Mark wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I am seriously very thankful to the knowledable replies. I am alot
less lost now. thank you all for helping me gain a little
understanding.

I at first wanted to emboss the case because I thought it'd make my
small business look really big, but I was also worried about the
embossing cracking the paint on the case already(most cases will just
be unpainted shinny aluminum, but some may be painted). I was
told(not sure how true it is) that if I emboss a larger logo on it the
paint won't crack. If the letters are small and the logo is really
fine, then paint could crack(if its power coated).

I am starting to consider Silk screening. It seems more economical
since right now we're not selling too many computers.

To label the monitors, i was looking into print screens, from what I
can tell silk screens are almost the same(except the stencle is made
out of silk), is there anything else?

Also for now, i was going to spent about 500 (could go up to 800) to
label the cases, from my research that pretty much makes it hard to
get an embossing machine. But thanks to you all, i think i got
another idea. one of my business partners used to paint cars and
maybe we airbrush the case(or leave it normal aluminum look), and then
put a silk screen ontop of it.

If someone touchs the silk screen, would the paint come off?
Sometimes people put their machines on the floor and their legs rub
against it, or it may be near a vent. Would tempature or touching it
wear it out? Does the colour fade? Would I be able to do it myself
if i got a template made? or would it be economical to get it done by
a professional?

Should i totally drop the idea of embossing, or would it look more
professional then silk screen?

Thanks for everything already, sorry to ask more questions. But if
you can just let me know anything problems or things i should consider
when doing this, it'll help me alot :-)

Thanks again and many warm wishs.


I don't believe you have ever mentioned your cost per unit budget.
Other options may be laser cutting/water jet cutting a logo from
stainless or acrylic and doing a glue on. There are also some companies
that do formed stampings as stickers that can look really good.

If you choose a case with removable flat side panels (rather than a
formed U case) you could probably water jet cut your logo as a
perforation and back it up with acrylic (and even those cool internal
lights for the real geeks).

If you are selling the high-end stuff, you logos incorporated as part of
the "cool factor" might make a little bigger investment worth it. Geeks
do seem to like spending on the flashy lights/"billet machined" look to
impress the other geeks. Hell, there are even people spending big bucks
for machined wood mice and wood computer replacement cases fabricated on
a CNC mill.

Koz (who starts wondering if the junkyard look of old pallet scrap wood
would make an interesting computer case)