omeganu

That is definitely in my plans. Great suggestion. I am awaiting the arrival of my Multi-Cart to fill in the gaps of the games I don't have. At that time, expect to see higher resolution photos and YouTube linked videos of each overlay with its corresponding game.

That would be a more ideal method from the process point of view. But I'm afraid that the cost would not be comparable and I'd be in a position to outsource some printing. I think that as long as I can use equipment that I've acquired in my home, I can keep the cost just below what it would be to buy an original overlay off of eBay. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the best method would have been that Alps printer with the ability to print white opaque ink. It's a sad story how the US market showed no interest in that product and they yanked it from distribution here...making supplies and maintenance very expensive. I will say that for what you get in the end, these repros turn out pretty good for the game play experience. There's just the occasional lamination mark or small air bubble that may be evident especially when held up to a bright light source. I make a point of testing them all on my Vectrex before shipping them out and I've admittedly garnered a collection of "rejects" that I have from trial and error as well as the occasional laminator "burp" that isn't acceptable for the full price. Perhaps I should start up a second eBay auction and sell those off for $5 a pop....like a "scratch and dent" sale! LOL

I just replied to your eBay question and then read this comment myself. I misunderstood the question about a bulk price for a "half order." Email me at [email protected] and let's figure something out. Thanks!

Here's a question for you all.... Do you find eBay's new "Add to Cart" option confusing? I just had an eBay user flip their lid over the assumption that I was selling all 24 overlays for $12.99 total (wouldn't that be nice!). After explaining that I was using eBay's "versioning" option (i.e., the drop down list in a single auction where you can add "versions" of an item to your cart), they freaked and claimed they were reporting me for false advertising. I basically told them to go ahead because in truth, they'd be reporting nothing other than a disagreement with a new eBay feature. Am I off base on this?

Right now I'm limited to standard print sizes...8.5x11, 8.5 x 14 and 11x 17. That said...if you really wanted a larger overlay for something like the Magnavox Odyssey, a full blown print shop is probably your best best. They'd have to print on a large format transparency and would likely use a white ink on the reverse. Not to mention, the Vectrex folks were gracious enough to release the licensing on all things Vectrex to encourage our little community to grow....I couldn't say the same about a Magnavox product even after 30 years. As for custom overlays that are Vectrex sized, I'm happy to plug out whatever you'd like. Shoot your ideas and/or art files over to [email protected] and let's figure something out!

Yeah, please do keep buyers informed should you add more. With the VecFlash I'd enjoy an overlay for just about anything I can load up. AX Desfeek...they're on their way in the mail as of tomorrow! AX...email me what games you want an overlay for and let's come up with something! [email protected]

I threw that together and will be adding it to the eBay auction in the near future. I also have responded to people that have custom requests as well...same price as auction - just send me your files and I'll let you know right away if it's high enough resolution to make an overlay.

You flatter my ability to create a replica! These are very clearly not originals and appear so upon first inspection. If somebody ever tries to pawn my repros off as originals they'd be pretty foolish. Functionally mine are three separate layers bonded together which makes the white parts on the reverse side (ink on the originals and computer cut adhesive paper on mine) an obvious tactile difference. I try to be clear that these reproductions are for using day to day and not meant to be exact replicas. Perhaps a simple "replica" watermark on the white backing is a good idea. Thanks for the input!

Yes, that's always been the hardest part of doing homebrew Vec overlays. There was a cheap (ish) Alps printer that could print in white using a ribbon. I think it's been discontinued now though. There's always liquid paper There are a lot of home version "plotters" on the market. AX mentioned that he has a "Cricut" machine which is a pretty popular one. The machine I got was actually from a print shop and does large format as well as smaller sizes....plus a host of other options that helps get some finer detailing. If you're savvy with prepping your files in Illustrator or Photoshop then it's not too hard. But it's true..the equipment to do this isn't pocket change....nothing compared to printing white ink on to a surface however. It would be awesome if there was an affordable printer system that could print on a plastic surface, double-sided AND process an opaque white ink. Something tells me that's just not mainstream enough for consumer use

Thanks for the heads up on this...what a fun group! I spent too much of last night reading through the topics on here. I'll admit that while I'm an avid classic arcade fan, I've never really plunged into the world of user groups, blogs or other places to dialogue about it. I'm really not doing this to make a ton of money...it all started when I got frustrated over not having overlays for games on my multicart. I work in graphic design and figured that coming up with a non silk screened method couldn't be terribly hard for me...so I bought all the equipment needed and plugged out a sample set. Believe it or not the material costs don't leave much profit in the end, but that's not the point. It's just fun to create these things....and after a few $20-$30 purchases of original overlays that arrived in horrible condition, I realized this was a better way to go for me. I'm not a print shop, nor do I mass produce these...but I'll keep it going as long as people are interested. Eventually I'll pay for the equipment I bought and perhaps create a fund to buy some more Vectrex stuff. On a side note...I've located an expo table that has a remarkable similarity to the highly desirable Vectrex Store Kiosk (Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about). With the cutting machine I've ordered, I'm going to make a set of Vinyl decals to recreate the look and feel of the kiosk for my collection. If it doesn't turn out like crap and doesn't take me a month to complete just one of them, I may entertain the idea of selling these as well. Any thoughts?

After a lot of testing, trials and errors...I've finally come up with a decent method of creating reproduction overlays for the Vectrex. I threw together an eBay auction, a basic Web site and created a complete set just to see if I could do it. Surprisingly they turned out pretty decent! While I never intended to create exact replicas of the silk screened originals, these reproductions turned out to work really well....especially because the hardest part is to recreate the white ink that is present on the reverse of the overlays to give the border an opaque background in certain areas when necessary. To the advice of one of my eBay viewers, I'm posting the info in this forum for you to ask me questions, give suggestions and/or purchase reproduction overlays for yourself. Check it out at http://www.skywaytwincities.com/Vectrex (case sensitive). Perfect for the avid collector or those who are new to the world of Vectrex Simple. Affordable. Fun. These reproduction overlays will give your Vectrex games the experience they were designed for without the hassle of tracking down a scratched up original or unboxing a pristine overlay you've got stored away. Did you just buy an awesome Vectrex Multicart? Now that you've got every game made for the Vectrex on a single cartridge, why not get all the overlays to go with them? Recreate the actual look and feel of the original games with newly made and easily replaceable reproduction overlays. How are they made? 1.Each overlay is printed high-res on to a transparency 2.A precision cut (by computer) white silhouette border is generated and affixed to the back of the overlay to make the borders "POP" just as the original overlays do 3.The high resolution transparency and computer cut border are then laminated together to create a bond and add more "firmness" to the overlay allowing it to position easily on your Vectrex Photos of each variation are provided in the eBay auction listed on the "Purchase" page of http://www.skywaytwi...ies.com/Vectrex (case sensitive) with an actual overlay on a Vectrex. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have by emailing [email protected] NOTE: These are not intended to be collectible overlays. They are meant to be used, to enjoy, and to give you a recreated experience of how Vectrex games were intended to be played. Minor blemishes may be present that will not affect game play. These may be visible when the overlay is held up to a bright light source and are not immediately noticeable when on the Vectrex screen. This is due to the lamination process. Special care will be given to ensure the best quality reproduction you can receive using the above described method. Overlays will be shipped in a cardboard backed mailer and will be separated from each other if you order multiple quantities.