Obi and Label Sizes For FDS Games?

[mobiusclimber]

I must suck at using a ruler because I can't figure this out. I'm trying to make some custom obi and label print outs for a few repro FDS games I have (DIrty Pair and Lutter) but they are not coming out the right size. Can someone measure and tell me what the correct dimensions should be? (By obi I mean the artwork sleeve, and the label meaning the sticker that says "Side A" and the game name or "Side B" and the game name.)

[Xious]

Do you need the folded dimensions, or the unfolded dimensions? I can measure it with a caliper if you want...

-Xious

[mobiusclimber]

unfolded since I'll be printing them off for use in one piece. Thanks!

[Xious]

OK... I will try to measure one today.

I'll send you the metrics for the unfolded size of the Obi, plus the metrics for where the fold-lines are so you know where to put the edge and flap graphics.

I'll have to measure a couple labels, just in case the metrics are non-standardized across multiple developers.

-Xious

[mobiusclimber]

alright thanks. I'll post the stuff I've made when I'm done.

[Xious]

Label:
22mm High
52mm Wide

Manual:
88mm Wide
98mm High

Obi Full Height:
144mm high
80mm Wide

Obi Sectional:

Main Graphic Flap:
81mm High
80mm Wide

Text Flap/Edge:
6mm High
80mm Wide

Label Flap/A+B:
57mm High
80mm Wide

-Xious

P.S. An Admin may want to sticky this in the appropriate (FAQ) section...

[manuel]

This might be worth putting on the homepage somewhere... if there's a place for that kind of info.

[Xious]

Right'o. I was thinking it would fit as a sticky topic or in the technical articles section under the FDS header.

-Xious

P.S. I hope this is what you need, and I also included the manual specs too, for those interested in making FDS booklets.

[manuel]

Sticky might be ok, too. But let's better wait what the head honchos think.

[mobiusclimber]

This is pretty much exactly what I need, thanks! I created an obi for Lutter since no one seems to have the obi for it (or even the game itself, seems like it might be a bit on the rare side). I'll post up what I have after I resize it.

[Xious]

Lutter Disk:

https://www.risingstuff.com/store/products.php/Famicom-Disk-System-Lutter-game-only-no-obi/cPath,10

(In case you want to see what the factory label looks like...)

-Xious

Edit: I wanted to show you a factory Obi, but I don't seem to be able to find this game in my disk files... That link above illustrates the disk label (and the weird title font), but not the Obi, and I haven't seen any photos of it anywhere.

I think I have Lutter, or at least I remember having it at one time, but my copy may have either been disk-only, or a Chinese disk, so maybe that's why I can't find it. If I come across the disk or Obi, k will see about scanning them. At the least, I will take some photos to share with you.

I also wanted to remind you to do all Obi and label designs at 600DPI. You can work in either RGB or CMYK for this; CMYK is typical for printing though, and with a good monitor, you can achieve perfect printing results, but it isn't necessary.

If you work at less than 600DPI, you will have fuzzy/blurry text on your labels and obi prints, although 300DFPI can be suitable for the graphics alone. I further suggest distributing the designs as layer-based PSD files, if you are going to distribute them freely, so that people can modify them as desired. Yes, it'll make them bigger, but it is worthwhile in the long-term.

There are a lot of labels and such out there that, if they were PSDs with every object as a layer, I could use as a base for custom stuff, instead of having to re-make everything from scratch. I still have to finish the Outlands manual that I started designing... I have way too many open projects.

For what other games do you plan to make labels and obi graphics? If I can ever make a Castlevania Chorus of Mysteries FDS disk, I will make a label and obi design for that!

I'd also love to do an Outlands disk, but you can't just apply the ROM -IPS to them, as the data isn't in the same location in the .fds file as a .nes cart image. if I extract the disk data files, I may be able to work with those...

Chorus of Mysteries and Outlands are unique amongst the hacks for their respective games because they also add new AMS code, not just graphics. I don't know if the graphical upgrades will be FDS friendly either... Although I know that Outlands runs on the MMC1A (Sharp, I think) chip, so it shouldn't be too different from the FDS version of Zelda no Densetsu.

Outlands though, I'm unsure. It may still be the same board as CV, but I haven't checked. MMC1 games can be FDS games, but MMC3 is another matter. I am still amazed what the Game Doctor people did with games like Akumajou Densetsu and Super Mario Bros 3 when porting them to the FDS. I wish I knew how they did it...and what they used...

-Xious

[mobiusclimber]

Thanks. I actually already had the RS pic (I'm a forum member), and used it to create the label (very ugly too I might add). This project was just meant to be quick and dirty, tho, and it's taken a lot longer than I'd anticipated/hoped it would. I have someone buying/trading for these games (and other stuff) so I wanted to just get something done that'll look ok but not be a major headache or too time consuming. I'll eventually be making obis and labels for a bunch of other repro games I have (just translated RPGs, basically), but have so many projects going on at once that I can't seem to finish any of them. I'm currently working on making a box for a US Splatterhouse repro, a box for a Sweet Home repro, and a couple of labels for repros. Everything is half finished. XD

[Xious]

Are you making repro FC or NES sized boxes for Sweet Home and Splatterhouse? AFAIK, there are no FDS versions of either game, unless there are Doctor Disk games of them.

Also note there may be a ~0.5mm variance on either side of the folds (each side of the disk name 'text-flap') and thus, the text-flap can be between 5mm and 6mm in height, with the extra space best given to the A/B disk label area.

That is, you can safely make the text flap 5mm and the A/B label 58 mm, or even 5.5mm and 57.5 mm. When I did the measurements, the reading for the text flap was something like 05.68 on one disk and 05.32 on another and 05.89 on a third. The machine folds and the curvature of the folding makes it difficult to be more precise, so you might want to use 5.5mm for the text-flap and leave the extra 0.5 mm over tot he A/B flap.

I wagered that if squared, it would be 5mm, but it could easily have been meant to be 5.0 or 5.5 mm. I'm sure this is all trivial, but you may want to note it in case your initial test prints make the folded space a bit funky at 6mm exactly.

I also suggest finding a strip of metal or very hard plastic that is 5 to 6mm in width for making the folds, as that way they will be correct and straight.

[mobiusclimber]

Sweet Home and Splatterhouse are both repro NES carts that are looking bare w/o the boxes to go w/ them. LOL

I have a whole (small) box full of repro FDS games, but I just traded Lutter and Dirty Pair so I had to make the obi and labels for them. And I'm not too happy w/ how the labels came out. I'm going to slap em on and send em off, but I think when I'll redo the labels and send them later (so he can remove the crappy ones and put on better replacements down the road). I've just been really busy w/ moving I haven't had time to work on this stuff as much as would be necessary to turn out something of quality. XD

Here's the two obis:

[Xious]

FYI, there shouldn't be a UPC/bar Code anywhere on the Obi. When present at all, it is a sticker on the outside of the plastic box that holds the game disk & carrier + manual and inserts.

(See http://atariusa.com/flashback/displayimage.php?album=90&pos=31)

The area where you have the UPC is where the space to write-in the contents of the disk (A-Side lie and B-side line) should exist. This was on all Obis, although boxed games had it filled-in with reprinted text in many cases. Games that only used one side of a disk had the line for B-side empty, so that when you used it in a Disk Writer to record a new game, you could then write down what was there in the provisioned space.

Do you have any original Obis to compare? I can shoot some photos of game Obis...actually, I have a bunch in my catalogue too...to send to you. Unfortunately I was an idiot and didn't shoot the back panels on the games in the catalogue, so I made a mental note to do this after I get done wiring Rev 0B of my NESpander Dev board.

Otherwise, you're making good progress. It take time to become proficient at print-res artwork, and even moreso for making any reproduction item, so take your time and experiment.

In the meanwhile, here is a little design to potentially tickle your senses of humor...



-Xious