Mounting a Map

I have a few war-games that have paper maps and I really want to upgrade them. Has anyone found a professional service where a map can be mounted onto a cardboard (?) backing?

And, I'm not talking about a DIY pieced-together map that's stuck together with painter's tape...I want a map similar to what would be included in a "regular" game & want to be able to fold it up and put it back in the box.

Cheers!

OP is not me.

LOL

you'd be better off asking this question in the wargame subform at BGG. Thats the mostly likely place to get an informed answer. You could try consim world but you might just get flamed for wanting to mount a map. Mounting a map on proper map board and cutting it to fold is not a trivial exercise so you are really looking for a professional company to do this, not sure who would do it for a small selection of maps though.

Also, welcome to the fort MadDog

My Mad Scientist wife states that a sign making shop equipped with an M-3000 Gerber machine has the ability to do this. Providing a high res file of the board it can print the image directly on the material and has a tool that provides the creases for folding where desired.

The real issue is the material used. Sign shops probably won't have the traditional parker brothers board.

She also states a one off project is libel to cost a couple hundred bucks.

Mad Dog wrote: OP is not me.

Yeah, that's a little too close. Fixed.

I'd do it for 40$.

What game?

actually, fuck that. let me tell you how to do it. ive done it 50 times and I hate doing it.

go to Dick Blick and get some vinyl, leatherette contact paper. It's like wallpaper, with a sticky back. Remove the liner to expose the adhedive once its flat on a table. Lay some cardstock (I get mine on Amazon, heavy duty) on it so it makes the board back. Make sure to leave a 1/16" gap so the board can fold without breaking the vinyl..it stretches but overdoing it can pop it. I use tile spacers for a guide and its always true and plumb.

Depending on the number of folds, you need to use book binding tape (amazon too!), 4" wide is best, to tape the top side if you plan to fold it more than just in half. once thats done, trim the vinyl so 1/2 extends beyond the edge of the boards. razor knife works best. wrap and press firmly to stick to the top edge of the boards. Spray BACK OF MAP witah 3M #77, let sit for thirty seconds or less, then mount.

let dry for an hour.

slice the vinyl and board where they need to seperate if youve got more than 1 fold (like a monopoly board). fold it a coiple of times to create a crease and voila,

done.

Vinyl: www.dickblick.com/products/silhouette-ad...e-vinyl/#description
Tape: www.dickblick.com/products/lineco-spine-repair-tape/
Boards: www.dickblick.com/products/all-purpose-chipboard/ (better at amazon...better selections on size)
Glue: www.dickblick.com/products/3m-super-77-multipurpose-adhesive/

boardgamegeek.com/thread/913395/how-make...rter-fold-game-board

ALSO: Printplaygames.com MIGHT do it for you as a service. quality is OK at best. better to do it yourself.

Thanks for the info. I'm just so darn lazy...I hate doing shit myself. I'd rather pay double and have someone do it for me, assuming the end-product is functional and looks great.

At those prices just buy a second copy.

King Grunt wrote: Thanks for the info. I'm just so darn lazy...I hate doing shit myself. I'd rather pay double and have someone do it for me, assuming the end-product is functional and looks great.

In that case, I'll do it for 80$!

If you're going to go through the effort of getting a high-res image together, it's pretty trivial to buy cheap posterboard or similar from your local craft store, print the image the size you want, and use 3M spray adhesive. Not nearly as professional as Pete's method, but dirt cheap. Easiest way to cut the stuff is with a hand-held rotary cutter.

Alternatively buy cheap white label paper and print on that. This lets you skip the adhesive, but it's harder to line up a bunch of letter paper size sheets. I do this a lot for PnP projects and it's always decent and functional. Like anything else it can take some practice. Not super durable but hey, you've got a high-res image already to make replacements if needed.

The biggest thing with this method: Cut the posterboard and use book tape (on the folding sides) to create a folding board before putting the artwork/map on it. Then use a rotary cutter or exacto knife to make the cuts where needed in the adhered artwork/map so that it folds correctly.

I wouldn't mount an original paper map though; with that you get exactly one shot to not screw it up.

I've dumped a beer across a paper wargame map and, with quick action with a paper towel roll, it resulted in about zero damage. They're tougher than they look.