Questions about graphics

Atom ant

Atom ant

Active member
I have some questions for more experienced builders about the art side for this fine bunch of folks.

I seem to be struggling with understanding how you easily get measurements for the graphics you're producing the right size and aligned correctly.

Do you use a drilling template as a layer to get alignment right? How do you get the sizing correct?

Im not currently looking to do Tayda printing, as I prefer the DIY feel of waterslide decals, stickers, etc. on hand painted enclosures. Im familiar and practiced in all sorts of analog art production, but am not terribly familiar with graphic art programs, so maybe this is just a blind spot for me.

If I wanted to print a single waterslide decal for the face of an pedal, how would I confirm that the size is right and placement is correct?

Sorry if this is an inane question, I’m just wondering about the workflow.
I see some incredible graphics work on this forum, and am just looking for any info you’d be willing to share.

Thanks!!
 
Yep. Drill template as a lower layer. I'll usually pull in the pcb and scale it too if it's not outlined in the drill template. Thats more for internal clearance reasons. Check jacks, led placement etc.
Sometimes I'll just scale the pcb if there's no template or im deviating. 16mm pot holes should be 16mm from the center lug to the center of the drill hole. Note, iirc, some tayda branded pots are actually ~15.5mm, another reason to avoid them as when mixed with other pots they can throw things off just enough to be a PITA.
I've also grown to like using header pins to attach 3pdt daughter boards for larger pcbs so pulling the PCBs in helps align them.
 
While I have spent 10 years in the print industry, it was all on the sales side, not the design side so I asked a design friend for some help. He suggested to use the drill template as the back layer and build on top of that, making sure there is room around knobs etc. I am new to pedal building so this is my first round but I have an order out to Transfer Ninja for their permastickers, should have them in a day or 2 and will report back if that worked.
 
Atom ant said:
What program do you use? Illustrator? Anyone use procreate in Ipad?
Click to expand...
I am using Corel Vector because it had a free 2 week demo and is cheap after that. Also, has guidelines so I can line up art easily rather than eyeball it.

I assume all design software has that, Vector just had it on from the get go and I ran with it.
 
I use Affinity Designer as well. Used to have the PC version, now have Mac and iPad versions. All recommended. iPad version with Apple Pencil is an especially quick and easy workflow for me.

Start with a drill template (either one you download, or make your own if you’re changing the layout).

Figure out what knobs, toggles, footswitches, etc. you’ll be using and make simple 2D models (just circles or hexagons, basically) of them in your graphics program. Make sure to get the max exterior dimensions of everything (don’t forget nuts and washers). Here’s where calipers come in handy (cheap plastic ones are fine for this).

Line those up with their corresponding drill holes. Then you can start laying out all your text and art without worrying about anything getting covered up.

That’s the basics for me.

* Since I do etching, I leave small drill marks on my artwork, etch them onto the enclosure and then I have a handy pilot semi-hole for drilling.
If you decide it works better to apply artwork and then drill, you may want to do something similar.
 
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I like trouble, I use Inkscape and Scribus. Might not be the best but it's free. There are tutorials on how to use them somewhere around this forum. As for learning how to do things with inkscape, google can help.

I also start with the drill template on new layouts. At some point, I reuse old layouts, rename them, remove everything except drill points and start from there. I start a fresh template using Tayda measurements for the artwork dimensions.

I will make a print or two to make sure everything aligns perfectly before printing a label or sending to tayda.
 
Nic said:
I use Inkscape and Scribus. Might not be the best but it's free.
Click to expand...
Oh nice. I activated the Affinity trial with the intention to learn how to use it for tayda UV prints, but haven't really figured it out yet. Good to know there's a workflow using open-source software. I may as well learn it that way.
 
Atom ant said:
I have some questions for more experienced builders about the art side for this fine bunch of folks.

I seem to be struggling with understanding how you easily get measurements for the graphics you're producing the right size and aligned correctly.

Do you use a drilling template as a layer to get alignment right? How do you get the sizing correct?

Im not currently looking to do Tayda printing, as I prefer the DIY feel of waterslide decals, stickers, etc. on hand painted enclosures. Im familiar and practiced in all sorts of analog art production, but am not terribly familiar with graphic art programs, so maybe this is just a blind spot for me.

If I wanted to print a single waterslide decal for the face of an pedal, how would I confirm that the size is right and placement is correct?

Sorry if this is an inane question, I’m just wondering about the workflow.
I see some incredible graphics work on this forum, and am just looking for any info you’d be willing to share.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Most graphic programs have the ability to make a square, then define the dimensions for it, they all have very different interfaces for doing this.

Along with that, there is a coordinate system for setting where you want 0,0 to be. And the orientation of the square, or other object you've drawn.

In the case below, I made a box that is 2.25" wide and 3" tall. It is oriented by center-center, and the center is 0,0.

I could create a circle that and type in 3/8" in the Width field (highlighted on 2.25 in the below picture) and put it, like say at 0 horizontal which is the X coordinate and -1 vertical which is the Y coordinate.

There are many times when I use an orientation of bottom-left instead of center-center, for when I want all the coordinates to be positive. Like blueprinting a chassis.

It takes a while to learn all the minutia on how to use the program. The one below is Visio which I've been using since version 1.0 as it was originally a program for drawing flowcharts and I was a computer programmer during my career (*retired*). It's been expanded like 10,000 times more than it used to be. It is expensive, but you can find obsolete versions cheap on eBay which is what I did.

At the bottom is a layout for the fender blackface princeton reverb that I have sourced the parts for and am ready to build, after the 1959 Bassman I'm currently working on is done. It was drawn using Visio, and took about 80 hours. But hey, I'm retired, I consider drawing layouts and buliding amps from them "fun"!!!

Any questions just say so, there'll be a quiz on Friday :sneaky: 🍻

1729097877073.png


BFPR V07.24.24 T.E.jpg
 
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Been using Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop for years for graphics. My whole enclosure process goes something like this:
  • Spray paint the top and relevant side(s) of the enclosure with one coat of white so I can mark holes for drilling - it's easier than trying to see pencil lead on a bare aluminum background.
  • Measure and draw the center line (top to bottom) on the face of the enclosure.
  • From there, measure and mark the spots for drilling, or center & overlay a printout of the drilling template (if applicable), and mark the spots.
  • Drill 1/8" pilot holes at all markings, then drill the correct-size holes for the parts to be attached.
  • Measure & pencil mark 1/8" from the side on all four sides of the top/face with a 6" metal ruler - that will be the edge of the graphics.
  • Scan the face of the enclosure into the computer - I usually apply squares of translucent label over the holes, so the outer-most/top edge of the holes will be clear.
  • Straighten-up & crop the enclosure scan in Photoshop.
  • Import that enclosure scan into Illustrator.
  • In Illustrator
    • Establish a rectangle with rounded-off corners to the 1/8" edge indicated above.
    • Circles (the same size as each hole) with a white fill, centered over each hole
    • Circles with blank fill, but with a .25pt white or black stroke (depending on background) centered over each hole, the size of either the knob or the washer of the switch going in that hole.
    • Text under each knob with 1x the space of the font size, between the bottom of the knob and the top of the text.
    • The rest of the graphics arrange accordingly.
    • Sometimes have to do test swatch prints to get the color in the right range compared to what is on the screen.
  • For applying to a white finish/background, I use Avery full-page clear sheet labels; these are actually translucent, not transparent.
  • For applying to a colored finish/background, I use Neato Labels Glossy Clear Sticker sheets from Amazon.
It's a tedious process, but anything else risks coming out crooked, or just simply not how I want it to look.
 
I use gimp and the pdf drill templates If I'm doing a PPCB board then output the .png to lightburn for laserin' and it's usually fine if the enclosure is the right dimensions
 
I use Affinity Designer as well and I dropped $5 on the pedal builders vector pack v2 that has a ton of knobs and all the common hardware.
It’s nice to he able to know for sure that your lettering won’t get covered by the knobs you want to use, and other such spacing problems.
There are free versions of this as well but this one has more of the stuff I use than any of the free ones I found, so it was worth it for me.
 
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