Gear Labels over Spirit mold chips (1 Viewer)

[DontCallMeCigar]

Good day! I am a brand new chipper and I am determined to jump right into a cheap custom set. I have felt/handled many chips over the years, and after hours and hours of searching, I have decided to order some Spirit mold chips with casino labels in order to make my own custom cash set ($.05/$.25/$1.00/$5.00).

My question for you fine people is about labeling:

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?
• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?
• Obviously Gear Labels gets a majority of the business here, but are there any options out there for a first-timer like myself? I worry that I will hate my label design in a month when my tastes have changed... Has anyone used StickerYou's 1" poker chip labels?
• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?

Thank you all I'm advance. I would like to say that there is little that can be said to sway me from jumping into a custom set. Unfortunately I am the type that needs to learn lessons the hard way, and that is precisely what I intend to do. However, if I am making a horrendous call here - please let me know. I have seen several Spirit mold custom sets and they look fantastic when cleaned/oiled; I aim to emulate this success with my set!

 

[allforcharity]

Yes it is possible to do labels yourself.
However with @Gear you are getting a known professional product with some options. This comes at a cost.

Also, I have heard that there may be some issues with the remaining spirit molds still in stock. I believe they were made many years ago, and there have been some issues with brittleness, colour inconsistency, etc. Get samples before plunging.

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

Yes it is possible to do labels yourself.
However with @Gear you are getting a known professional product with some options. This comes at a cost.

Also, I have heard that there may be some issues with the remaining spirit molds still in stock. I believe they were made many years ago, and there have been some issues with brittleness, colour inconsistency, etc. Get samples before plunging.

Thank you for the advice. I will certainly order a sample. I have read multiple threads about which colors are brittle, etc., but I will continue to research.

 

[DaSinical1]

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?

I wouldn't. Gear labels are glossy vinyl with a laminate and they still come in under .35mm. I'm thinking any stock paper would be too thick and wouldn't stand up to abuse very well unless you laminate them as well.

• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?

You might be able to buy the unlaminated stickers but remove the stock labels. The stock labels come off pretty easy except for the blue ones.

• Obviously Gear Labels gets a majority of the business here, but are there any options out there for a first-timer like myself? I worry that I will hate my label design in a month when my tastes have changed... Has anyone used StickerYou's 1" poker chip labels?

Abc does labels as well.

• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?

Believe its 1.1

 

[Poker Zombie]

When you get the samples, you can experiment with pulling the labels off. This is usually better than label-overs. I've done roughly six-thousand labels into the void space and 600 label-overs. I'd rather do another 6000 blanks instead of 600 label-overs, because the deeper recess makes it exponentially easier.

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?

I have done custom labels myself, using Avery labels, but they are crappy compared to the quality of vinyl Gear labels. I would never go back. I also used Palm Gaming (I think ABC now owns Palm's equipment). Palm was cheaper, but Gear's customer service was so much better I wouldn't look anywhere else.

• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?

"Lipstick on a pig". I've heard that before, but do not agree. I have yet another set of China clay chips inbound, and will be using custom Gear labels for those as well. No chip will ever be as cool as a chip that is custom to you, even if it's just the label. You can save money on the unlaminated labels if pricing is that tight (I remember those days), but I recommend the splurge. Eat ramen noodles for dinner one night this week, and the cost savings from that one meal will cover the cost of the upgrade.

• Obviously Gear Labels gets a majority of the business here, but are there any options out there for a first-timer like myself? I worry that I will hate my label design in a month when my tastes have changed... Has anyone used StickerYou's 1" poker chip labels?

Before I came up with my custom inlay I spent a lot of time going over it. When I found something deeply personal to me, and my wife, we went whole-hog, and now have 6 sets on the same theme (silly cartoon zombies). The next set will be a dream nightclub based on our favorite beverage and music.

...and you can always start up a design thread to get help on your label design. If it looks poor, people will point you to a designer - but most of us remember being poor and will try to assist any way possible. I also do design work for free (PM me for details)... but you get what you pay for.

• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?

I can't help you here - I don't have any spirit labels, or calipers, which would be needed to get a perfect label size. If you go through Gear labels though, he may know. He has done a lot of labels.

Finally, if your budget is the biggest concern, make sure you are getting the right breakdown for your set. I've seen far too many sets that were poorly constructed, wasting money on otherwise unessential chips. Biggest errors are 25¢ and 50¢ chips, T50 tournament chips, 20¢ chips, and sets with far too many T500s.

Make sure your breakdown is right. Spend the money where it will do you good.

 

[Just1Better]

Welcome, I probably already said that once but wanted to make sure. You have heard some really good sound advice here. I look forward to seeing the chips that you make, no matter which way you go. Good luck!

 

[Kensco]

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?
  • Yes but so many things can go astray; from centering the artwork to running low on ink during the print.
• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?
  • Good labels don't care what kind of chip they are stuck to.
  • ABC prints quality labels, my cost experience with them has been far less than 30¢ per chip, and the quality is excellent. And why not suport your own country's economy?
• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?
  • Gear and ABC are both familiar with the size at which to cut your labels, coincidentally it's the same size as the 8V china clay labels.

Given the things that can go wrong printing your own, the quality difference, and the price of home ink cartridges it makes sense to go with a pro.

ABC did these for me on Spirit molds:



and these on the 8V China clay:



Gear did these for me on Spirit molds:



and these on various other molds:



No matter: remove the existing labels before applying the new. If there is any residual glue it can usually be rubbed away with finger friction, certainly with a little isopropyl alcohol and a rag.

 

[JustinInMN]

Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?

I tried this, really those kind of printers do not have the right tolerance.

Read my whole story.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...d-perils-of-cheap-chipping.29479/#post-546125

 

[Beakertwang]

@zo121179 might want to chime in on this. I believe he uses a Cricut and gets some pretty good results.

 

[SeanGecko]

Did some say spirit mold???? Go with Gear or Gene when it comes to labels. I have been quite happy with both.

 

[Highli99]

I think @longflop used gear labels on spirit molds and his chips cane out great. I don’t know if he started with blanks or not.

 

[zo121179]

If you're going to DIY you must have

-Vinyl Paper
-Self adhesive laminate
-Good laser printer + Cricut machine
-Lots of time and beer
-Repeat #4 a lot.

If you want help with anything feel free to PM me any time.

 

[Quicksilver-75]

Go custom ceramic. SunFly offers custom hybrid chips at 56c/ for 39mm and 60c/ 43mm. And you won't have to buy stickers for them. They're included. They are also all going to be the same weight, size and height.
The only draw back is the shipping cost. They only use UPS.
At the end of the day, if you're on a budget it really is a deal that can't be beat.

 

[longflop]

I have had three separate CC sets that @Gear has put together labels for, one cash set and two tourney sets. For the two tourney sets @p5woody helped me with the artwork. I will 100% use both of them again any time I would need their services.

Believe me, I know exactly where your head is at with the "lipstick on a pig" line of thought. I love playing poker, I love organizing people and I love nice poker chips. And its pretty much in that order.

The long story short of the whole thing is do what makes you happy. I kept cringing at paying $2+ per chip to got the CPC route, and seeing $8+ for the boat chips and big tops made me almost shit in my pants, so I wanted to try to get something cool for as cheap as possible. (My Scottish blood draws me to being cheap). I got spirit mold for $0.07 per chip, CPS for $0.11 per chip and 8V's for $0.10 per chip and put custom @Gear labels on all of them. it ended up being in the $0.40-$0.50 per chip range after you include shipping for everything. This sounds tough, but stop comparing pennies to pennies. If you like the spirit molds, go for it. In my opinion, for the price, including custom label, you're getting a decent chip that looks how you want it to look. Get a good label, oil them, and chances are most of the people you play with are going to think that these are the most incredible chips they have ever seen.

That being said, seeing as I have gone the semi-custom CC route three times, my next trip through the semi-custom route will be ceramics from @ABC Gifts and Awards . I have grown tired of applying labels.

 

[SeanGecko]

Listen to @longflop. I did the spirit molds and 8v from @ABC Gifts and Awards and I have
applied a lot of labels and glad I did.

 

[longflop]

Listen to @longflop. I did the spirit molds and 8v from @ABC Gifts and Awards and I have
applied a lot of labels and glad I did.

Literally he has applied thousands of labels.

 

[SeanGecko]

I’m almost done on my 8V’s

 

[longflop]

I’m almost done on my 8V’s

I love how your labels look on those spirits, but the 8v's are a total home run. The large denom with colors matching the background is just a great idea. Not only do they look good, but I gotta assume it makes it easier to identify a bet from the other end of the table. Form and function. Yes I do have a man crush on your labels and the labels and I are currently going steady. They're talking about moving in, but... I don't know... That's a big step.

 

[SeanGecko]

Thank you very much. I’m extremely happy with them. Probably why I went over board on quantity and now have two cash sets possible after the final label order gets here. So many proofs. Gear did so much work.

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?

I wouldn't. Gear labels are glossy vinyl with a laminate and they still come in under .35mm. I'm thinking any stock paper would be too thick and wouldn't stand up to abuse very well unless you laminate them as well.

• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?

You might be able to buy the unlaminated stickers but remove the stock labels. The stock labels come off pretty easy except for the blue ones.

• Obviously Gear Labels gets a majority of the business here, but are there any options out there for a first-timer like myself? I worry that I will hate my label design in a month when my tastes have changed... Has anyone used StickerYou's 1" poker chip labels?

Abc does labels as well.

• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?

Believe its 1.1

Thank you for the help and for the lengthy reply. If possible, I would like to support a member of the poker chip community when it comes to labels. I am beginning to fear that the DIY label method may not be for me...

Regarding ABC's labels- Am I missing something or is there no mention of labels on his dedicated subforum here? Also, as for ordering - do I PM him here? Sorry for the silly questions

 

[SeanGecko]

Thank you for the help and for the lengthy reply. If possible, I would like to support a member of the poker chip community when it comes to labels. I am beginning to fear that the DIY label method may not be for me...

Regarding ABC's labels- Am I missing something or is there no mention of labels on his dedicated subforum here? Also, as for ordering - do I PM him here? Sorry for the silly questions

Pm him that’s the best way to go.

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

When you get the samples, you can experiment with pulling the labels off. This is usually better than label-overs. I've done roughly six-thousand labels into the void space and 600 label-overs. I'd rather do another 6000 blanks instead of 600 label-overs, because the deeper recess makes it exponentially easier.



I have done custom labels myself, using Avery labels, but they are crappy compared to the quality of vinyl Gear labels. I would never go back. I also used Palm Gaming (I think ABC now owns Palm's equipment). Palm was cheaper, but Gear's customer service was so much better I wouldn't look anywhere else.


"Lipstick on a pig". I've heard that before, but do not agree. I have yet another set of China clay chips inbound, and will be using custom Gear labels for those as well. No chip will ever be as cool as a chip that is custom to you, even if it's just the label. You can save money on the unlaminated labels if pricing is that tight (I remember those days), but I recommend the splurge. Eat ramen noodles for dinner one night this week, and the cost savings from that one meal will cover the cost of the upgrade.



Before I came up with my custom inlay I spent a lot of time going over it. When I found something deeply personal to me, and my wife, we went whole-hog, and now have 6 sets on the same theme (silly cartoon zombies). The next set will be a dream nightclub based on our favorite beverage and music.

...and you can always start up a design thread to get help on your label design. If it looks poor, people will point you to a designer - but most of us remember being poor and will try to assist any way possible. I also do design work for free (PM me for details)... but you get what you pay for.



I can't help you here - I don't have any spirit labels, or calipers, which would be needed to get a perfect label size. If you go through Gear labels though, he may know. He has done a lot of labels.

Finally, if your budget is the biggest concern, make sure you are getting the right breakdown for your set. I've seen far too many sets that were poorly constructed, wasting money on otherwise unessential chips. Biggest errors are 25¢ and 50¢ chips, T50 tournament chips, 20¢ chips, and sets with far too many T500s.

Make sure your breakdown is right. Spend the money where it will do you good.

Thank you for the sound advice I am going to continue to connect with members here and plan to eventually make a thread dedicated to my design.

I will absolutely send you a PM regarding design, since I have no natural design ability or design software. I have experimented with GIMP and Inkscape in the past (I'm a realtor, so I generate a ton of flyers, posters, logos, etc) but that stuff was very simple and rarely required tasteful design.

For my denom breakdown I am planning on using the following: .05/.25/1.00/5.00, with a ratio of 2X/2X/2X/1X, respectively. Let me know if you think I've made a mistake. And thank you again

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

Thank you very much. I’m extremely happy with them. Probably why I went over board on quantity and now have two cash sets possible after the final label order gets here. So many proofs. Gear did so much work.

Your labels over the Spirits are literally the reason I've decided to delve into this custom project. Did you clean your Spirits and oil them (and dry them) before applying labels?

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

Go custom ceramic. SunFly offers custom hybrid chips at 56c/ for 39mm and 60c/ 43mm. And you won't have to buy stickers for them. They're included. They are also all going to be the same weight, size and height.
The only draw back is the shipping cost. They only use UPS.
At the end of the day, if you're on a budget it really is a deal that can't be beat.

This is a great deal indeed. I have some ceramics coming in the mail as a sample and will fiddle around with them for a bit before I make my major decision. Thanks for the advice!

 

[DontCallMeCigar]

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?
  • Yes but so many things can go astray; from centering the artwork to running low on ink during the print.
• Gear Labels look awesome - but at $.30/chip, I fear I may be putting lipstick on a pig, so to speak... Can I get away with buying the unlaminated labels from Gear and just slap them atop the casino labels on the Spirit molds?
  • Good labels don't care what kind of chip they are stuck to.
  • ABC prints quality labels, my cost experience with them has been far less than 30¢ per chip, and the quality is excellent. And why not suport your own country's economy?
• Lastly, for someone who has done a Spirit mold set, what size labels do I actually need?
  • Gear and ABC are both familiar with the size at which to cut your labels, coincidentally it's the same size as the 8V china clay labels.

Given the things that can go wrong printing your own, the quality difference, and the price of home ink cartridges it makes sense to go with a pro.

ABC did these for me on Spirit molds:

View attachment 261950 View attachment 261652

and these on the 8V China clay:

View attachment 261654

Gear did these for me on Spirit molds:

View attachment 261662

and these on various other molds:

View attachment 261663 View attachment 261664 View attachment 261665 View attachment 261666

No matter: remove the existing labels before applying the new. If there is any residual glue it can usually be rubbed away with finger friction, certainly with a little isopropyl alcohol and a rag.

Wow, these are beautiful. If you don't mind me asking, which did you do first?

Lots of good info here. I was worried about the residual glue but from what you've said I really shouldn't be..

 

[Moxie Mike]

I relabeled some Spirit Molds I got on closeout from Chips and Games. They might still have some left. They turned out pretty nice and after about 5 months of 2x monthly use, they've held up pretty well but I'm realistic that they won't last for decades.

The labels came from gear and fit the recess perfectly, which measures at 1 1/16". The labels are the vinyl variety with a slight texture.

These chips came with a label from the fictitious 'Pyramid Casino'; peeling them off was a breeze except for the blue ones for some reason.

The Spirits Molds are fine, but they very much fall into the 'you get what you pay for' category. A barrel of SMs is considerably taller (1 chip+) than a barrel of Paulsons (see below), which means you need different racks (the Brybelly racks with the lids seem to work just fine). A barrel of the 8Vs from ABC are even taller than the SMs.

• Can I print the labels myself using decent stock and an office Xerox/copy machine/printer?

You won't find stock labels anywhere in the proper size to fit the recess. The closest you'll find is 1" labels, and getting them centered on the chip would be a challenge.

 

[SeanGecko]

Your labels over the Spirits are literally the reason I've decided to delve into this custom project. Did you clean your Spirits and oil them (and dry them) before applying labels?

@Moxie Mike hit on this and I would Like to answer too. I removed labels on the white, blue, and orange. The blues were a pain washing did nothing to help. I oiled them let them dry then probably oiled again(not needed) then applied the labels from Gear.

On the 8v I did both Gear and Gene @ABC Gifts and Awards labels.

Edit- that’s nice to hear thank you
Hope that helps

 

[Kensco]

Wow, these are beautiful. If you don't mind me asking, which did you do first?

Lots of good info here. I was worried about the residual glue but from what you've said I really shouldn't be..

TLDR: Initial orders were through Gear, all recent orders through ABC. Biggest worry with the China clay chips is brittleness. If you have the tri-colors, likely you have no worries. If you are using the two- or single color chips you should seriously consider the suggestion made by @Quicksilver-75

First were the labels printed by Gear: the 818 Proker Room with the concenteric circle design on the Spirit mold, then "The Boundary" on the Milano chips, Zombees on the NexGen Lucky Bee mold, Cowboy label on the Outlaw mold, and finally "The Garage" on the Paulson chips. The Paulsons were severely worn so I did the distressed design and had them made sans laminate to so they wouldn't be too thick for the recess that remained on those chips.

Then, with the ABC 8V blowout sale, I learned Gene was back (or still?) in the label market so my next orders went to him. First was the Mercury head chips on the 8V china clays, then the Silver Shoe label on the spirit molds. My two-tone red Spirit molds began crumbling so I discarded them and combined my Spirit molds into one set with the newer "818 Poker & gameroom" labels.

Not pictured earlier; I'm currently applying these

 

[SeanGecko]

I have the boundary chips. They look good.

 

[Poker Zombie]

For my denom breakdown I am planning on using the following: .05/.25/1.00/5.00, with a ratio of 2X/2X/2X/1X, respectively. Let me know if you think I've made a mistake. And thank you again

Using the search function > Advanced search > Search Threads > Keyword: Breakdown and click on the prefix Cash Game.

You will find a lot of info from cash game players for everything that you need based on your blinds, player aggression, and number of players. I would be surprised if it hasn't been covered somewhere before, and any "extra" information you glean may help you in the future, should your game grow or wish to up the stakes.