The Laser Cut Process – How to Make a Cover

I am going to try to do a few posts that describe what it actually takes to make a cover turn out like the final products you see on this site.

I was approached by Something to Break label owner, Daniel, a few weeks ago about doing five covers for the first album on his label – Chris Staples’ American Soft. Being a huge fan of Twothirtyeight when I was younger, and of Chris’ solo work, I readily agreed. This is the cover I was given:

Once I am given a cover, I have two options: (1) keep the cover as is, or (2) make something new and original. With this one, I decided to keep the original, as I am currently in training to be an architect and so the appeal of a beautiful building on the cover was enticing.

I take that original cover and then have to redraw it line-by-line into a computer drafting program (like AutoCAD). As you can imagine this is often the most time-consuming process. With the above cover, it took me a few days to get the final exactly like I wanted – focusing on making sure everything I wanted was covered and looked right. In AutoCAD, this is what it looks like:

The laser cutter is programmed to treat different colored lines as different depths of cut – for example, a magenta line will cut all the way through, while a red line will only score the material. After the above lines are drawn, I have to go through and change the lines to correspond to what I want the laser cutter to do with them. 

The file is then taken to “the shop”, mat board is purchased depending on color choice, and the sample is made. Here are some videos showing the cutting process:

Some pictures showing the process:

Thanks for caring.

The record is out now and can be purchased from Something to Break Records or downloaded from Chris Staples’ bandcamp.

BITBL005 – Beloved – The Running EP

I finished these at the end of last year. Easily the most time-consuming project I’ve attempted as the detail level was high, and I was asked to produce 40(!) of them. It was an honor, however, as Beloved has always been one of my most respected and adored bands (me and three friends drove 11 hours for their farewell show in 2005).

Simple back, elegant and detail front. Enjoy!

You can still purchase the record, or the test press from Broken Circles Records.

Or get one of three artists proofs here in our store.

 

BITBL009 – Hidden in Plain View – Life in Dreaming LP – Test Sleeves

Hidden In Plain View was an emo band from New Jersey that was on Drive-Thru Records in the mid 2000s. This was their first full-length (2005), and is generally considered to be their best album.

Company Ink Records got in touch with me several months ago about this release, and once I saw the cover, I was confident I could come up with something clean, simple, and elegant. One of my favorite sleeves to date (do I say that about them all?).

The pressing for the record is:
Bronze Rose Edition /500
180 Gram Marble Stone Edition /100
Test Press /10

Five of the ten test presses, with the covers below, are currently on eBay. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund, so make sure you bid high for the cause.