Harry Klippton
Well-known member
So uh, anybody got build reports with uv printing or faceplates from amplifyfun?
UV Printing/Drilling/Faceplates through AmplifyFun (Tayda alternative)
- Thread starter Danbieranowski
- Start date
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
I’ve got UV print samples. I’ve only gotten one faceplate and it came out fantastic.
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Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
I was finishing up some faceplate designs a few weeks ago, but my computer died for good (luckily I have multiple forms of backups for everything, so I should hopefully be okay). When I get my new computer up and running I’ll be ordering some faceplates, and build reports will be shortly behind.
benny_profane
Well-known member
Here's a comparison of faceplates from Amplify Fun and Ponoko using similar typefaces and design direction. Overall, Ponoko has better quality, but the service is much more expensive and can have potentially long lead times. It really only makes sense to go through them if you have a significantly large order (they essentially charge a panel rate) and can get volume discounts. Amplify Fun is less expensive and has a flat-rate for faceplates. Also, the faceplates themselves have an adhesive backing. The Ponoko material does not, so it must be held in place with the hardware. The faceplates have less 'resolution' and have jagged edges when inspected closely. When looking at them during normal use, this isn't really an issue. The only problem I've had is that finer details may be lost; faceplates in general should be designed while considering the material and process constraints.
Amplify Fun is a fine service with good products, and Spencer is very helpful and responsive. The price is right, the results are good, and the service is done in the spirit of DIY and with pedals in mind. I'd recommend anyone curious to give it a shot. Especially since there's an affordable flat rate, experimenting with one or two is very doable.
Ponoko:
Amplify Fun:
Amplify Fun is a fine service with good products, and Spencer is very helpful and responsive. The price is right, the results are good, and the service is done in the spirit of DIY and with pedals in mind. I'd recommend anyone curious to give it a shot. Especially since there's an affordable flat rate, experimenting with one or two is very doable.
Ponoko:
Amplify Fun:
Harry Klippton
Well-known member
Those look great. I'm not sure I can even tell a difference from the photos. Your second paragraph basically answered any other questions I had too
Barry
Well-known member
Agreed, both look outstanding in the Photos
Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
I can definitely see the difference in resolution between the two, but for the price difference, the Amplifyfun definitely seems the way to go as it’s still quite clear and significantly cheaper.
How deep is the engraving in the faceplate roughly?
How deep is the engraving in the faceplate roughly?
benny_profane
Well-known member
That would be a question for Spencer. The Amplify Fun engravings seem to be shallower than the Ponoko’s, though.
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
Nice! Looks like it’s not too deep. I was concerned if it was too deep then finer details might be prone to catching on stuff and chipping.
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Yeah dragging my finger over it, it feels basically level.
Paradox916
Well-known member
Damn...after seeing this it’s starting to make me question dropping $ on a decent laser printer...
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
The kicker for me is that Spencer will do prints of raster images instead of vector. That was one of my main reasons for getting a laser printer and doing waterslide and stuff, and now I can get those properly UV printed by Spencer, which Tayda doesn't offer (at least from the last time I checked).
benny_profane
Well-known member
There's certainly a practical reason to that. If you don't know what you're doing and you try to print a raster image, you may run into formatting or resolution issues. (Reference every pixelated banner you've ever seen.) I think some people have been able to print raster images through Tayda, but I can't speak from experience there.
Bricksnbeatles
Member known well
I mean there is always the option of converting a 3024x4032 raster image into a complex vector set with 12.2 million polygons, right? 
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Yeah I definitely understand that. But it's a bit of a pain when I have a ton of design assets that are really high definition raster images that I have to then convert to vector (which can negatively affect the detail) just so that I can use them on a print. That's why I mention it as a real plus here.
As for printing raster images, I'm honestly not sure. Tayda's first step in their rules says it must be vectorized. They also say not to use Affinity Designer, which @amplifyfun does allow for.
Ultimately, I think there are some tasks that I think Tayda is the right fit for (predrilled enclosures at no real additional cost are a HUUUUGE plus), but I also think having Spencer as an alternative is fantastic for all of the extras he offers that they don't.
benny_profane
Well-known member
Definitely get that. I typically stick to text-based graphics, so vector isn't a huge ask for me.
I think Tayda says that Affinity Designer shouldn't be used because you have to ensure a lot of parameters are correct to get a good export for them to use—and I don't think they really want to deal with supporting it. If you ensure that the spot colors are imported/applied correctly, the layers properly structured, and the file is exported while honoring spot colors, you shouldn't ever really have a problem with Affinity (at least it's always worked for me).
Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Yeah that makes sense. Especially with the massive amount of printing they are doing. Do you know if the spot colors are just specific CMYK values or is there something else at play there?
