Panel lettering

[(Ian A. Vine (phone UK 0171 419 3450))]

>What about that simple idea :
>
>-Do the layout with an drafting tool (e.g. Correl Draw),
>any colour you like, and include also hole drilling
>"crosshairs".
>
>-Print the layout on not to cheap paper with some inkjet.
>-The "Seno" company is said to offer  a self adhesive matt (non shiny)
>poly-x-foil (don't know what it exactly made off).
>Now stick the printed layout on that foil, face down.
>Glue the white paper side on the alu Panel with not too strong
>glue, so that it can be easily removed in case of damage.

I have done this, except I used a matt spray on plastic to coat the printout.
It gives pretty good results and includes a UV filter. Printing out on glossy 
paper gave nice bright colours but the spray on coating started to come
off after a few months. I tend to use 100g paper the colours aren't as
bright but it does give a slightly diffused image ( not blurred just smoother
).

To stick the paper onto the front panel I used to use a paper adhesive
to glue the paper to a sheet of adhesive labels. This works ok but has
a big drawback in you only get one (maybe two) chance to get the paper
in the right place on the panel. Any recommendations for a good paper
to metal glue?

>-Drill holes ( paper side up to avoid damage of the panel).
>Remove any sharp edges. Remove surplus material of foil and
>paper with a sharp knife. Mount devices. Ready.

I found it is difficult to get all the paper removed from drilled holes.
There were always tiny frayed bits. Maybe I should have spent a bit more
time trying to cut them out. The upshot of this was that all devices I
would normally just stick through the front panel (leds) needed covers
to make the panel look tidy. Maybe I'm just too fussy.

Another problem can be if you ar doing a panel larger than the paper size
you have to split the design up. I found it best to do this at natural
points in the panel design ie where you have a dividing line, this helps
to hide the join.

Ian