Printing full size NES boxes! here is my results/conclusions

[Sammickk]

tried my hand at printing my own boxes, here's what i got so far.

Box weight = Really solid good feel
Paper type = 12pt glossy cardstock (bad Choice) while the weight was good this paper did NOT get along with inkjet ink
Nes box template = Extremely good, EXACTLY like an nes box down to  size and fold  accuracy
Image quality = Terrible! tried a few other box prints, all the blacks smudged and smeared terribly. Lolo 2 turn out decent since its Box  was white.
                        As well as the over all image is blurry looking

CONCLUSION: need to try heavy weight photo paper instead  of cardstock.



 



http://postimg.org/image/48b1vhiyh/
http://postimg.org/image/3k6sqa9mh/
http://postimg.org/image/g03ik12yh/
http://postimg.org/image/51s91ued5/

[monjici]

Awesome, I like the result
Do you have anything inside to hold the cart in place?

[Sammickk]

thats my next step, i need to find out what i can make the foam from. well of coarse it will be foam and i saw them for sale on the net. I may just buy them if they are cheap enough. other than that i was just going to get regular foam and cut it with a saw to fit.

I could have done a better job with the folding too but it was my first attempt and i was excited lol and it was almost midnight. and i cut it out with scissors, instead of using a paper cutter and paper cutting pen.

[Oobgarm]

Score the backside of your edges with something. They'll help make the bends nice and crisp. I use the back of the blade of the X-acto knife I bought - it's not too sharp.

I've made a number of boxes myself:



I'm using 100# Matte Cover for stock. It's a little bit thinner than a standard box, but it looks good on the shelf and holds up well. I've been on the lookout for paper that's a match to retail, but I've not seen any.

I had my printing done on a professional offset printer, so I can't offer tips there...but avoid glossy for sure.

[BPip]

Where did you get ahold of a box template from?

[Oobgarm]

Where did you get ahold of a box template from?

Nintandbox has them, or you can use a raw scan that's folded flat.

[pumanchero]

Use a bone folder to mark the bends before folding

[Sammickk]

got a bone folder and the other type of scorer as well, the name of it is escaping me, looks like a small round ball of the end, works perfect for scoring the folds, my first box i didn't have these tools yet and wow what a difference it made

Why should i avoid glossy? if you mean glossy cardstock yea thats for sure, i'm trying glossy photopaper that is 16 mill! i found some online and my brother is thinking of trying some 100# pearl Finish.

I would think matte finish would be too far from the original NES box finish, but on cardstock (non pigment and ink friendy paper) you would have to go with matte

oogram what type of printer did they use?? was it laser or inkjet? probably laser if it was Professional. I have the canon pixma pro 100

[Oobgarm]

I'd say avoid glossy because it's too easy for the ink to smear. Granted, I've not really used "modern" inkjets, so I don't know if that issue's been resolved, but I know it used to be a problem.

I like the matte cover stock because it doesn't reflect a lot of light and the colors really come out more. Pearl finish might not be too bad. These coatings might not match a retail box, but they look great on a shelf, and that's what's really important, I think.

The printer that was used to print my boxes was an HP Indigo 5500. It's a super-expensive machine, but it puts out some high-quality product. I work for a printing company, so I was lucky enough to get some things printed on it.

[Sammickk]

Update!!!! Tried 96lb 16.5 mil Glossy Photo paper from red river.

Printed beautifully! the finish was a little to shiny and mirror like, but still acceptable.

BUT!!!!!

After i had painstakingly cut it all out, scored it with a cardstock scorer to fold, DISSASTER STRUCK!
Where the paper Folded, the ink just chipped and flaked right off, leaving a big white jagged line down all the folds, tried many different methods of folding all had the same result.

Next gonna try some heavier Luster type photo paper next, as we had printed a smaller front piece on a 69lb luster paper and it took the fold very well so...

Conclusion = Regular Glossy cardstock, folds nicely, NOT INKJET FRIENDLY  (wish i could afford a Nice Wide Format Laser Printer)
                   Photo Glossy Cardstock, Prints crisp looks beautiful, CANNOT FOLD
Printed on the matte (non photo) side and it folded Fine which leads me to believe, glossy smooth photo paper just can't take a fold

QUESTION!! Is Matte Photo paper really flat flat matte looking or does it have SOME shine to it?

[Oobgarm]

We've run into that with gloss stock here at work. The coating cracks and you get the base fiber showing through. It's especially bad on heavier weight stocks.

I can't speak for matte photo paper directly, but the matte stock I used had no cracks on the bends. Admittedly, I don't crease them totally  flat, so there's that to consider. I fold them enough to construct the box, then put it on the shelf and let the other boxes kinda push the corners in a bit over time.

[wiggy]

I'd try and find a satin/semi-gloss finish if you can.  Matte will dirty up really quickly with just a little handling, and you've gotta score the living snot out of the gloss to get decent folds (and you'll still prolly get cracks )

[Sammickk]

Thanks for confirming my suspicions wiggy, with that in mind what do you guys think about these two paper types
http://finestraart.com/11x14-premium-pearl-photo-paper-50-sheets/ 300gsm 11.5mil thick
http://www.redrivercatalog.com/browse/75lb-arctic-polar-luster.html 300gsm 11.8 mill thick

my two previous types were

• 12pt glossy Cardstock id say about 12mil (non photo paper) felt good weight but not inkjet friendly. Made the lolo 2 with this
• 16.5 mill glossy smooth photo paper about a 380 gsm weight. Folding caused the ink to flake off

[Oobgarm]

Polar luster seems interesting. It's not a finish I'm familiar with, but the samples look great. I'd say you really couldn't go wrong with either one, honestly.

[wiggy]

  You'll be less likely to get the cracking with uncoated stock, though this will probably limit your choices

This is one of those things that will likely take a lot of experimenting/testing to find the best solution(s).  Try scoring on a softer surface too. Like a piece of poster or illustration board, not a hardwood table or other hard surface.  Again, you'll prolly have to experiment to find what works best with each paper choice.

Your results look great so far. Looking forward to seeing this project as it progresses