Product Idea: Map Objects printed to Cling Stick??

[Gamerprinter]

For 'Cling Stick' material I got for my 15" cutter comes as a 50 yard roll, 15" wide with holes punched on either edge to fit on my cutter. I also have a thermal transfer color print that can print to the same cling stick in full color. It doesn't print as clean as an inkjet printer, so 4 color graphics is kind of 'meh' comparatively speaking. But I can print full color onto cling stick then cut the shapes out. I'd weed the excess material, cut off the hole punch area, which would leave a 12.5 inch wide paper strip the length of the full cut roll. I could cut the strips into 6.25" x 11" pieces with cut, full color cling sticks.

Three problems.

Full color thermal transfer is kind of expensive printing, still I could fit five objects high by four objects in a 1 foot length of cling stick on the roll. To pay the cost, make a profit and make available on consignment from other shops, a set of 20 cling stick objects (or more if smaller objects like campfires and sleeping rolls) would $19.95 as a guessed sale price.

The second problem is that cling stick material is soft, so its subject to tearing, or getting gouged by miniature base corners. For the price you'd want something more durable, but cling stick is soft and pliable by design. You can place it on a laminated map surface and its not going to move, until you carefully peel the cling stick object off - you have to do it carefully!

The third problem as hinted above 300 dpi full color printing on thermal transfer is kind of dithered, so the graphics is just not as clean as inkjet printing. I think I can print to cling stick with inkjet too, but I lack the cutting equipment for film wider than 15 inches and it has to be punched...

Since I already print and laminate encounter scale maps for mine and other publisher maps already, combining cling stick map objects seems a perfect fit. Again, I've always held off pursuing the product due to price and durability issues with the material. Would a gamer pay $20 for 20 or so cling stick, full color map objects?

Thoughts?

GP

[Korash]

If I was a GM who uses laminated maps I think I might be interested, and the price is on a par with other supplements and accessories available. I must say that i do not use laminated maps (not because I don't like them, just because I don't like buying accessories on the off chance that I will use them) but have have played with some who do. I do not think they would like to pay that price for a one-shot though.

Just how fragile would these be? The major problem I see is that the print might get worn quickly if there is no protection over it. Would you be able to do an overlay on the cling stick sheet, which might also help the durability? Would add to the cost though.

What kind of art would you be putting on these strips? Smoke? Fire? Spell effects, and other temporary/portable objects?

[Gamerprinter]

Campfires, sleeping rolls, traps, bodies, treasure chests, spell effect areas, smoke/mist/fog, monsters of any description, treasure, graves, magic circles, portals, trapdoors, footprints, secret doors (placed over areas on walls), altars, doors, openings in walls, sections of wall, piles of debris and fallen rock, plants/trees/bushes... you know most any kind of map object in an encounter scale map.

[sigurdbjohansson]

I'd definetily(definetly? definnitilly? deffconn?) buy it.... I use one of Crystal Castes double sided blank battlemats, and woulød love to have trees and such (including all you mentioned in the previous post) to cling to it. Faster and better than dirtying my mat with whiteboard markers..... Would also be cool to have a black\white, black\beige option too.

[tilt]

I think the price is prohibitive - I'd rather go with normal cut-out paper or even overhead prints - still transparent but more solid quality.

[Jaxilon]

I don't really use laminated maps but I may at some point. Personally, I think I am more likely to just invest in a projector and go for the full out VTT projected route if I decided to go that route HOWEVER, 20 objects for 20 bucks doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.

I guess it depends on just how well they stand up to being used. If they are shot after a session or two that might not work out.

[Gamerprinter]

I use heavy 5 mil lamination on both sides so its 10 mil in all. It's very heavy actually, and with potential drink spills and miniatures bases stabbing it. I use the same lamination for plain white printed with square grid 'white board' and its lasted continual use for the last 5 years - probably have been used for 40 sessions of play. Been drawn on with marker and erased as many times.

Me, I don't understand not laminating maps...

Now the cling sticks would be less durable than the laminated maps, but with care cold last a long time too,

GP

[Juggernaut1981]

As a GM, I wouldn't use them. I lean towards laminated paper or a 2mm-to-3mm perspex sheet over a print-out. This ends up giving a nice flat surface and I can draw all over it with water-based OHP pen.

[RobA]

When I played actively, we used plain paper under a 4'x4' sheet of lexan we scribed with a 1"x1" grid with the scribe lines filled in with paint. We then used wet-erase markers ( http://www.staples.com/Expo-Vis-A-Vi...product_125310) on the lexan.

-Rob A>