Custom Acrylic Shapes
Board game designers can now create their own 100% custom acrylic game pieces!
In the past we’ve allowed you to make custom punchouts, stickers, cards, and other printable components all to your exact specifications. For the first time we can now do that with plastic game pieces.
Options
You’ll start with a piece of 8 inch by 4 inch or 10.5 inch x 9 inch acrylic.
The 8 x 4 comes in 2 thicknesses(1/4″ or 1/8″) and over a dozen colors.
The 10.5 x 9 comes in 1 thickness (1/8") and only comes in clear.
You can choose what shapes to cut from the plastic, and you can print in full glorious color on both sides of it.
Getting Started
Watch the tutorial below to learn how to make your own Custom Acrylic Shapes. **Note that the white printing process explained in this video is outdated and now incorrect. Please review the white printing process information below for guidance how to print white on acrylic shapes.**
Now that you watched the tutorial, you can visit the product pages below to download the template and get started creating your own acrylic game pieces!
**Please note that all of your cut lines must be at least 1/8" apart.
We also offer sample vectors for acrylic slots and tabs, which you'll want to use if creating standees:
1/8" acrylic: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/design-assets/custom-acrylic-shape-slot-and-tab-examples-for-illustrator
1/4" acrylic: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/design-assets/custom-acrylic-shape-slot-and-tab-examples-for-illustrator1
Nicks
Nicks are required to make sure your components do not get lost in the laser. Lost items will not be replaced. Please include 3 nicks per shape.
When making your SVG files for our 1/4 inch (6mm) Acrylic Shapes, make sure your nicks are .005".
When making your SVG files for our 1/8 inch (3mm) Acrylic Shapes, make sure your nicks are .01".
Curling
When making your SVG files, if you have a cut line/path that goes through your printed art, the edges of the art will curl. To avoid this, we recommend a 2mm spacing between your cutlines and artwork.
**Note** it is very important to have a high-quality PNG image with no jpeg artifacts and minimal anti-aliasing. This means that the edges of your image elements are crisp and don't have any blurry areas.
White Printing Process
You cannot print pure white (#FFFFFF) on components such as acrylic shapes. Instead, you'll need to use a slightly off white (such as #FFFFFE) instead. You can find more information at https://help.thegamecrafter.com/article/427-printing-with-white-ink
Side 2
When designing the back images (side 2) of your acrylic, the image will need to be flipped left to right. If you are using text, make sure to un-flip your text so it is legible in the file. This will ensure it is legible when printed.
The 8 x 4 inch acrylic is printed on opposite sides when double printed, just like a card or chipboard. For large acrylic shapes, however, both the front and back images are printed on one side, divided by white, with Side 2 showing through the acrylic. You will still design the files the same way. It is critical that your face and back are perfectly aligned.
Example
Here is an example of an SVG, Side 1 and a Side 2 for all types of acrylic.
SVG: Two circles on the left side.
SIDE 1: Matches the SVG, text is legible.
SIDE 2: Flipped left to right, text is unflipped and legible.
Adding Nicks and Optimizing your SVG
When making your SVG you can add nicks and optimize them using the program you created the file in, or there are other options you can also use. Namely Component.Studio SVG Tool and svg.zovu.co/. You can also use these tools to check your SVG file to make sure it has the proper nicks, and is fully optimized.
Both of these programs function the same, so the below tutorial will work for both.
First, drag and drop in your SVG.
Then, select "Split Object into Equal Parts". If you have a complicated shape, you may want to use "Split at Point" instead.
Select the number of sections, and the width of the nick. The settings used here are great for 3mm acrylic.
Select a path number, and then click Split.
Repeat this for all paths.
Once done, click the menu, then Auto Sequence.
Move the slider to the left for more complicated designs, and to the right for simpler ones. Then Click Start.
Once it runs, save your SVG, and you are ready to upload it to The Game Crafter.
