DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

I used ask.com and found a site that didn't have a template, but the specs for one:

I built a psd for the single and found it worked well. What I did was to copy scanned cover art into the psd, select the spine area, and shrink it to fit the guides for the spine. I then moved the front and back covers to join up with the spine. After doing that I found the art as a whole, was a bit to small, both width and height-wise. I then expanded the three units separately to fill up the template. I had to introduce a slight amount of distortion, but nothing that would be noticed. That worked.

I'd upload this somewhere but I don't have a hosting site. Mike, I'm still interested in seeing yours. I'd be happy to email the one I created to anyone who requests it.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

This is what I use.

http://www.unitedleagues.com/temp/te...pak_single.jpg

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

8 days & 343 slim cases later I'm done. A bit tiresome, but I got it done. 464 cases which were on 10+ shelves are now on 6+ shelves. I increased shelf space by 63%. The only thing I didn't convert where my 2 disc sets & Criterions. I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out. Most of the spines are still readable.

At sometime later I'll convert the 2 disc sets, but I'm still not sure how I want to do that yet.


Here are a few pics.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Thanks, but I think I prefer the one I made with guides.

I just tried scanning in The Mummy (the new one) on a flatbed and couldn't get the folds in the paper flattened enough. You'd think a flat bed scanner and its cover could do that. I even pressed down on the cover while scanning.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Joe, what kind of paper are you printing on and what level of print quality do you use?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

None. I trimmed about an 1/8 inch off the edge of the cover to make it fit into the slimcase. I know some here won't do that, but for me it was easiest and fastest way to get it done.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Joe: You are only delaying the inevitable. You are going to see those standard Amarays sitting there (for your 2-disc sets) taking up twice as much space as the ThinPaks and start cutting again one night!

Excellent job! Contagious, ain't it?!

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Johnny: Check your PM.

I have found the template I've used with great success to slim down my snapper covers. Anyone interested could e-mail or contact me through the HTF.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Yep, it is contagious Mike.

I pulled the following pics from a prior post of yours as these would be perfect for my 2-discs sets.

I found an e-tailer http://tapeandmedia.com/detail.asp?product_id=2USD3-CLR that seems to have the ones you used. Are the ones in the link the same as in the pics?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

It looks to me like they are the very same cases I ordered way back in the day.

Here's what happened, though. As much as I liked those cases at first because they were not quite as small as the regular ThinPaks...I then grew NOT to like them as much because they were not as small as regular ThinPaks. Confused? I was! I thought it would be nice for some of my "nicer" 2-disc releases (and even 1-disc releases! ) to compromise and put them in "in-between" size cases.

I have since decided 2-disc ThinPaks are still the way to go because the space savings is premium (same theory as eliminating those double-wide Amarays! All that wasted space!)

So, I've been buying double-slims at places like Staples on an "as needed" basis...while occasionally re-arranging usage of those original double slims. For example (since you dug up those photos of Star Wars: TPM), when I downsized the original trilogy after its release, I took some other titles in those original cases and transferred them to regular 2-disc slims and used the original cases to have a certain continuity in the Star Wars saga. The Indiana Jones discs are all in those original cases, etc.

I laughed to myself when you said you hadn't yet done your 2-discers and Criterions...because I have YET to do my Disney animated features and Walt Disney Treasures. Think about it...all those titles...sitting there...segregated on my shelves...sitting in their original cases. Especially those Treasures in those double-wide Amarays! What's the matter with me?!?!

The problem with the Treasures is they cannot just simply be trimmed...because the spine printing is WAY too wide! I have scanned and photoshopped some of the covers...but I never printed any of them and am now way behind. Also, the silver, metallic cover used for the cover seems difficult for me to scan so that it reproduces uniformly. Finding the time to scan, photoshop the spines, print them, etc. is just not in my immediate future.

So, now you've given me the idea of using those "in-beween" cases for the Treasures and Disney titles. They are, after all, "special", right?! (At least in my mind! ) But, then, my practical side kicks in and I figure I'm just better off using regular slim cases to save on space.

But even with the photoshopped spines...the "in-between" cases might be necessary to make those Treasures look good....

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Joe: I dug out another one of my old photos...just to show the spine differences.

In the photo below:

Ransom, The Rock, Shrek, and Sarah, Plain & Tall are in the cases you linked-to in your last post (3/8" spines).

Secret Garden, Seven Brides and Shawshank are all snappers.

Singing in the Rain was still in its cardboard sleeve/standard Amaray...or is it a digipak? I forget.

Most other titles (including Rain Man, the Rocky films & Saving Private Ryan) are in regular slims (1/4" spines).

You can see how the 3/8" spines are "in between" the regular (9/16") and slims (1/4").

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

After printing about 15 covers, I have to say I never realized how much black predominates on the cover art. So far it's the main color (if it is a color).

Mike, I've tried your template and its very close to mine, but so far, it looks like I get the spine positioned better with mine. My template is 3150x2175 at 300 dpi and yours is 3131x2171.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Thanks for the input Mike, I got my shipment of 2 disc Slim Cases today and just started to convert my double amarys. Even though the cases are a bit wider then the 1 disc slim case, you still notice a difference in space after converting 10 double amarays. So onward I trim.

When all is done, it is quite possible that a cabinet that once held 225 regular sized cases will be EMPTY!!!.

On a side note, I got my 5 disc Late Ozu set today and all the movies are in slim cases.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

I ran into this with many of my covers, I would then do a lot of "cleaning up" in Photoshop but then got to the point where I thought, who cares! You don't really notice it when its printed and wrapped around a case and they're just for my own personal use.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Yes, I agree. Except for assembling the thinpack cover in PS, I don't do any cleanup.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

3150x2175 is the correct aspect ratio for the 7mm cases.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Well then..Johnny, how about you e-mailing me your template...in case I ever get around to the rest of my snappers or decide (gasp) to finally slim down those damn Walt Disney Treasures. That would be great, if you could!

Has anyone else here slimmed down the WD Treasures...using photoshop?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

It's in the mail.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Thanks a ton!

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Is anyone else having this problem scanning covers? When I place the cover on the flatbed and snug it up against the straight edges of the flatbed (this gives a straight not crooked scan). When doing this, a bit of the image is clipped off. Is this common for flat bed scanners. What I do now is place the cover on the bed away from the edges and use PS to straighten it out.

Another problem I'm having is throwing away stuff. The King Kong (original) set of KK, Son of K, and MJY came in an box with an open face. It's really not practical to keep and since I've converted Son of K and MJY to slimpack, I don't need it, but its hard to throw away. Than there's that half-assed slip case that Forbidden Planet came in. The tin is so magnificent, why do I resist getting rid of the slip case?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

It should not happen, but, scanners are pretty cheap today so it doesn't surprise me that the gutter might get cut off a bit. The lighting is sometimes not perfect at the very edge anyway. Best bet is to lay down one of those thin plastic rulers to move the art away from the gutter while still being straight.

UPDATE: Or, use a Sticky Note if you dont have one of those thin plastic rulers.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

I hadn't thought of putting a ruler on the bed, will have to give that a try.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Well...push is definitely-coming-to-shove for me regarding my storage unit.

I'm to the point where I HAVE to slim down my Walt Disney Treasures. Is there anyone who has done theirs already and can help me out? Or maybe you might know where I could find them?

I attempted to do a few of these a few years ago...but I remember running into a problem with the silver color on the covers that they didn't scan evenly.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

So, I have evolved and stepped into the next level. Exxxxtreeeeme Shrinking!


By samr2d2 at 2007-09-12


By samr2d2 at 2007-09-12

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Sam: Marvelous! Makes a lot of sense. Why does the case need to be so tall.

But...I think that artwork-cutters like me would have trouble trimming the artwork without losing a fair amount of information!

You are obviously creating your own cover art. And, what kind of cases are those? They don't seem to be standard CD cases...

I'm also a little disturbed by the ordering of those discs I'm looking at on your shelves! There seems to be a true lack of alphabetization here!

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Oh, I don’t like alphabetization, I never understood it! How does it work, really? You have 800 titles and you add the eventual Abyss-sorry-we-didn’t-do-it-right-the-first-time Edition! Then what? You move 700+ plus titles to make place for that? That’s a nightmare!

Ah, we live in the 21th century! I use a database and to watch a movie I look in the database and have a field for the storage location.

Those are CDs cases I found in a local computer store.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Nice work, Sam! How much work did you spend on the back cover art?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

By samr2d2 at 2007-09-12

It doesn't take that long. I just crop and keep the important information. I just don't spend that much time on them anymore. There was a time where I scanned my covers at 600 DPI and did extensive dust removal by photoshop. Fortunately those dark times are behind me now!


Oh and one advantage over keeping the original covers is that you can put them all in an album. It makes a catalog and a way to look for additional information about a title. You can also put the storage location directly there so you don’t need to look at your electronic database to find the location.

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Well...you just made me realize I could get an awful lot more space out of my shelves.

But I just can't see me scanning all my covers and photoshopping them into CD covers. I can't even bring myself to get to my long-standing project of scanning and slimming all my Disney Treasures titles.

Aaargh!

Those are some funky looking CD cases. Nice. How much have you done? Just what we see?

Re: DVD Thinpak and other Slim Cases

Yes, just what you see.


By samr2d2 at 2007-09-13