The simplicity of my work not only is a preference of mine and a few others in here... but because there are SOOOO many transfers, edits, etc. that the creators can just take what I have done, and slap whatever the heck they want to on the back. Anyone who feels my work is incomplete looking because of simplicity, complete it to how you see fit. I don't get paid for this, and I would keep doing them if there was no one to share them with. It is all in fun.
I guess I had this place all wrong for whatever reason. I should have seen that sort of perspective from the beginning but I think too competitively. I admit that making star wars covers was not only my most successful work but the most fun to do. I'll probably be here a lot.
At any rate, I am back home from work and here are my templates:
Edit: Boxwrap.zip
3 PSD files. Boxset template for Pretty self-explanitory. The only thing I really can't tell you off the top of my head are the exact box measurements so you'll have to figure that out. The star wars box I posted earlier was one of two that I made. The other one came out crooked. It's all a matter of trial and error, but once you get it right it'll look fantastic.
Materials:
Full sheet adhesive labels (8 1/2 x 11 or larger depending on the box size)
Paper cutter (for straight cuts)
A large sheet of mat board (Not sure what thickness exactly. 1 or 2 mm should be plenty thick. Shop around)
Scissors
12" metal ruler or a ruler with a metal edge. Stay away from that plastic shit unless you really want a crooked box =P
Pencil for measuring
Soda of choice
1. Set up your design and make sure you leave space outside the guidelines in those templates. Also leave a little bit of a margin open in "Boxwrap01.psd" and "Boxwrap02.psd" inside each guided area because you might need to cut some of the top and bottom in order to fit correctly over the box.
2. Print out some test sheets at the lowest ink setting available and make sure they fit properly over your dvds. Adjust accordingly. Double check all your designs and make sure they look the way you want them to.
3. Print out finalized designs onto "full sheet labels" adhesive paper. I used Avery brand. The results could be a little better but they do the job just fine. As long as they are full size adhesive labels you'll be golden.
3. Using the mat board, measure out your box and make sure all your lines are straight and have perfect 90 degree angles. It should look something like this:
Make sure the cardboard won't overlap itself when it's cut. Eyeball and doublecheck the hell out the lines of this because you don't want to screw this up and have to start over.
4. Cut the box out. Be careful not to bend the mat board while you cut it. Make sure it fits the dvds. Wrap the cardboard around your box completely and make sure it can wrap tight enough around the dvd cases that they wont' be able to slip out too easily. This can be tricky.
5. Next use some kind of strong tape. Masking tape might work but I really don't know how well. I used a wide roll of duct tape that could basically stretch along the topside without any overlapping. Tape the top and bottom onto the sides. You don't have to tape the inside if you did this right. Again make sure the angles aren't crooked.
6. Once the box is all set and ready for dvds, you can apply the box wrap. I used a cheap paper cutter to cut them out so they're nice and straight. The first thing you do is cut out Boxwrap 3 into the top and bottom half. The horizontal guide along the center of the template is where you'll be cutting. Make sure the top is in the right direction. It should be facing the front side of the box. My photos on the previous page show this. For the bottom half flip the box upside down and and it should still face the front side of the box (Not shown in photos).
You'll see that there's an edge around the bottom and top pieces. Make sure those wrap around the other sides including the inside of the box. You'll need to cut accordingly.
7. Next up is the backside. Same idea just make sure the top and bottom are cut properly and wrap it around with a short overlap going into the side of the box. That will get covered up next.
8. Last but not least, cut the frontside properly and wrap it around like the others. Make sure it's not upside down etc.
Then you're done! You should have a really nice box now! Congrats. If you need more help I am 90% I'll be making another box next week for the prequels. The design for that has been done for a couple weeks but I've been at college and mat board is at home along with a nice printer. I'll go into a little more detail when I'm working on that.