Written By:
Date Posted: February 7, 2002

There are many ways one can customize their computer exterior. Case windows are one way, or custom paint jobs are another. Both examples require a lot of work, but the end results make the effort all worthwhile, assuming of course you don't mess up. Why would anyone go through the trouble of customization? Looks baby, and nothing else. Like the drag races, where drivers show off their tricked out cars, LAN party goers arrive with decked out PCs.

Let's say that you've done the mods, now all you need is a little something to say "this" is your PC. Maybe you didn't mod your box at all, but you'd still like something other than the generic "InWin Inc." sticker on your front bezel. If this sounds far fetched, you're probably not aware or the after-market case badge industry. Well, it's not as big as the after-market heatsinks, but for a couple bucks, you can probably do better than having a generic sticker, or maybe no sticker at all.

The problem though, is that after-market case badges aren't really that cheap. You can probably pickup some pre-designed case badges for about 2$ to 5$, but unless you order in bulk, it's going to cost quite a bit to customize your own badge and to have it made. Enter and their DIY Case Badge Kit. The name is exactly what their product implies, ... you can now make your own case badges at home. We're not talking about some crappy printed stickers, but rather the fancy "bubble" type. Also, unlike other DIY mod kits, if you mess something up, you won't wreck your case. Simply peel off and try again.

Specifications

Easy installation
Bubble Seal for Authenticity
Flexible to fit even curved surfaces
Works with plain or coated inkjet paper

We received our product in a regular white envelope. Considering that it's just plastic and paper, I wouldn't expect shipping to be terrible expensive. Inside, there's a sheet of instructions, 6 transparent poly seal domes, and six matching square stickers.

The Poly-Domes

The poly domes appeared to be uniform upon closer inspection. and are of course smooth on one side, sticky on the other, which is to be applied to a printout of your choice. The second sheet with the square stickers have a layer of wax paper on one side, protecting the glue. The idea of course is to peel the wax paper off and attach the completed dome to it. You'll then peel this off from the reverse side to attach your badges to the case.

Badge Adhesive, aka, double sided tape :P

Before beginning, there are a few requirements...

Unless you want a blank plastic dome, you'd best to think of a design you'd want to use. Some ideas are, of course, personal logos, logos of favorite your products or maybe logos of something you're affiliated with, like a website or gaming clan. I chose to use our site logo.

You'll need a decent printer. It's up to you whether or not the printer is colour, or black and white. Your image can be rendered in any program, but the output should be at least 300dpi for decent image quality.

A cutting board, or any solid surface that you don't mind scratching up. The surface should be clean, because you don't want to have your knife hit a bump or fall into a scratch while cutting. You can use scissors, but a cutting board and a sharp exacto knife would make your life easier. If you choose to do it that way, have a ruler handy to help guide the knife.

Step 1 - Printing your badge

Each badge measures 1" x 1". People say that your badge design should also be 1" x 1", but that is not the right way to do it. If you print to such exact measurements, you're going to have fits trying to align the edges to be a perfect fit. The proper thing to do is to make your main 1" x 1" design, but add an extra 1/8" of background filler. This is known as "bleeding". Adding some crop marks is typically done to help guide where the cuts should be. Since we're using the poly badge as a guide, this isn't really necessary. I added them here, cause they make my work look professional :P

For the record, I used Photoshop v6, but any image editing program will do. The image was printed at 600dpi.

Step 2 - Mounting and Cutting

In order to make a proper badge, the first thing we're going to have to do is to be sure that the printed paper is secure to the cutting surface. To keep the procedure as painless as possible, I'm going to tape the sheet to the surface. This will keep the printout from moving around during application. Keep in mind that the surface should be clean of any debris or defects. This will keep any funny bubbles or creases out of your design. I used an air can, but blowing on it will work as well. Uh, make sure you don't spit or drool over your design, or you'll need to start over.

Tied down for some action...

After taping the printout to the cutting surface, an extra shot with the air gun will keep any dust particles away. I dunno about you, but one time in high school, my stupid student ID card was laminated with a big ass piece of lint stuck inside. It also happened to be my luck that it ran right down my forehead. Anyhow, to avoid a similar fate for your case badge, keep the printed surface clean.

Once you've prepared everything, it's time to apply the poly dome to it. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest I found was to move in at a 45 degree angle, resting the edge of the poly dome on the printout. Then slowly, lower the dome until it covers the design. It really isn't hard at all, but perhaps some practice would be in order, because the dome doesn't easily peel off the design once it's on.

Now that the dome is on, take out your knife and cut it. A few little tips about cutting from my days as a graphic designer; a) use a sharp knife. A dull blade will end up tearing the paper (known as "ragged edges"), and b) Don't force the cut, but rather, use gentle strokes. Since it's only paper we're talking about, you don't need to apply your weight to cut it. If you do this, you'll end up bending the edges of your cut (known as "ridging"). Here's a free tip for the future: When you're cutting cardboard, use several strokes with the knife rather than one. It'll be easier and cleaner.

Anyhow, a few strokes of the knife, and voila! All done. You now have a logofied (how's that for Engrish?) poly dome.

Step 3 - Applying Adhesive Backing

You'll have to first remove the wax paper from the adhesive sticker.

Again, I choose to tape the sheet of stickers to the table to ensure a proper mounting job. Repeat the steps mentioned earlier about mounting the poly dome.

Once that is complete, you've successfully made your case badge.

All that you have to do now is to find a surface to put it on. Make sure it's clean (rubbing alcohol works best), peel the badge off the backing, and place it on your case.

Final Words

If you're looking for a way to personalize your case, this is the way to go. Sure, it isn't as fancy as a case window, sometimes a little thing can say a lot. Let's face it, chicks aren't impressed with "VG567-V" badges, and with this kit, you can now impress them with your customized badge. Make a badge of your gaming clan, and rather than the babes saying "That's a nice eC0no 473 computer you have there...", they'll now say "You're in the Half-Life Clan Right-Hand-Man? I'm in Clan PMS!"

If there are any flaw with this kit, it's that the wax paper the badges are attached to for shipping is a little small. As I peeled off the badge, I ended up taking another off unintentionally.

I wasn't able to find any pricing at MultiPlayCity, but you can email them at to ask for the info.

MultiPlayCity:

90%

Pros: Making case badges can be cool and fun.

Cons: Merely cosmetic, doesn't really score chicks. Well, maybe the weird ones...

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