers-made-easier).