I've been perusing the discussion board here trying to figure out the best way possible for putting together an affordable, made-to-order, board game I plan to sell on eBay. Lots of great ideas here. However, I'd like to share with you some of the shortcuts I've personally learned through trial and error.
Not knowing how well my game will do (I'm really just a hobbyist), I needed to develop something I could put together on a made-to-order basis without having to second mortgage my house.
My game is sci-fi themed and involves a 14" x 14" layout. The size of the board was essentially determined by a $4 single-fold checkers game I found at Walgreens. These checkers sets are readily available and make a great board for your graphics. Beats paying $18 for a blank board!
My next hurdle was trying to find an affordable way to print out my graphics. I checked with several local printers but finally got Kinko's to print up my 14"x14" gameboard for only $7 a sheet. (The graphics are a matte print but can be sprayed over with a glossy clear coat later)
After waiting a day for the inkjet print to completely dry on the graphic, I attached it to the game board using glue spray. Kinkos sells a very good 3M product that goes on very light but is strong. When attaching the graphic place another sheet over the board (to avoid smearing) and press down firmly to attach. TIP: Spray the board surface, not the back of the graphic. It will be much easier to attach. Also, the paper that they use at Kinkos for the large prints is heavy enough that it covers the original graphics on the existing game board you're covering.
You can finish off the gameboard with a glossy inkjet sealer spray. You can usually find this product at art supply stores or camera shops.
So, for all of the above, I completely assembled my game board for under $12. I'm very happy with the results.
Peter
Was your print job at Kinkos a full color job?
Yes.