Danbieranowski
Well-known member
Hey all,
We've had some seriously long discussions around here about one-off UV printing using Tayda's printing service. While I do like Tayda's service and options, meeting their file requirements and using their drill service options can be difficult and take some time. The need for companies who will do single pedal UV printing is growing, so I think having options is a great thing.
In researching alternatives, I met Spencer from AmplifyFun (@amplifyfun - https://amplifyfun.com/ - based out of Portland, OR). His prices are pretty similar to Tayda's, but his file requirements are far easier to work around (including working WITH Affinity Designer, not requiring vector artwork, and not requiring coordinates for your drill template), he can print on the SIDES of your 125B enclosures, and he provides other great services such as laser-engraved two-color plastic faceplates (these do require vector art) and milling. I especially like the faceplates to slap on top of mis-drilled or mis-printed pedals, or for pedals I've already built into plain enclosures that I now want to gussy up a bit.
I'm not associated with Spencer's business in any way (he is a member of this message board), I just honestly believe it's important that we all know what options we have out there, and I recently had a couple enclosures printed up and one of the plastic faceplates made and he did an excellent job and was super friendly and helpful throughout and deserves our business!
Here are 2 samples of his UV prints, a faceplate sample, and what his CNC looks like for drilling/milling:
Here are the basics for how it works (@amplifyfun Spencer, please correct anything if it's inaccurate!):
1) He usually stocks white and black 125B enclosures that he sells for $8, or he can order you just about any other color, size, etc. Otherwise you can have any enclosures drop-shipped directly to him if you already have enclosures or want to order your own. If you want to use the laser-engraved plastic 3M backed toppers (like the Soup or Fuzz above), he prints those starting at $5 a pop and he can do just about any size/shape and offers a BUNCH of color options (including wood grain). You just peel the backing off and stick em on (or get em made without backing). The price is based on material used, so larger pedals = higher cost.
2) He has templates that he can provide for you to paste or build your design in. They are very organized and include different layers for different items. For example, there's a drill template layer with different hole-size markers. One of the layers he includes matches the PedalPCB Drill Guides, so you just put the hole-size markers over the holes you want on that drill template layer, and that's that. He will drill the holes at the size requested where marked (no coordinates required). Another layer example would be the artwork layer or the gloss layer. Just use his included swatches (they are embedded in the template) and apply to your white or gloss layer. I provided a single piece of artwork for printing on a black enclosure, and he created the white layer for me since I was worried I'd screw it up and the color layer would print over the top of it. He turned the proof over very quickly for approval (a process that Tayda doesn't provide).
3) He sends you an invoice for cost, which you can pay online.
4) He does the heavy lifting and sends you the enclosures. WEEE!
Here's an example of what a template looks like (the templates are subject to change at any time, so make sure you get the most current one from Spencer):
Current pricing (again this may change at any time):
UV printing is $5 each side. He can print on the face of the pedal, and if you're using a smaller pedal like a 125B he can print the sides (but not the top and bottom because it won't fit in the printer that way). Add gloss for $1 each side.
Drilling service is $5 for the first 7 holes and $0.50 for each additional hole, per enclosure.
As stated before, the plastic faceplates start at $5 for 125B size.
This is obviously a ton of info, but the overall point is that there are viable alternatives out there run by folks just like you and me doing super cool stuff so we can make unique pedals. Hopefully people find this helpful!
-Dan
We've had some seriously long discussions around here about one-off UV printing using Tayda's printing service. While I do like Tayda's service and options, meeting their file requirements and using their drill service options can be difficult and take some time. The need for companies who will do single pedal UV printing is growing, so I think having options is a great thing.
In researching alternatives, I met Spencer from AmplifyFun (@amplifyfun - https://amplifyfun.com/ - based out of Portland, OR). His prices are pretty similar to Tayda's, but his file requirements are far easier to work around (including working WITH Affinity Designer, not requiring vector artwork, and not requiring coordinates for your drill template), he can print on the SIDES of your 125B enclosures, and he provides other great services such as laser-engraved two-color plastic faceplates (these do require vector art) and milling. I especially like the faceplates to slap on top of mis-drilled or mis-printed pedals, or for pedals I've already built into plain enclosures that I now want to gussy up a bit.
I'm not associated with Spencer's business in any way (he is a member of this message board), I just honestly believe it's important that we all know what options we have out there, and I recently had a couple enclosures printed up and one of the plastic faceplates made and he did an excellent job and was super friendly and helpful throughout and deserves our business!
Here are 2 samples of his UV prints, a faceplate sample, and what his CNC looks like for drilling/milling:
Here are the basics for how it works (@amplifyfun Spencer, please correct anything if it's inaccurate!):
1) He usually stocks white and black 125B enclosures that he sells for $8, or he can order you just about any other color, size, etc. Otherwise you can have any enclosures drop-shipped directly to him if you already have enclosures or want to order your own. If you want to use the laser-engraved plastic 3M backed toppers (like the Soup or Fuzz above), he prints those starting at $5 a pop and he can do just about any size/shape and offers a BUNCH of color options (including wood grain). You just peel the backing off and stick em on (or get em made without backing). The price is based on material used, so larger pedals = higher cost.
2) He has templates that he can provide for you to paste or build your design in. They are very organized and include different layers for different items. For example, there's a drill template layer with different hole-size markers. One of the layers he includes matches the PedalPCB Drill Guides, so you just put the hole-size markers over the holes you want on that drill template layer, and that's that. He will drill the holes at the size requested where marked (no coordinates required). Another layer example would be the artwork layer or the gloss layer. Just use his included swatches (they are embedded in the template) and apply to your white or gloss layer. I provided a single piece of artwork for printing on a black enclosure, and he created the white layer for me since I was worried I'd screw it up and the color layer would print over the top of it. He turned the proof over very quickly for approval (a process that Tayda doesn't provide).
3) He sends you an invoice for cost, which you can pay online.
4) He does the heavy lifting and sends you the enclosures. WEEE!
Here's an example of what a template looks like (the templates are subject to change at any time, so make sure you get the most current one from Spencer):
Current pricing (again this may change at any time):
UV printing is $5 each side. He can print on the face of the pedal, and if you're using a smaller pedal like a 125B he can print the sides (but not the top and bottom because it won't fit in the printer that way). Add gloss for $1 each side.
Drilling service is $5 for the first 7 holes and $0.50 for each additional hole, per enclosure.
As stated before, the plastic faceplates start at $5 for 125B size.
This is obviously a ton of info, but the overall point is that there are viable alternatives out there run by folks just like you and me doing super cool stuff so we can make unique pedals. Hopefully people find this helpful!
-Dan