Hacking Random11's Credit Card Sized amiibo cards

[Random11]

Do you mind filling me in on the label information? I am doing card stock and laminate today to see how that looks. I did some pokemon trainer cards for my sons pokemon birthday themed party which turned out good just wasn't a fan of the left over edge of lamination.

So here is what I've tried....

First I printed playing cards at staples on 12PT Glossy card stock:


Then I cut them out roughly with a guillotine paper cutter, stuck a sticker tag on the back, glued the two halves together with emler's rubber cement, used the paper cutter to cut along the crop lines and then used a "Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036)" with its 3mm cutting edge to cut the corners of my cards. I have documented my processes here (the pdf has the old way I used to do it, with double sided tape - but the general process is the same).

Here are the results:


and in perfect fit card sleeves (pokemon card size)


I bought a Scotch brand laminator for like $30 and a pack of lamination sheets for like $4. I also dont like the idea of having the edges of lamination though. So, I cut off the edges:



Toon Link was my first attempt. I had cut out the card completely and then decided to laminate it. I used a xacto knife to cut off the edges. However I did not cut it perfectly and after a few days I was handling the card and since the lamination wasnt flush with the edge of the card as I ran my finger across the edge the lamination started to peel up taking some of the print with it so now there is some white speckles on my card where the ink didnt line up properly when I tried to lay it back down.

I found that using a bead of super clue on the edges of the card help prevent the peeling.

For standard Link, I cut out the card roughly (leaving the bleed), glued the halves together, then laminated it. Then I cut along the crop lines and cut the corners off. This way the lamination doesnt hang off the edge of the card and as such I feel it will be less likely for me to nick it and have it peel up. But I will let you know if it ends up peeling. I want to see if you could get away without having to carefully run super glue along the edge.

here you can see the damage from the lamination peeling up:


you can see the edge of toon link is a little rough because of the super glue (my cutting job was probably not the best either):


Then I moved onto credit card size...

As per AnalogMan's suggestion I went and got Avery 5265 shipping labels. I printed them off on my works Sharp MX-3070N laser printer... it didnt do the best job



White speckles on some cards:


black spots on other cards:


Here is the results after applying the labels to the pvc cards


The Avery labels also had diagonal lines cut into the backing in order to make it easier to peel off. However the scoring is deep enough that it affects the label. You can sometimes see hints of the line through the image and if you happen to accidentally crease the card on that line it could put a mark on the print, so you have to be careful.



Also after applying "Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2x Ultra Cover Satin Clear" I noticed it was darkening my images. I applied two good thick layers because I wanted them to be more smooth, but I guess I should have just went with the gloss finish. I am still experimenting with finishes though.

All cards with the finish applied:


Comparison vs no finish, Left is the one with the finish. Right is the plain one.


I may also go to staples this weekend and try to get some printed by them. See if they turned out better.



I hope that answers your question. And gives others some ideas.

 

[DocKlokMan]

So here is what I've tried....

First I printed playing cards at staples on 12PT Glossy card stock:


Then I cut them out roughly with a guillotine paper cutter, glued the two halves together with emler's rubber cement, used the paper cutter to cut along the crop lines and then used a "Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036)" with its 3mm cutting edge to cut the corners of my cards. I have documented my processes here (the pdf has the old way I used to do it, with double sided tape - but the general process is the same).

Here are the results:



I bought a Scotch brand laminator for like $30 and a pack of lamination sheets for like $4. I also dont like the idea of having the edges of lamination though. So, I cut off the edges:



Toon Link was my first attempt. I had cut out the card completely and then decided to laminate it. I used a xacto knife to cut off the edges. However I did not cut it perfectly and after a few days I was handling the card and since the lamination wasnt flush with the edge of the card as I ran my finger across the edge the lamination started to peel up taking some of the print with it so now there is some white speckles on my card where the ink didnt line up properly when I tried to lay it back down.

I found that using a bead of super clue on the edges of the card help prevent the peeling.

For standard Link, I cut out the card roughly (leaving the bleed), glued the halves together, then laminated it. Then I cut along the crop lines and cut the corners off. This way the lamination doesnt hang off the edge of the card and as such I feel it will be less likely for me to nick it and have it peel up. But I will let you know if it ends up peeling. I want to see if you could get away without having to carefully run super glue along the edge.



Then I moved onto credit card size:

As per AnalogMan's suggestion I went and got Avery 5265 shipping labels. I printed them off on my works Sharp MX-3070N printer... it didnt do the best job



The Avery labels also had diagonal lines cut into the backing in order to make it easier to peel off. However the scoring is deep enough that it affects the label. You can sometimes see hints of the line through the image and if you happen to accidentally crease the card on that line it could put a mark on the print, so you have to be careful.



Also after applying "Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2x Ultra Cover Satin Clear" I noticed it was darkening my images. I applied two good thick layers because I wanted them to be more smooth, but I guess I should have just went with the gloss finish. I am still experimenting with finishes though.



I may also go to staples this weekend and try to get some printed by them. See if they turned out better.



I hope that answers your question. And gives others some ideas.

Dang, you had so many issues that I didn't have. Not sure what kind of printer the Sharp is (laser perhaps?) but on my inkjet Canon I didn't get any white or black speckles. As for the scoring, yes it may leave some noticeable crease marks though I didn't get a solid white line like in your photo. Regardless I peel the whole backing off now and carefully place the card down onto the label to avoid creasing the image now. And as for the finish I didn't notice much darkening but then again I did all 16 at once and didn't really compare them side-by-side. I'll look into it and see if that's happening to me too.

 

[Knitten]

@Random11 You should totally clean your printer heads manually >.<

 

[Random11]

@Random11 You should totally clean your printer heads manually >.<

It was a work printer so I didn't really have the option unfortunately.

Dang, you had so many issues that I didn't have. Not sure what kind of printer the Sharp is (laser perhaps?) but on my inkjet Canon I didn't get any white or black speckles. As for the scoring, yes it may leave some noticeable crease marks though I didn't get a solid white line like in your photo. Regardless I peel the whole backing off now and carefully place the card down onto the label to avoid creasing the image now. And as for the finish I didn't notice much darkening but then again I did all 16 at once and didn't really compare them side-by-side. I'll look into it and see if that's happening to me too.

Ya the printer was a laser printer. Those labels said they were made for laser printers so that's what I used. There was an inkjet version (with a different model number) but my inkjet printer is kinda crap so I wanted to try my works laser printer.

The white line was definitely my fault for not being careful enough.

As for the finish... it was darker but I think it was because the two coats I put down were probably too thick.

Not a big deal I only tried it on a few cards.

I like experimenting with things to see what I like best anyway.

 

[jose70mino]

So here is what I've tried....

First I printed playing cards at staples on 12PT Glossy card stock:


Then I cut them out roughly with a guillotine paper cutter, glued the two halves together with emler's rubber cement, used the paper cutter to cut along the crop lines and then used a "Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036)" with its 3mm cutting edge to cut the corners of my cards. I have documented my processes here (the pdf has the old way I used to do it, with double sided tape - but the general process is the same).

Here are the results:



I bought a Scotch brand laminator for like $30 and a pack of lamination sheets for like $4. I also dont like the idea of having the edges of lamination though. So, I cut off the edges:



Toon Link was my first attempt. I had cut out the card completely and then decided to laminate it. I used a xacto knife to cut off the edges. However I did not cut it perfectly and after a few days I was handling the card and since the lamination wasnt flush with the edge of the card as I ran my finger across the edge the lamination started to peel up taking some of the print with it so now there is some white speckles on my card where the ink didnt line up properly when I tried to lay it back down.

I found that using a bead of super clue on the edges of the card help prevent the peeling.

For standard Link, I cut out the card roughly (leaving the bleed), glued the halves together, then laminated it. Then I cut along the crop lines and cut the corners off. This way the lamination doesnt hang off the edge of the card and as such I feel it will be less likely for me to nick it and have it peel up. But I will let you know if it ends up peeling. I want to see if you could get away without having to carefully run super glue along the edge.



Then I moved onto credit card size:

As per AnalogMan's suggestion I went and got Avery 5265 shipping labels. I printed them off on my works Sharp MX-3070N printer... it didnt do the best job



The Avery labels also had diagonal lines cut into the backing in order to make it easier to peel off. However the scoring is deep enough that it affects the label. You can sometimes see hints of the line through the image and if you happen to accidentally crease the card on that line it could put a mark on the print, so you have to be careful.



Also after applying "Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2x Ultra Cover Satin Clear" I noticed it was darkening my images. I applied two good thick layers because I wanted them to be more smooth, but I guess I should have just went with the gloss finish. I am still experimenting with finishes though.



I may also go to staples this weekend and try to get some printed by them. See if they turned out better.



I hope that answers your question. And gives others some ideas.

So my attempt didn't go over too well. The print outs came out awesome on a brand new Canon 5540ci Laser however, my trimming technique is not very polished and I cut the card stock either too large or too small. I am doing the CC sized and the corner cutter I have wasn't helping. I need to get myself a 3mm corner cutter. I attempted to laminate either way just to see the finish and even that gave me issues. The ntag215 with card stock was too thick for my laminating machine, I had to force one card on a whole sheet just to see what it would look like. It did not laminate well and I had a tough time trimming the lamination edge. I may also need to get a better lamination machine that takes thicker paper, or just do the labels. May be leaning towards the labels as they seem the easiest option.

As far as glue, I use some adhesive roller which worked pretty well however, I do not think it will hold for very long on its own.

Question; the first cards you have there, the playing card size with the pokemon sleeves. What are you using for nfc?

Looking at something like this just to get exact cut outs.
https://www.onlinelabels.com/OL996.htm?src=dlc-218
https://www.onlinelabels.com/OL3043.htm?src=dlc-235

 

[kolosus]

I have a thread showing the equipment that I used.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/amiibo-cards-that-i-made.466723/

I did make some cards and much thanks to Random11. I used his scribus directions to make my own. I did cut out his bleed and made the images without bleed because of the way that I'm printing/making mine.

After setting up scribus, I "printed" them to a pdf. Took the pdf to Staples and printed from their self service station. They refused to print directly. I did have to play around with the measurements a bit to make it fit how I wanted them to. I ran a bunch of prints at home (B&W) to see how it came out measurements wise. Most of the prints are visibly squished because of the dimensions of the cards that I need it to fit but I'm ok with that.

I made a bunch and this is a set. I only printed the ones that I wanted. Didn't make the whole set. It's a WIP. I made some Mario themed ones for my sons and they already lost some. They only keep track of the ones they like (Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach). The Zelda set is mine for BOTW and I'll make more as time permits. I have a bunch of tags and pouches left still.


Because of the way I'm cutting my cards there is some showing of the back of the white on the side but it seems that only I see that. My sons (6 & 4) dont notice at all or haven't mentioned it. You'll notice the white on the top right of the card. I decided on the sideways design because it appealed to me at the time but I may end up using a portrait next since the guardian one seems the odd one out ATM.


Since I'm using a laminating pouch that are the exact same dimensions after printing and laminating they feel exactly same when held in hand, like part of a deck. The small margin of error during cutting isn't an issue at all. I was in the market for a corner cutter but couldn't find one that fit my budget. Was going to go ebay but by the time I finished off a few cards I realized it looks better this way. The laminating pouches have their own rounded edges.

 

[Random11]

So my attempt didn't go over too well. The print outs came out awesome on a brand new Canon 5540ci Laser however, my trimming technique is not very polished and I cut the card stock either too large or too small. I am doing the CC sized and the corner cutter I have wasn't helping. I need to get myself a 3mm corner cutter. I attempted to laminate either way just to see the finish and even that gave me issues. The ntag215 with card stock was too thick for my laminating machine, I had to force one card on a whole sheet just to see what it would look like. It did not laminate well and I had a tough time trimming the lamination edge. I may also need to get a better lamination machine that takes thicker paper, or just do the labels. May be leaning towards the labels as they seem the easiest option.

As far as glue, I use some adhesive roller which worked pretty well however, I do not think it will hold for very long on its own.

Question; the first cards you have there, the playing card size with the pokemon sleeves. What are you using for nfc?

Looking at something like this just to get exact cut outs.
https://www.onlinelabels.com/OL996.htm?src=dlc-218
https://www.onlinelabels.com/OL3043.htm?src=dlc-235

For the playing card ones I used 30mm sticker tags. For the credit card sized ones I used the pvc card tags.

For paper sticking to paper I do suggest the rubber cement. Not too sure how well it would hold up on the pvc card though, it could work... Im just not sure.

I would suggest getting a full sheet sticker and cutting them yourself. What I did was I took the clear bubble from my guardian amiibo, put my phone inside with the flashlight on and facing up (watch your eyes - its bright) and then laid the rough cut (the cut of the cards with the bleed still) sticky side up, on top of the plastic. Then I used the light from beneath to see the crop lines and use those to place the pvc card correctly. Then I used normal scissors to cut along the edge. As long as you have straight enough scissors you can cut to the edge close enough and then I used an emery board to get rid of all the little hang overs I missed with the scissor. But for pure simpleness I would go with the 3x2 labels (if you only are looking at that site), the other link you referenced would be too big.

I have a thread showing the equipment that I used.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/amiibo-cards-that-i-made.466723/

I did make some cards and much thanks to Random11. I used his scribus directions to make my own. I did cut out his bleed and made the images without bleed because of the way that I'm printing/making mine.

After setting up scribus, I "printed" them to a pdf. Took the pdf to Staples and printed from their self service station. They refused to print directly. I did have to play around with the measurements a bit to make it fit how I wanted them to. I ran a bunch of prints at home (B&W) to see how it came out measurements wise. Most of the prints are visibly squished because of the dimensions of the cards that I need it to fit but I'm ok with that.

I made a bunch and this is a set. I only printed the ones that I wanted. Didn't make the whole set. It's a WIP. I made some Mario themed ones for my sons and they already lost some. They only keep track of the ones they like (Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Peach). The Zelda set is mine for BOTW and I'll make more as time permits. I have a bunch of tags and pouches left still.


Because of the way I'm cutting my cards there is some showing of the back of the white on the side but it seems that only I see that. My sons (6 & 4) dont notice at all or haven't mentioned it. You'll notice the white on the top right of the card. I decided on the sideways design because it appealed to me at the time but I may end up using a portrait next since the guardian one seems the odd one out ATM.


Since I'm using a laminating pouch that are the exact same dimensions after printing and laminating they feel exactly same when held in hand, like part of a deck. The small margin of error during cutting isn't an issue at all. I was in the market for a corner cutter but couldn't find one that fit my budget. Was going to go ebay but by the time I finished off a few cards I realized it looks better this way. The laminating pouches have their own rounded edges.

I know you said you dont mind them being a little squished, but I thought I would just link you this in case you missed it: http://gbatemp.net/threads/random11s-credit-card-sized-amiibo-cards.465999/page-4#post-7220811

 

[kolosus]

I saw that post. My prints are 5.3 cm by 8.9 cm. Using those other pictures will give me a more even sized picture?

Also. My kids are wanting their own amiibos. So the idea is to get screenshots of their Mii and put it on a card. Inside the cards will be Mario and Luigi tags. How can I get screenshots with a good resolution and how to go about doing the whole thing? There are probably SSB templates someplace or maybe they are easy to make but I'll settle for anything really. As long as it looks mostly acceptable. I have gimp and some basic knowledge but outside of that I'm an image manipulation noob. Any ideas and suggestions on how to go about this would be very helpful.

 

[Random11]

I saw that post. My prints are 5.3 cm by 8.9 cm. Using those other pictures will give me a more even sized picture?

Also. My kids are wanting their own amiibos. So the idea is to get screenshots of their Mii and put it on a card. Inside the cards will be Mario and Luigi tags. How can I get screenshots with a good resolution and how to go about doing the whole thing? There are probably SSB templates someplace or maybe they are easy to make but I'll settle for anything really. As long as it looks mostly acceptable. I have gimp and some basic knowledge but outside of that I'm an image manipulation noob. Any ideas and suggestions on how to go about this would be very helpful.

In GIMP...

1. Go to: File>New
2. click "+Advanced Options"
3. set X resolution to 300, this should automatically change the Y resolution to 300 as well.
4. Set the image size to 5.300cm width, 8.898cm height
   
5. click ok
6. In the layers panel... delete the background layer
7. Go to File>Open as Layers
8. Select all the credit card sized images you want (hold down CTRL while selecting in order to select multiple files)
9. click open
10. in the layers panel beside the eye icon on each layer there is an empty box that you will see when hovering over a layer... click that box for each layer (a little chain icon will appear inside the box - this will allow you to move all the layers at once)
11. select the move tool, hold down CTRL and drag the image up -0.19cm (CTRL will make sure you dont move it side to side - the distance you move the layers will be displayed in the bottom status bar, next to the zoom level)
    
12. save out each layer

As for the miis....Going into a very plain level like the wii fit trainer level or anything with as flat as a background as you can find and use wii u smash's screen shot feature. There may be some online mii recreation/emulation things but Im not sure. As for a template... here is a link to the template CompC originally used to create his versions of the smash cards and I used when recreating his cards. But I cant really give you a step by step on how to convert that into what you want. You will just have to play around.

 

[DocKlokMan]

I saw that post. My prints are 5.3 cm by 8.9 cm. Using those other pictures will give me a more even sized picture?

Also. My kids are wanting their own amiibos. So the idea is to get screenshots of their Mii and put it on a card. Inside the cards will be Mario and Luigi tags. How can I get screenshots with a good resolution and how to go about doing the whole thing? There are probably SSB templates someplace or maybe they are easy to make but I'll settle for anything really. As long as it looks mostly acceptable. I have gimp and some basic knowledge but outside of that I'm an image manipulation noob. Any ideas and suggestions on how to go about this would be very helpful.

There's actually Smash Mii amiibos for Brawler, Gunner and Sword Fighter that store your customized Smash Mii. Maybe you could use those for programming the tag instead of Mario and Luigi. That way when they scan them their actual Mii comes out.

 

[kidasquid]

I saw that post. My prints are 5.3 cm by 8.9 cm. Using those other pictures will give me a more even sized picture?

Also. My kids are wanting their own amiibos. So the idea is to get screenshots of their Mii and put it on a card. Inside the cards will be Mario and Luigi tags. How can I get screenshots with a good resolution and how to go about doing the whole thing? There are probably SSB templates someplace or maybe they are easy to make but I'll settle for anything really. As long as it looks mostly acceptable. I have gimp and some basic knowledge but outside of that I'm an image manipulation noob. Any ideas and suggestions on how to go about this would be very helpful.

Miitomo for Mii pics. You can rotate and isolate just the head to nice resolution I think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kidasquid]

There's actually Smash Mii amiibos for Brawler, Gunner and Sword Fighter that store your customized Smash Mii. Maybe you could use those for programming the tag instead of Mario and Luigi. That way when they scan them their actual Mii comes out.

This is from Miitomo, you can rotate and resize.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[themaniac123]

Has anyone made any more credit card sized cards? Wanting to make a Splatoon set

Thanks!

 

[DeoNaught]

Where do you print these?

 

[aykot]

Spoiler: Splatoon Back Credit Card

@themaniac123 Made this for printing my own cards. The front I used are the ones form CompC´s complilation, the crop works well

 

[kolosus]

Where do you print these?

Check post 166 on this thread. Honestly this is a DIY project. Anyway you can. Got a good color printer? Got a friend who has one? Got a local shop that'll do it for you? PVC cards? Just tags? Paper with the tags stickered to the back? Cards that are laminated? How do YOU want to do yours?

BTW. I have a perfectly working method to push out laminated cards... but I want those cool looking coins now! lol I may have to join

Spoiler

 

[DocKlokMan]

Check post 166 on this thread. Honestly this is a DIY project. Anyway you can. Got a good color printer? Got a friend who has one? Got a local shop that'll do it for you? PVC cards? Just tags? Paper with the tags stickered to the back? Cards that are laminated? How do YOU want to do yours?

BTW. I have a perfectly working method to push out laminated cards... but I want those cool looking coins now! lol I may have to join

Spoiler

Tell me about it! I keep wanting to make new amiibo. Then I see things like these and start getting the urge even stronger: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuff_tm/33969182345/in/album-72157679221500073/

 

[kolosus]

That is a worthy project but the amount of time and equipment that you'll have to invest could be a bit daunting. Unless you have some of the things necessary close at hand. The laser cutter could run you in the thousands! You could buy a China knockoff but you'll have to invest a lot of time into it. Or get a polished product which will cost you maybe 2-3k on to upwards of 10k! Not to mention the learning curve of using a laser. I have 0 experience. There are some maker shops salted through the states that have a lot of cool equipment and I think you can spend a large chunk of time there learning and making at your own pace but that's still quite an investment. The closest to me is an 1.5 hours drive. They do look amazing though!

 

[DocKlokMan]

That is a worthy project but the amount of time and equipment that you'll have to invest could be a bit daunting. Unless you have some of the things necessary close at hand. The laser cutter could run you in the thousands! You could buy a China knockoff but you'll have to invest a lot of time into it. Or get a polished product which will cost you maybe 2-3k on to upwards of 10k! Not to mention the learning curve of using a laser. I have 0 experience. There are some maker shops salted through the states that have a lot of cool equipment and I think you can spend a large chunk of time there learning and making at your own pace but that's still quite an investment. The closest to me is an 1.5 hours drive. They do look amazing though!

You can order laser cut stuff online. Just upload the file with the shapes you want, choose a material and they mail it to you.

 

[kolosus]

You can order laser cut stuff online. Just upload the file with the shapes you want, choose a material and they mail it to you.

Oh how you tempt me AnalogMan