Super cheap DIY front panel

[Emperor-TK]

Maybe this technique has been discussed here before. I haven't run across it personally, so I thought I'd share.

Here is my new front panel for my Calrec EQ made with an ink-jet printer and some polyurethane spray coating. Total cost estimate is less than $5 (plus panel).

The panel was inspired by one of Frank's (nrgrecording). The artwork was done in Corel Draw 12 and printed onto matte Avery label stock. With my HP printer, the black was very smooth and consistent in the large fill areas. Of course it is important to get the full sheet labels.

The print-outs are then cut with a paper sheer. I highly doubt that scissors will work for this, but a straight edge and an exacto knife (with a new blade) probably will. A quick note on paper sheers: don't bother with cheep ones, they don't work. Mine cost $200, but it also cuts 40-mil aluminum that I use for logos, badges, etc.

With the Avery labels, you only get one shot at sticking it down.

The biggest drawback to this method seems to be the joint between the two halves of the panel printout. Since the Avery sheets are 8.5x11", a joint is needed to cover the entire 19" rack panel. Because of the black panel's tendency to be pronounced in the joint, I decided to go with a black color scheme. A clear anodized aluminum panel would probably work better for a white label.

Sealing the label:
Ink jet ink is water soluble. It is important to use a coating with low aqueous solubility. This satin polyurethane from Minwax worked well without causing the ink to bleed. Many lacquers contain solvents known as glycol ethers and glycol ether acetates. These solvents are somewhat hydrophilic and will tend to cause the ink-jet to "puff-up" when sprayed. A test spray on another printout is recommended. If there is only a slight tendency to bleed, then very light coats of the sealant will minimize this tendency. Note: the reverse is true for laser prints, which are organically soluble. Different toners will react differently to different solvents. Testing is recommended for laser prints as well. I like the look that I got from the satin polyurethane. After a few coats, the panel still looked papery, but after several more, it began to look remarkably like a painted panel with silk screening.

After the poly dried, I used an exacto knife to cut the rack mount holes and to flush cut one of the edges where the label slightly overhung.

This image is pretty large before it is resized by the message board software. Click it and maximize it to see a detailed closeup of the finished product:

The three main drawbacks to this technique are:
1. The seam. In bright light, it can be very noticeable. Don't count on the sealant to fill the seam in. In studio lighting, the seam is much less noticeable.
2. The panel's hardness. It doesn't seem to be the most durable panel that can be made. If I had to guess, the hardness was somewhere similar to a lacquered pine. Flailing patch cables will likely mark the panel.
3. Drilling the panel. When drilling the panel, the drill bits tend to chew up the paper a little bit. An exacto knife can clean up the edges of the hole fairly well, but care still needs to be taken so as not to ruin the panel.

More images:
http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel0.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel1.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel4.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel6.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel7.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel9.JPG

http://emediatransfer.com/chris/cheappanel/cheappanel10.JPG

 

[radiance]

Nice one!
A pro is that you can make as many lines and text as you like without adding to the costs. This front panel would have cost you something like 60 euro or more when done by Schaeffer...

 

[Gus]

I saw the panel Sunday. It looks very nice even up close. I did not notice the seam when looking at it. One might be able to place it at a spot in the artwork that hides it (like a vertical line).

I think with more coats of clear it could be very durable.

 

[Steffen]

cool! looks like powdercoated on the pic. :thumb:

 

[kiira]

Oh I wish I could have tried this technique last week making the panel for my V672 pair. It was a catastrophe and I ended up using paint and letraset which I am congenitally unable to apply aligned. Thank you for explaining this method!

The shop where I work has a color laser printer, perhaps these large size labels are made for lasers as well as ink jet. I think I'll try this out when I re-rack my first tube mic design next.

Kiira

 

[cwatkins]

How did you inverse the black and the white with calrec pic?
This is the part that grounded me to a halt with my lasertran
and the calrec, I couldn't easily change all those lines to yellow.

And is that black the metal or the paper? excellant instructions
but am I missing a step there, does the label inverse the ink?
Or did you just use the white of paper for white?

 

[Emperor-TK]

[quote author="cwatkins"]How did you inverse the black and the white with calrec pic?[/quote]
That was done in the software, Corel Draw 12. I basically made two designs, one black on white, one white on black. Copy, paste, change line color/fill properties.

[quote author="cwatkins"]And is that black the metal or the paper?[/quote]
No, that is the printed ink.

[quote author="cwatkins"]did you just use the white of paper for white?[/quote]
Yes. This wasn't any different than printing on ordinary printer paper. If I made white lines on a blue background, it would print the blue background area and use the white of the paper for the lettering.

-Chris

 

[andre tchmil]

I used the same technique for my API clones.Still looks great after a year. :thumb:

 

[Scodiddly]

You could also try covering the label with 1/8" plexiglass.

 

[adrianh]

I will be!

I thought you were pulling our leg with the big photo.
But I found the line.

It looks like powercoat / silkscreen. Wow!

We like the price!

Someone please give Emperor an "Atta Boy"