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Post by nikloveland on Jan 22, 2011 10:24:12 GMT -9
So Parduz started a thread a bit ago talking about pre-cut models. It's true, the hardest thing about cardstock modeling is all the cutting. I don't think there's a paper model designer who hasn't tried to come up with some way to offer pre-cut models. I just can't seem to think of an easy way to do it myself. If I were to offer something, it would be done on the craftROBO (since that's got the lowest startup cost) and it would have to be $5-$10 per sheet or more! At that price you lose the appeal of paper minis and should just go for full plastic/metal figs (granted, you don't have to paint paper minis but you still do have to edge and base them). Maybe there's a better way and if so, I'd like to know what it is.
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Post by Parduz on Jan 22, 2011 14:07:23 GMT -9
Look how you throw a rock in the lake and the circles comes from the other lakeside after some time Now, about cost and appeal: suppose to build a very busy page, full of minis (no one have to read instructions and advertise, so every bit of paper is good for miniatures): with some efforts you can squeeze from 15 to 25 figures per sheet. So i'll pay (in the worst case) 10$ + shipping for 20 precut miniatures.... the last AT43 box i bought was 12€ for 6 figures, and it was a discount 'cause the seller wanted to get rid of any contact with Rackam. Frankly, i'd buy your figures all the time, unless i want spefically real miniatures. You'll print them at top quality, on the paper you designed for (in 2.5 or 3d models this matters), and i will have a pro product, ready to be glued and played in less than 30 minutes. So, i may buy less of them, but i'm sure ill play with them instead of leaving them unused in the hard disk 'cause i can't cut them.
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Post by josedominguez on Jan 23, 2011 7:14:57 GMT -9
Buy pre-cut command groups and front rank models, then you can get away with bolstering your units with less well cut models Aim for $6 a sheet...... as parduz says you can cram maybe 20 minis on there. In fact...... why not sell a unit of 20 pre-cut troops for $6. That sounds like an excellent deal and makes you think about the effort saved, ratehr than $6 a sheet.
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Post by okumarts on Jan 23, 2011 9:28:13 GMT -9
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Post by Vermin King on Jan 23, 2011 15:34:25 GMT -9
They still use white outline which makes me think cheap. and they are charging a lot more than $6. Does $6 allow enough profit to make it worthwhile?
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Post by cowboyleland on Jan 23, 2011 18:03:08 GMT -9
Jose is makin sense. If they come pre-cut, it does not matter how many were on the page.
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Post by labrat on Jan 23, 2011 18:40:06 GMT -9
I think the issue here is not the amount of figures per sheet, it's the amount of time you would spend tending to the cutter and then packaging them. It's not too cost effective unless you can charge a fair amount for them. It's still way cheaper than 3d figs, but is it cheap enough?
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Post by cowboyleland on Jan 23, 2011 19:48:19 GMT -9
And of course the aligning and gluing besides the cutting. I don't have a cutter so I don't know how much tending they need.
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Post by Parduz on Jan 23, 2011 22:03:29 GMT -9
And of course the aligning and gluing besides the cutting. I don't have a cutter so I don't know how much tending they need. Then they should have been called "assembled minis"... no, it is the cutting process that hurts and for what i'm willing to pay.
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Post by cowboyleland on Jan 24, 2011 8:24:42 GMT -9
I just thought most people recomend gluing before cutting anyway, but maybe that is different with a robo-cutter.
Cheers
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Post by josedominguez on Jan 24, 2011 11:33:55 GMT -9
Usually the robo cutter is set to cut them out flat, then you fold and glue. But the cutter is so accurate that they tend to match up really well
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Post by nikloveland on Jan 25, 2011 14:41:45 GMT -9
Yeah, labrat is right. The more figures you cram on to the page the more time is required by the cutter (and in turn the person running the cutter). In fact, by trying to put too many figures on a page you run a higher risk of the cutter ripping other parts that are already cut. Another thing is the layouts as they stand already make good use of the cutting area (the cut area on the 8.5"x11" sheet of paper is only 7.5"x9.5"). Since I've been cutting so many files out, I've timed a few of them and it takes me around 12 minutes to cut one sheet (that is if it isn't using spline data). Since I'm using photo matte paper that is thinner than my normal 110lb cardstock, I only have to cut the page once (very nice . If we were to buy another cutter I think we might actually be able to offer pre-cut models but it would still be up in the $7-$8 per page range. Still pricey if you think that is $0.80 per figure (on average). The other kicker (and what would actually even let me consider doing pre-cut models on the CraftRobo) is that we would only ship once a month. We could collect all the orders for the previous month (give a monthly order deadline), spend a day doing all the printing and cutting, and then ship them all out at once. If there was a high enough demand I suppose it would move to every two weeks but we'd have to see.
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Post by Vermin King on Jan 25, 2011 14:49:53 GMT -9
I don't know if you'd move enough product to warrant the time to set it all up and to do it. Your time might be more valuably spent on being creative.
You could hire lackeys, but then you usually only get what you pay for.
I could just see getting all set up and then only getting one order for one page ...
Tough call
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Post by josedominguez on Jan 27, 2011 9:21:33 GMT -9
it's no good with the current cutters available......... wait until something with more power appears.
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Post by Dominic on Jan 28, 2011 0:01:28 GMT -9
Seeing how the carrier sheets don't last forever... Even with spray adhesive solutions I guess it would be a hassle at times. Besides, some customers might want the figures earlier, say for this weekend's session, so they'd prefer the PDFs over pre-cut ones. Some customers will also have their own cutter, further reducing the potential market share.
I don't know what to think personally, it would also depend on shipping cost (to europe), which would either raise the price or the delay. For example, the Ebbles DVD took over a month to arrive after it had been shipped, while another order from the US that arrived within a few days cost me a two-digit sum (plus taxes in either case, I don't know whether they would apply for paper).
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Post by old squirmydad on Jan 28, 2011 12:32:15 GMT -9
Carrier sheets and adhesive spray are another thing that does factor into the cost; both the purchase price of those additional materials and the time spent prepping the carrier sheets. It'd probably be best to leave the printed and cut minis/models attached to the carrier sheet for shipping-removing all of the pieces intact and having them also arrive intact would be chancy. I save some time and money with my models by re-using each carrier sheet ten times before I toss them on the fire. When I run out of carrier sheets I get ten sheets of heavy cardstock (or sometimes just mis-printed sheets of good stock), spray them all with the re-positionable adhesive, then cover each sheet with a piece of wax paper until I need them. They store nicely that way.
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