Commercial Arcade Machine Artwork – Resources & Information
Get Printed Artwork from a Professional Arcade Art Company
So you have decided you will be getting Arcade Artwork professionally printed from a company for your Home Built Arcade Machine? Many people use this method when they build their own Arcade Machine because of the professional quality results this type of Arcade Artwork brings to a project.
Prefab Arcade Art
The first thing you need to decide is will you be creating your own Custom Arcade Artwork for your cabinet, or will you be using templates offered from a company.
A lot of people tend to use the prefab MAME Artwork templates offered through these sites because they are making a “general” Arcade Machine that is designed to play numerous games. Because of this they usually don’t want Artwork associated with one game or another on the system.
If this is the case for your project you may want to consider using some of the prefab Arcade Artwork templates these sites offer.
Custom Arcade Artwork
On the other hand some people have created some really nice custom Arcade Artwork for their projects. This can range from one set theme based on a particular game or series, or incorporating several titles into the Artwork and theme for their Arcade Machine.
In my case, I will be creating most of my Artwork from scratch to give my Arcade Machine a very custom look and feel. To do this I will first need to create the custom Artwork designs.
Software to Design Arcade Artwork
As I mentioned in my previous article the first consideration you need to make for designing custom Arcade Artwork is a digital editing program. There are many options out there but the preferred choice of most commercial artists seems to be:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
The thing to keep in mind is Adobe software is expensive if you do not have access to it. I am fortunate enough to work with Adobe Photoshop at work so I will be using that when I create my artwork.
You can always download a demo version of the software which gives you a trial period to play around with the program. For some people this may be enough time to finish your project.
My other recommendations for good free digital editing software are as follows:
- GIMP
- Sumo Paint
GIMP is a freeware digital editing program based on Adobe Photoshop. It was originally designed for Linux but you can also download a Windows version. GIMP is free to download and use. There is a slight learning curve but if you are not familiar with digital artwork software this is a given.
Sumo Paint is another free option. To use the software you need to go to the Sumo Paint website. (http://www.sumopaint.com/web/) From here you can launch the Sumo Paint program and create Arcade Artwork right through your browser. Sumo Paint is very robust for a web based program and offers many similar features to those found in Photoshop and GIMP.
Online Resources for Arcade Machine Artwork
Once you have designed the Arcade Artwork for your system you need to decide what company you will use for your project. There are several sites our there to help people with Artwork for home built Arcade Machines.
Keep in mind that many of the companies that will print custom Arcade Artwork you have created, need to receive the project file in a certain format designed to various specifications.
Standard printing companies require Artwork files to be created at 300ppi (pixels per inch) and tend to prefer the project as a PDF or PSD file. This is not always the case though so check with the company you plan to use prior to creating your artwork to ensure you do not need to recreate your Arcade Artwork in order to get it printed.
Some good resources for companies that print commercial Artwork for Arcade Machines are listed below.
Professional Artwork Printing for Arcade Machines
http://www.mamemarquees.com/
http://arcadecontrols.com/artwork.shtml
http://www.quarterarcade.com/Browse.aspx?c=All.Parts.ReproArt
If you are looking for something other than what is offered in the Arcade Artwork templates from these companies you may want to checkout some websites that offer commercial Arcade Machine Artwork.
This can be useful if you have a specific theme in mind for your Arcade Machine or if you are restoring an old Arcade Cabinet. Some great resources for Commercial Arcade Machine Artwork are listed below.
Commercial Arcade Machine Artwork Downloads
http://www.localarcade.com/
CAGA - Classic Arcade Game Art
http://www.arcadecollecting.com/caga/
I will be adding to the list as I come across more good resources.
Arcade Machine Artwork Summary
This article covers some of the basic considerations that need to be made when going the commercial route in creating Artwork for your Arcade Machine. Whether you are working off a commercial design, a MAME template or creating your own Artwork, the resources and information listed here should get off to the right start.
For even more great information on Arcade Artwork Considerations and Information checkout this great article from Jeff Rothe over at Rotheblog.com:
Arcade Artwork: Researching Past Arcade Reproductions
Jeff has a ton of great articles on all things Arcade Related. If you are looking for more information or just want to browse through some interesting Arcade Machine Articles give his site a read.
As always, thanks for checking out my site. In my next article I will follow up with some more information on Arcade Artwork and how to create your own digital Artwork to use with a commercial printing company, or to print yourself.
Keep checking back for all the latest updates.
