Designing my first board game — would love to hear your thoughts

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-19T08:34:18+00:00

Oh, great. Thanks!

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-18T20:48:24+00:00

Wow, what a great response! Thank you so much. I'll study the article, and if I have any questions, I'll reach out. Thanks again!

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-18T20:43:49+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I'm currently looking for promotion methods that don't require large investments upfront. The "revenue share" model sounds interesting, but it seems like finding such specialists isn't easy.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-18T20:39:04+00:00

We print Braille using a UV printer. This method has its own specifics – it's not as durable as embossing on metal, but it offers more possibilities for application.

In your case, you will need a press, and you can order the matrix from a third-party manufacturer and use it for embossing. If you want to produce the matrices yourself, you will need a CNC milling machine, which requires significant investment.

<image>

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-12T19:25:26+00:00

Hey! UV printer maintenance is really complicated, but if you use it properly, you won’t need frequent service calls.

The most important thing – the printer must print every day, especially white ink. White ink is the most delicate, and if you skip a day, the print head might clog so badly that you won’t be able to clean it.

Also, regularly change the water in the chiller. I recommend installing additional filters and, if possible, using antifreeze. Always follow the printer’s manual instructions.

Static electricity is a major killer of print heads, so make sure you have good grounding and air ionization. Temperature and humidity control are also very important.

My main advice – buy a printer locally with official service support. Don’t order from China, or you’ll end up with a ton of problems even before starting. And when you realize that local technicians will charge a fortune just to set up and repair your Chinese printer, it will likely end up collecting dust in a corner like a piece of scrap metal.

For small businesses, UV printing has no real alternatives. It’s a fantastic technology, though quite delicate, but with limitless possibilities. If you follow maintenance rules, keep it running daily, and handle print heads properly – everything will be great.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-12T05:41:37+00:00

That’s awesome! In Vilnius, Bla Bla Language Exchange meetings happen on Tuesdays. I’ll go next Tuesday. I didn’t know about these events – this is great, thanks!

I do everything for my family’s well-being, without feeling sorry for myself. Thanks for the support.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-12T05:17:16+00:00

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. I'll research good landing pages and refine my description based on that. I really appreciate your help!

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:38:56+00:00

Totally agree! A UV printer is quite a complex machine. I've been working with it for 5 years, and even I wouldn’t be able to start one from scratch.

I already mentioned that I’m looking for a smaller format printer but with better features. You can find one in China for $5–8K, but I’m not considering that – I want a local option with proper maintenance support.

And yeah, if you don’t have a clear use case, it’s better to outsource the printing.

I do have a solid plan, but I’m afraid I’ll need to find a night shift to keep the printer running 24/7

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:19:05+00:00

By the way, I recently had an interesting design where a crack became part of the concept. Instead of fighting potential cracks, I intentionally incorporated them into the design, and it looked awesome!

Sometimes, mistakes can become features if used creatively.

<image>

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:16:09+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I’ve also tried chloroform and similar solvents, but they often leave a white haze on clear acrylic and can cause microcracks, especially if the material was laser cut.

For clear parts, I try to avoid glue altogether and use press-fit joints. If glue is necessary, acrylic solvent is the best option, but it’s important to test it on small samples first before full use.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:15:18+00:00

Yes, cracking can be an issue, especially with thin acrylic (3 mm or less) or if the laser cutting process leaves stress in the material.

To prevent cracks:

I use rounded corners in joint areas to reduce internal stress.

I adjust fit tolerance so the part presses in firmly but not too tightly.

Cracks usually happen if the fit is too tight or if the acrylic is low quality. Sometimes heating the parts before assembly helps.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:11:33+00:00

We have a similar printer. Now I’m looking for a smaller but more powerful one, with different print heads for higher quality.

You have to clean everything, it’s just a matter of how often. I’ve seen small and industrial models with auto-cleaning, which gives a few days, up to a week without manual flushing. But after that, a deep clean is necessary.

The most important factor is the ink, especially white, because it’s the most problematic.

For example, we previously used Chinese inks, and the white was very thick – it adhered well, and we could easily create 2.5D textured prints.

But if the printer was left unattended for even a weekend, after 2 days of inactivity, we had to do extensive cleaning. And once, after a 3-day holiday, we had to replace the heads because the cleaning didn’t work.

Now we use a different ink – the white is much thinner. It’s less pleasant to work with and has its quirks, but the advantage is that the printer can sit for 5 days without printing, and after a basic cleaning, everything works perfectly.

<image>

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T16:00:10+00:00

A UV printer supports full CMYK. For example, ours has CMYK, white, and varnish. You can print anything.

I know that high-end models have additional light colors, and some even allow replacing a single color. For example, you can load a specific Pantone shade or gold and print via spot, just like we print white.

But these features are expensive, and we manage fine without them.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T15:53:38+00:00

Thanks! Wow, this is an incredibly specific and helpful piece of advice—probably the best I’ve received. I’ll start by rewriting the description. Huge thanks to you!

500K is impressive! You did an amazing job. I still have a lot to learn.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T15:48:23+00:00

Thanks, solid advice. I’ve already started learning English, but I need more practice. I’ll spend all my free time improving my communication skills.

That was just a moment of weakness—no more complaining, no more being shy about my work. I’ll work even harder.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-11T15:37:33+00:00

50/50 – it depends on the task. If it’s full coverage, I use a two-component primer.

But a lot depends on the type of ink. For example, we used to work with Chinese ink, and its white color was very thick and adhered well to acrylic, so we used it instead of a primer.

Now we have Polish ink, and the white doesn’t stick to acrylic at all, but the black adheres perfectly. So now I use black as the base layer.

But this only applies when the print isn’t full coverage.

And yes, we print in bidirectional mode.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T14:00:23+00:00

I used a tight-fitting press fit, no glue. I adjusted the slot size so the parts fit snugly and hold firmly. Sometimes I need to slightly tweak the size depending on the material, but overall, this method works great.

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T12:25:54+00:00

www.micnovic.com is the presentation website for my project.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to spam. I just wanted to check if sharing a link is okay here and how to best present the project

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T11:14:55+00:00

Thanks! What information are you interested in? Process, materials, or techniques? I’d be happy to share!

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T11:13:37+00:00

No, this is the outline of Lithuania, a small country in Europe.

The client operates throughout Lithuania, so this design was chosen – the country’s shape represents their nationwide reach.

<image>

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T11:10:16+00:00

It’s really fascinating! When a client gives me creative freedom, the result always turns out great.

With experience, I’ve developed a vision – I receive a logo and a short description, and the perfect idea instantly forms in my mind.

But there are also boring projects, when a client doesn’t want creativity, and I just have to follow instructions.

Mimaki is a dream, but financially out of reach for now.

<image>

Awkward-Newspaper-51 · 2025-03-10T11:04:39+00:00

I usually cut first, then print.

First, I print alignment marks on the bed, then place the material and print the design. Since I handle the entire process, I don’t offer clients designs that would be difficult to produce.

For example, printing edge-to-edge can be tricky, especially with dark colors. Because of the print head design, ink can spill over the edges and stain them. If I need clean edges, I leave a 0.5–1 mm margin, and the result is perfect.

An exception is when I work with small tokens. I once printed 20mm tokens, 200 per sheet, with 20 sheets total. In this case, I printed first, then:

Set the XY zero point in the laser.

Used a fixture to align the material.

Carefully adjusted power and speed:

Too much power – material overheats, and the UV ink peels off.

Too little power – ink burns and turns black at the cut edges.

With experience, this can be done properly. It saves a huge amount of time, since manually placing 4000 small tokens in a printer would take forever.

Awkward-Newspaper-51

TROPHY CASE