Lessons in Manufacture – Pad Printing & Lacquer Boxes

It started with a trip to Jonathan Adler to get our friends’ a housewarming gift, when we happened upon these incredible backgammon sets.

The idea of a limited run super-premium pledge tier has been in the back of my mind since we wrapped the Nut Hunt Kickstarter. I think one of the areas we could have done better is in offering add-ons and higher tiers for consumers who want something a bit more special (while still offering a really high-quality base game for the majority of our backers).

I don’t want to spoil too much, but Sigil we are planning to offer:

1. A base game pledge tier

2. Two separate add-ons (one that we are making in partnership with another company)

3. A pledge tier to get the base game & both add-ons

4. A limited run collectors’ edition

The challenge with the limited run collectors’ edition is that I want it to be something truly special. Something epic.

It’s been difficult sourcing components that live up to my expectations and justify the high-end tier. This has been a multi-month process, of poking around in woodworking forums, furious googling, and working my way up the supply chain from retail stores to their suppliers to ask about how their products are made.

Lacquer Finish Wooden Boxes

We’re planning a number of premium components that will only be available in the collectors’ tier. Some have been easier to source, some not so easy. The hardest to figure out is a high-end game box.

I didn’t want a simple deluxification of a regular game box (thicker stock, 5C in line metallic ink, foil stamping, spot UV, linen finish, etc.). I wanted something that will really sing.

For me this meant:

1. A wooden box

2. Strong graphics

3. Lacquer finish

I want the box to be an art piece that you can leave on your sideboard or shelf. I want it to be more than a game.

A lacquer finish is a high gloss hard varnish. The big challenge with lacquer is that it needs to be applied in a clean room to ensure a pristine surface. This isn’t too challenging, although many woodworkers won’t have the set up in house, so will have to outsource that step of the production process.

For our boxes we are working with Ravenwood Woodworks who are outsourcing the final coat application.

A Ravenwood Lotus Vault

Applying Graphics

There are a number of ways to apply graphics to wood (other than painting on the graphics).

Most common is to use a vinyl sticker or decal and then seal it under either a varnish or epoxy. Although this can look great, there are a number of issues with this approach.

1. If it does not go to the edge of the surface, you can have a slightly raised portion - which you need to use a layer of epoxy to smooth.

2. If there is a lip (or it goes to the edge of the surface) it can peel.

3. Challenges to an applied over beveled edges and not completely flat surfaces.

The process that we are using is pad printing.

Pad printing uses a silicone pad to print on three dimensional object. It can be done 4-color inline, which means we have a lot of flexibility over the images and graphics we apply.

There are a number of benefits to pad printing.

1. The layer is thin so won’t have a noticeable raise.

2. The ink is highly durable.

3. We can print on 3-diemensional objects.

We’re in conversations to work through the constraints to the pad printing process before we work through the final graphic design for the box. But, I am excited to have found a solution to offering a really premium tier offering in our campaign.

A Premium Product with Narrow Margins

The process of sourcing the premium tier pledge components won’t be cheap.

Even the logistics of the custom wood boxes will be expensive – they need to be shipped to the pad printer, printed, shipped back to Ravenwood, lacquered, shipped to me to assemble with the other components, and then shipped out to backers.

While I haven’t worked out the price-tag yet, it is going to be high.

And, I don’t expect to have a particularly high margin on the tier. We need to charge enough to cover potential risk – but considering the time put into the product, our margin will be pretty de minimis.

So, why offer it?

There are two real benefits that I see to the pledge tier.

1. It is going to be an awesome product that backers with some disposable income can spring for. It’s a way to connect with those backers and create something that resonates with our whole community. In short, it’s badass.

2. Momentum is very powerful when it comes to crowdfunding with 65% of our Nut Hunt backers discovering us through momentum driven sources. About half of our backers found us directly though Kickstarter. High placement on Kickstarter is extremely valuable – and the most direct way to get visibility on Kickstarter is through high and fast funding.

So, even if the high tier pledges themselves end up being closer to break-even than people might suspect, the add-on effects to the campaign could be massively powerful.  

What do you want to see in a premium pledge tier?