I’m making a arcade stick in the near future and I want it to have a Skullgirls theme and I have an idea for custom printed buttons of the icons shown here
http://sanshee.com/images/products/166/skullgirlsiconpins-display-web.jpg
but there is one problem,I don’t know how to make custom printed buttons any ideas?
Well, IIRC there are some clear buttons that you can add a printed paper insert into, though I suspect that that is not what you want. If you actually want the design printed or painted onto the surface of the buttons, your best bet is probably does professional plastics work (sign making, etc.) and get them to do it rather than attempting it yourself.
Also, check out the Tech Talk section - you’ll probably get more useful answers there than in the Skullgrils subforum.
Sawnwa and Semitsu both make clear buttons in a variety of colors, you simply have to pop off the tops of them and insert your cut art into them. It’s a fairly simple process and your cutting doesn’t really need to be that accurate however you need to make sure your design is positioned properly when you print it.
It is also worth noting that even the Sawnwa variation of clear buttons are noticeably stiffer than a normal colored button so you may want to try them out somehow and see if you comfortable using them before you invest in them.
Art will custom print artwork for a bunch of fairly popular sticks, including the button cutouts. If you want to use the background you’ll need the plexi cover as well. Just make sure the icons are placed in the insert cutout area. There may be some offsetting so it’s best to overfill the black a bit (the button lip will cover the ring on the stick)
It would be neat to use the pins themselves as the physical buttons, but I doubt they’d wear well.