Playfields restored with direct ink
Pinball Playfield Restoration - Introducing Direct Ink!
First playfields done in 2007 for Pinball Expo. Tens of thousands of dollars later in product testing & numerous failures. The system is mastered & ready for many playfields in 2011. It is a very controversal method of restoration & meant to restore playfields to an exceptable level for the majority of pinball owners.
My way of restoring playfields in contrary to many other experts way of doing things. It requires many hours of time consuming preperation & numerous clear coats (12). Alignment issues will most likely be there from file or differently manufactured playfields. It is well known that even original playfields had problems with alignment & art.
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| Sorcerer | Space Shuttle |
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Playfields restored with direct ink | |
Here are the latest 2 playfields done in 2010, making a total of six for Sorcerer's & Space Shuttle's done this year. The next remaining 10 playfields are getting ready for September/October printing. Then the following titles EBD, Star Gazer, High Speed, etc. to follow. My picture taking is not the best, playfields look very nice when finished.
Finished Playfields will look very nice with finish DuPont clear coats. There might be some minor dust in the finish from the body shop or from my home spray booth. The white masking is done by hand & may show in places. The experts at the printer will do their best for alignment, but after a few tests it prints it & it can't be redone. This is a very hard process to master, & only major disasters will be redone.
What you get is a another choice of restoration if the art is available. If you can find a nos playfield in good condition or wait for new playfields to be done go that route. My system is not an overlay, & will look/play almost like a screen printed playfield. The direct ink process is a extremely time consuming way of doing restorations & I rely on experts (printer & body shop) to get these done professionally.
Playfields should get restored in 60 - 180 days in 2011. I have purchased my own plotter/cutter for vinyl to speed up the process of masking. If you are not a perfectionist or an anal pinball collector, this service is a great way to have a new looking playfield. The price of the service is $500 us + shipping both ways & any tax.
What is "Direct Ink"?
Before Direct Ink, if you wanted to restore your playfield you had three options:
Send it somewhere that provides this service, pay big bucks for them to start their magic, and wait (sometimes for two years) for it to be returned to you.
Try your hand at restoring yourself, which takes patience, skill and time.
Buy a reproduction playfield if it is available. If it's not available you can opt to wait and hope for someone to reproduce the title you need.
Hunt on the internet, want ads, trade shows, etc. for someone to sell their New Old Stock (NOS) that you need.
Well now there is a new way... Direct Ink!
With technological advances in modern printing, we are able to offer an exciting service to pinball enthusiasts everywhere. I have worked out a method whereby your original playfield art is sanded away, then reapplied with a machine that prints directly to your now clean, smooth, flat playfield. After the ink is applied, I lock it in with a clear coat process. This makes your playfield look fantastic again, costs much less than the traditional restoration methods, and you can have it back in your machine MUCH sooner.
One great advantage with this method is that I don't require a run of 20 - 100 to make it viable. I can restore single playfields nearly as easily as 1 or 5.
With all the beat up playfields in existence (literally tens of thousands) this is a service that is the perfect answer for most owners of pinball machines with worn playfields.
F.A.Q.
Is Direct Ink as "good" as the art in newly manufactured playfields that are screen printed?
Technically, no. However, it is extremely high quality. Once a playfield is populated and you slide the glass, it's almost impossible to tell the difference. It would take someone with a "great eye" who has intimate familiarity with a particular title to notice a difference. The main criticism of Direct Ink vs. Screen Printing is that the colors are less "vibrant" which is inherent to the process. However, this is hardly noticeable unless it's sitting side-by-side to an original playfield. One thing is certain, you won't recognize it compared to your worn original, and it will be superior to most (if not all) playfields that have been spot touched-up. It simply looks great.
Is Direct Ink durable?
Yes. The Color Span 9840uv Printer uses UV ink, the same as screen printed playfields, and is just as durable. The numerous clear coats I apply & 2 finish coats of DuPont protects your playfield from wear.
How long will it take?
The goal is a 60 -180 day turnaround time after it arrives here in Halifax.
How much does it cost?
I restore your playfield for $500 US. Shipping to and from my shop in Halifax is additional + any taxes.
Can you restore any playfield?
The answer is "yes", however I need to have a clean, accurate art file to enable me to restore any playfield. You can see the list of playfields I have art for already from pictures above. If you don't see your title here, contact me. This list isn't always current.
What if you don't have art for my playfield?
I am continually working to build up my library of playfield art. I depend on the pinball enthusiast community to scan their playfields and clean up their files in preparation for use in my Direct Ink process. You can supply it yourself or ask on the pinball newsgroup RGP (rec.games.pinball) for assistance. There are many helpful and generous folks there and one of them may be interested in helping you, which will also help many others too. Once an art file is ready and I have it, I can restore that title.
What format do you require for your art files?
Initially Vector Graphics, but any quality work thats clean should be able to be used.
How do I prepare my playfield for Direct Ink process?
You remove everything top & bottom. Take pictures, notes, bags for screws, masking tape to write location of part, to make the reinstallation process easier. Only the plywood with the light lenses intack is shipped. Everything else is removed, even the staples!
What sanding is done, is all art removed?
Playfield is sanded down so all art is gone. Back to bare plywood with light lenses. Backside is lightly sanded to make smooth.
My playfield has screw, light lense, etc. damage will you fix it?
Yes, it will be done as long as its minor. Take a black sharpie & masking tape to id problems on playfield. Take some pictures for me also for reference.
I don't understand all the clear coat & white mask that has to be done with Direct Ink process.
Yes it seems like a really hard way of doing things, but the Color Span 9840uv printer doesn't do white. So the playfield gets cleared, mask & white layer done, cleared, uv ink, finish clear coats.
Can I save money & do the clear coats myself?
Why take the risk, its a delicate process to get finish playfields with nice clear coats. Any damage to the uv ink would more than likely ruin any fine results, & it would have to be done again. So this way if there is some failure in the result, it goes through the process again. No risk to you!
Can I do this process myself? Isn't this technology available around the world? Ink Jet Printers for large format work.
Yes, you could do this yourself. That's the purpose is to make the restoration process freely available for playfield restorations. Finding a printer willing to take the risk of damaging his printer & taking on these jobs is another thing. Many things have to be done right & the more that go through the process. The easier things will get, faster too! So there is hope for doing a few playfields at a time, over hopefully many years. The people who have helped supply the art are free to use it, & decide if others may get it.
How do I contact you?
Please contact me first before sending in any playfield. New playfields should be accepted in September 2010. They should be sent US Postal Service or Canada Post, wrapped in cardboard & valued at $20. Anyone who values it above this or sends it via UPS or other will pay any additional duties, brokerage, etc. The price has gone up to reflect the true costs involved. I will strive for a good restoration, minor registration & white showing in areas is to be expected. Same with minor dust in the 2 finish coats of DuPont. If you are a picky person, with very demanding quality control. Please seek out a nos, new, or find another restoration service!
On a personal note, I have a demanding 6 day week job + overtime. I do local repairs to keep others & my pins going. Lots of family health issues with everyone having problems. Also I travel & play golf, + if i'm exhausted pinball playfields take a siesta. So if you are in serious need of quick service please look elsewhere. Playfields have been here for 1 - 3 years, the process has been figured out. But it will still be Fall to get through them all.
Other playfields coming up for restoration: High Speed, Eight Ball Deluxe, Star Gazer, Xenon, & some custom jobs.
Links
List of art files currently available in my library: Sorcerer, Space Shuttle, High Speed, Eight Ball Deluxe, Star Gazer.
High Definition Pictures Of Sorcerer & Space Shuttle: http://www.jellikit.com/john/playfields.htm
Pinball Expo 2007 Direct Ink Seminar: http://www.pinballnews.com/shows/expo2007/johngreatwich.mp3
Pictures of playfields going through the process: http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e28/greatwichjohn/