More on Backgrounds

You might recall this post where I detailed my plans for creating backgrounds for my toys. I have done some research on materials and pricing and I thought I would share my findings here.

I ran over to FedEx Kinkos this week and got a general idea on how much this project would cost me. There are many options for printing the backgrounds on stiff surfaces with a myriad of finishes (matte, glossy, in varying degrees). Basically the following appealed to me:

- Poster board finishing (basically a rigid board with foam in the center so it's hard to bend, but not bend-proof. Would be easier to cut).
- Metal finishing (printed on a metal sheet, completely rigid but there are limits to the colors that can be tampographed on the metal)
- Plastic finishing. (Unlimited range of colors. Has the consistency of Formica samples)

Most of these options cost about $15 per foot, bringing my project to about $160 per background I would want to create. That is hefty when you consider I'd like to create 5-6 of them. In this case I have to consider weather I want to do things the easy, expensive, right way, or the hard, cheap, less-right way. The expensive option would last as long as my toys and be easy to store. It would also be easier to create a computer graphic than it would be to paint the background by hand. But the craft-store option would be way less expensive, at about $40 per background. But then I have to consider how much my time is worth.

Decisions. Decisions.

Meanwhile, I found something awesome. Check this out. For the low, low price of about eight bucks (plus shipping) you can buy these awesomesauce backgrounds for your action figures:

I wont lie. I love these. If they only had girl ones! I might get them anyway for my He-Man stuff. With the internet being so big, there has to be more of this kind of service out there. I am all about letting truly artistic people do this kind of stuff instead of me!