Edge spot color scheme options. (1 Viewer)

[Larold]

As I begin to design my custom set spanning 11-12 base colors of chips (!!), I find that I am really liking the edge-spot pattern of 6 individual, thin-ish stripes distributed equally around the edge of the chip. Each stripe is exactly one color. (I believe on the forum's Paulson design tool, it was edge pattern 12)

Don't worry about answering 'get whatever you like / whatever works for you' - I really do want to know what most players find pleasing / usable. I am legally blind; sometimes I make color choices that induce vertigo or offend the sensibilities of normal-eyesight folks.

My questions.

- Am I correct in assuming that, for the 6-stripe edge pattern mentioned above, it would look pretty obnoxious / gross if I chose a different color (6 total) for each of the spots?

Assuming the answer to the above is 'probably' or 'yes', let's move on.

The color pattern I'm seriously looking at for the 6-stripe edge pattern would be two different colors, alternating as you move around the perimeter. (e.g. first stripe is day-glo green, next stripe is day-glo purple, then day-glo green, etc.)

- What is more common?
A) The same set of colors of edge stripes for all chips, only modified for color contrast against the base chip color? or,
B) Custom-selecting the colors for the edge stripes for each base color of chip?

- Is it true that day-glo colors tend to work the best for edge-stripes set in non-day-glo color chips?
- Given the same number of chips custom-ordered, does it get more expensive the more number of edge-stripe colors needed across the entire set of chips?

- Are there any manufacturers that have the ability to send (purchased) samples --using the custom-selected edge spot colors-- I intend to use? e.g. If I design a blue chip with day-go purple and day-glo green for the edge spots, is there any way they would be able to get me a sample chip with those specs?

Thanks all!

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Hi and welcome to PCF. Designing custom chips is a fun adventure. I think I've been playing around with that since I first started, although I've only actually had one set made, and that was inexpensive china ceramics. I have a few thoughts after reading your post.

• You mentioned using the Paulson design tool, but then later on you mentioned Dayglo colors, which are only used by CPC. First, I assume you are aware that Paulson does not sell custom chips to the home retail market. So are you planning a CPC order? If so then you should use the CPC design tool rather than the Paulson design tool.
• If you are planning a CPC set, unfortunately, I don't think they offer a chip with 6 thin (1/8th inch) spots like Paulson does. They do have a chip with 6 thicker (1/4 inch) spots that are evenly spaced. It's called 6TA14.
• On the other hand, if you are planning custom ceramics, then the sky's the limit regarding spot patterns. Hire a designer and just about anything you can imagine can be printed on a ceramic chip.

Now I'll try to answer your specific questions:

As I begin to design my custom set spanning 11-12 base colors of chips (!!), I find that I am really liking the edge-spot pattern of 6 individual, thin-ish stripes distributed equally around the edge of the chip. Each stripe is exactly one color. (I believe on the forum's Paulson design tool, it was edge pattern 12)

Don't worry about answering 'get whatever you like / whatever works for you' - I really do want to know what most players find pleasing / usable. I am legally blind; sometimes I make color choices that induce vertigo or offend the sensibilities of normal-eyesight folks.

My questions.

- Am I correct in assuming that, for the 6-stripe edge pattern mentioned above, it would look pretty obnoxious / gross if I chose a different color (6 total) for each of the spots?

I think many here would agree that they don't like this idea. I had put a set up for feedback that had this very thing - a chip with six different spot colors. My feedback was mostly negative. I ended up changing it to just three colors and got much better feedback.

Assuming the answer to the above is 'probably' or 'yes', let's move on.

The color pattern I'm seriously looking at for the 6-stripe edge pattern would be two different colors, alternating as you move around the perimeter. (e.g. first stripe is day-glo green, next stripe is day-glo purple, then day-glo green, etc.)

- What is more common?
A) The same set of colors of edge stripes for all chips, only modified for color contrast against the base chip color? or,
B) Custom-selecting the colors for the edge stripes for each base color of chip?

I would say the second option is more common. If I understand your first option, you asking about a set with multiple different base colors, the the exact same two edge colors on every chip? If so, then yes, I think that would be highly unusual.

- Is it true that day-glo colors tend to work the best for edge-stripes set in non-day-glo color chips?

The CPC website does give a warning when you use dayglo (DG) colors as a base color. However, many PCF member have ordered chips with DG base colors. There is a small upcharge for this, I believe due the the fact that sometimes there are failures in the manufacturing process.

- Given the same number of chips custom-ordered, does it get more expensive the more number of edge-stripe colors needed across the entire set of chips?

If you switch over to using the CPC design tool instead of the Paulson design tool, each spot pattern is assigned a level, which corresponds to the cost of that pattern. So yes, more complex spot patterns cost more than simple spot patterns. Sometimes significantly more.

- Are there any manufacturers that have the ability to send (purchased) samples --using the custom-selected edge spot colors-- I intend to use? e.g. If I design a blue chip with day-go purple and day-glo green for the edge spots, is there any way they would be able to get me a sample chip with those specs?

Thanks all!

Regarding manufacturers, when it comes to real compressed clay poker chips, CPC is the only manufacturer that sells to the home retail market. There are no other choices.

Other options include ceramic chips. There is BR Pro Poker, a US company, Sunfly - a SE Asian company, and a company that you see around here referred to as "Tina china ceramics" a very popular inexpensive vendor on Alibaba.

There are also a few high end plastics manufacturers such as Matsui (Asian) and Abbiatti (Italian) Their chips are typically less than clay chips and more than ceramic chips. Also their spot pattern options are pretty limited compared to the clay and ceramic chips.

As far as getting single samples of custom chips, I don't know if anyone does that. It might be possible with the "Tina" chips, but it won't be cheap due to shipping from overseas.

 

[Larold]

Hi and welcome to PCF. Designing custom chips is a fun adventure. I think I've been playing around with that since I first started, although I've only actually had one set made, and that was inexpensive china ceramics. I have a few thoughts after reading your post.

• You mentioned using the Paulson design tool, but then later on you mentioned Dayglo colors, which are only used by CPC. First, I assume you are aware that Paulson does not sell custom chips to the home retail market. So are you planning a CPC order? If so then you should use the CPC design tool rather than the Paulson design tool.
• If you are planning a CPC set, unfortunately, I don't think they offer a chip with 6 thin (1/8th inch) spots like Paulson does. They do have a chip with 6 thicker (1/4 inch) spots that are evenly spaced. It's called 6TA14.
• On the other hand, if you are planning custom ceramics, then the sky's the limit regarding spot patterns. Hire a designer and just about anything you can imagine can be printed on a ceramic chip.

Now I'll try to answer your specific questions:


I think many here would agree that they don't like this idea. I had put a set up for feedback that had this very thing - a chip with six different spot colors. My feedback was mostly negative. I ended up changing it to just three colors and got much better feedback.

I would say the second option is more common. If I understand your first option, you asking about a set with multiple different base colors, the the exact same two edge colors on every chip? If so, then yes, I think that would be highly unusual.

The CPC website does give a warning when you use dayglo (DG) colors as a base color. However, many PCF member have ordered chips with DG base colors. There is a small upcharge for this, I believe due the the fact that sometimes there are failures in the manufacturing process.

If you switch over to using the CPC design tool instead of the Paulson design tool, each spot pattern is assigned a level, which corresponds to the cost of that pattern. So yes, more complex spot patterns cost more than simple spot patterns. Sometimes significantly more.


Regarding manufacturers, when it comes to real compressed clay poker chips, CPC is the only manufacturer that sells to the home retail market. There are no other choices.

Other options include ceramic chips. There is BR Pro Poker, a US company, Sunfly - a SE Asian company, and a company that you see around here referred to as "Tina china ceramics" a very popular inexpensive vendor on Alibaba.

There are also a few high end plastics manufacturers such as Matsui (Asian) and Abbiatti (Italian) Their chips are typically less than clay chips and more than ceramic chips. Also their spot pattern options are pretty limited compared to the clay and ceramic chips.

As far as getting single samples of custom chips, I don't know if anyone does that. It might be possible with the "Tina" chips, but it won't be cheap due to shipping from overseas.

Amazing reply - thanks so much.

I have indeed switched to the CTC design tool. After closely looking, CTC does actually have 618 (1/8th) edge spot option, but holy cow is it way more expensive than the 1/4-inch you suggested. (L9 vs L3.) I'm going to be ordering a couple thousand chips, so the price difference absolutely makes my decision for me.

Quick questions about ceramics. I was under the impression that the vast majority of the surface is covered by imaging, possibly with a background color that likely doesn't match the base chip color. Is it possible to do a transparent background on ceramics? If I went with clay, I was going to simply hot-stamp my last name in the middle of the chip, and do a 614 edge-spot pattern. This would allow as much of the chip's base color to show on the surface as possible. If it's possible to achieve this with ceramics, I may go that route.

I'm also a bit concerned about weight. For home games, I've been playing with super diamonds for a long time, and been craving a heavier weight. I could swear that almost every casino I've played in, the weight there feels heavier, by a significant amount, than the super diamonds. I just weighed random samplings of 10 of my super diamonds, and the chips average out to between 7.8 and 8.1 grams. CTC says, on their site, that their clay chips are 8.5 grams. I ordered samples, but am I going to be disappointed in the similar weights if I'm looking for 'casino heavy' ?

Thanks so much for the assistance - very much appreciated!

 

[allforcharity]

It is fairly common around tournament sets to have every chip have the same overall pattern, e.g. 618 like you mention. The edge spots themselves can be the same colour across all chips (white is often used) or a different colour for each chip. Do whatever looks most esthetically pleasing (and affordable) to you.

Traditionally, cash chips vary the most between spot patterns and colours. Try to have them quickly distinguishable when looked at from the faces as well as the sides.

 

[Frogzilla]

Venetian especially but sometimes others will use the same edge spot pattern AND colors, only changing the base color and the inlay color. I really like the aesthetic, but it is important to vary the inlay color also.

Here’s some examples I found on the phone. Pic #2 is even the same 618 pattern you like

 

[Huskerchipper]

Amazing reply - thanks so much.

I have indeed switched to the CTC design tool. After closely looking, CTC does actually have 618 (1/8th) edge spot option, but holy cow is it way more expensive than the 1/4-inch you suggested. (L9 vs L3.) I'm going to be ordering a couple thousand chips, so the price difference absolutely makes my decision for me.

Quick questions about ceramics. I was under the impression that the vast majority of the surface is covered by imaging, possibly with a background color that likely doesn't match the base chip color. Is it possible to do a transparent background on ceramics? If I went with clay, I was going to simply hot-stamp my last name in the middle of the chip, and do a 614 edge-spot pattern. This would allow as much of the chip's base color to show on the surface as possible. If it's possible to achieve this with ceramics, I may go that route.

I'm also a bit concerned about weight. For home games, I've been playing with super diamonds for a long time, and been craving a heavier weight. I could swear that almost every casino I've played in, the weight there feels heavier, by a significant amount, than the super diamonds. I just weighed random samplings of 10 of my super diamonds, and the chips average out to between 7.8 and 8.1 grams. CTC says, on their site, that their clay chips are 8.5 grams. I ordered samples, but am I going to be disappointed in the similar weights if I'm looking for 'casino heavy' ?

Thanks so much for the assistance - very much appreciated!

Cheap slugged chips and advertising made everyone believe that heavier chips = better chips which absolutely isn't the case. True clay chips are around 10gr (often slightly less) and are plenty heavy for their purpose imo. Im also curious as to why you are wanting 10-11 base colors and "thousands" of chips. There certainly are good reasons. However too many different denominations in a game can hinder and slow down a game tremendously. There is ALOT to learn. Take your time and best wishes.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Amazing reply - thanks so much.

I have indeed switched to the CTC design tool. After closely looking, CTC does actually have 618 (1/8th) edge spot option, but holy cow is it way more expensive than the 1/4-inch you suggested. (L9 vs L3.) I'm going to be ordering a couple thousand chips, so the price difference absolutely makes my decision for me.

Quick questions about ceramics. I was under the impression that the vast majority of the surface is covered by imaging, possibly with a background color that likely doesn't match the base chip color. Is it possible to do a transparent background on ceramics?

Ceramic chips are a blank slate. There is no "base color." Just whatever color the ceramic material happens to be, which is white for all the blanks that I've seen. Everything you see on the chip's faces and edges is printed. Which means you have complete control to make the chip look like whatever you want it to look like.

When I was new here, I thought that all ceramics were the same - a completely smooth face with a large image. Similar to some of the retail chips you have probably seen like Nevada Jacks, Tiki Kings and Dia de los Muertos chips sold by BR Pro Poker. But then I discovered the chips that I referred to above as "Tina" ceramics from Alibaba. At that time, they sold a design called "cards mold." A ceramic chip, but instead of a smooth face, they had a debossed image around the outside of the chip, and an inner debossed ring. They were designed to look more like a compressed clay chip. I used these chips to design my first custom set, a tournament set for my Texas Flood Poker Club - the name I give to my home game group.

And since I had these made, there is now another ceramic option called a hybrid chip. Instead of just a printed center image, hybrid chips actually have a recessed center that you can have them put a label on. So the print quality is much better than the image printed directly onto the ceramic chip. And they have also come out with several new mold patterns, and new ones are being created now as I write this. If these interest you, I can point you to some other threads for discussion and to see examples.

If I went with clay, I was going to simply hot-stamp my last name in the middle of the chip, and do a 614 edge-spot pattern. This would allow as much of the chip's base color to show on the surface as possible. If it's possible to achieve this with ceramics, I may go that route.

Yes, you can print the entire surface of a ceramic chip with one base color, plus a 614 or 618 edge spot design, and even have a faux hot stamp image printed in the center, if that is what you want.

I'm also a bit concerned about weight. For home games, I've been playing with super diamonds for a long time, and been craving a heavier weight. I could swear that almost every casino I've played in, the weight there feels heavier, by a significant amount, than the super diamonds. I just weighed random samplings of 10 of my super diamonds, and the chips average out to between 7.8 and 8.1 grams. CTC says, on their site, that their clay chips are 8.5 grams. I ordered samples, but am I going to be disappointed in the similar weights if I'm looking for 'casino heavy' ?

Thanks so much for the assistance - very much appreciated!

As others have stated, most clay and ceramic chips rund from 8-10 grams a chip. If a casino has heavier chips, then they may be using slugged plastics. I believe the higher end chips from Matsui and Abbiatti are around 11-13gs. Then there are also the cheap chinese plastics that can be up to 14g. But I believe these are fairly rare in casinos, although you may find them in some smaller card rooms in states where poker is not regulated and they can't buy clay chips from Paulson.

If you want heavyweight clay chips, you are going to have to buy older leaded Paulson chips which can run up to over 11 grams. But you will not be able to customize chip colors and spot patterns and the chips will be pretty expensive if you need a lot of them. You'll have to buy what you can find piecemeal from other collectors.

Another option for a heavier chip is to go larger. Ceramic chips (and some clay) can also be purchased that are 43mm instead of 39mm. I have some 43mm Tina ceramics that weight from 11 to 12 grams.

 

[Larold]

Ceramic chips are a blank slate. There is no "base color." Just whatever color the ceramic material happens to be, which is white for all the blanks that I've seen. Everything you see on the chip's faces and edges is printed. Which means you have complete control to make the chip look like whatever you want it to look like.

When I was new here, I thought that all ceramics were the same - a completely smooth face with a large image. Similar to some of the retail chips you have probably seen like Nevada Jacks, Tiki Kings and Dia de los Muertos chips sold by BR Pro Poker. But then I discovered the chips that I referred to above as "Tina" ceramics from Alibaba. At that time, they sold a design called "cards mold." A ceramic chip, but instead of a smooth face, they had a debossed image around the outside of the chip, and an inner debossed ring. They were designed to look more like a compressed clay chip. I used these chips to design my first custom set, a tournament set for my Texas Flood Poker Club - the name I give to my home game group.

View attachment 1243394

And since I had these made, there is now another ceramic option called a hybrid chip. Instead of just a printed center image, hybrid chips actually have a recessed center that you can have them put a label on. So the print quality is much better than the image printed directly onto the ceramic chip. And they have also come out with several new mold patterns, and new ones are being created now as I write this. If these interest you, I can point you to some other threads for discussion and to see examples.


Yes, you can print the entire surface of a ceramic chip with one base color, plus a 614 or 618 edge spot design, and even have a faux hot stamp image printed in the center, if that is what you want.


As others have stated, most clay and ceramic chips rund from 8-10 grams a chip. If a casino has heavier chips, then they may be using slugged plastics. I believe the higher end chips from Matsui and Abbiatti are around 11-13gs. Then there are also the cheap chinese plastics that can be up to 14g. But I believe these are fairly rare in casinos, although you may find them in some smaller card rooms in states where poker is not regulated and they can't buy clay chips from Paulson.

If you want heavyweight clay chips, you are going to have to buy older leaded Paulson chips which can run up to over 11 grams. But you will not be able to customize chip colors and spot patterns and the chips will be pretty expensive if you need a lot of them. You'll have to buy what you can find piecemeal from other collectors.

Another option for a heavier chip is to go larger. Ceramic chips (and some clay) can also be purchased that are 43mm instead of 39mm. I have some 43mm Tina ceramics that weight from 11 to 12 grams.

I love that picture. Ceramics with a recessed center may have changed my mind about going w/ clay chips.

If I were to build a custom ceramic set, but instead of one piece of center artwork across the entire set, I needed to use one piece of artwork per base color of chip, would this make them prohibitively more expensive? With my bad eyesight, I like the idea of matching the center artwork's background color with the base of the chip. Not perfectly matched, but something that works well together.

Thanks for the detailed reply - this has really got me thinking!

CPC has roughly a 38 color pallette to choose form. Does BR Pro have a similar design tool / color pallette to work with? Or is it all entirely specified by artwork?