Introduction

There was once a time when the only colour you can get your PC in was beige. OK, maybe the occasional black or some sort of beige with a touch of other colours but that's all that was shoved into our faces... it was dull and boring and no one did anything about it... until the modder in some of us started to tinker around with spray cans and our dream cases in the colour of our choice! Today, there's not only a myriad of cases to choose from but in many different colours as well... the beige is truly dead in the eyes of a hardcore PC enthusiast. For those wanting their own graphics on their case, airbrushing was a great solution but the cost was high and not everybody has the skill and time. Now an alternative has arrived and it's in the form of the PolyGFX CaseSkin. Let's take a look shall we?

The Package

The package arrived from PolyGFX in a cardboard tube. The caseskin was rolled up and placed in the tube to provide protection during shipping. One thing they forgot to provide me was the applicator. It's like the one you get when you buy a window applique. It helps you to apply pressure evenly on the skin to remove any air bubbles trapped under the skin. I guess I'll have to make my own then. Heheh! There's no instructions included as well, but you can download it in PDF format over at PolyGFX. But there's no reason to worry folks cuz there's always an instruction sheet and applicator INCLUDED with every CaseSkin. They just forgot mine. Heheh! Once taken out and rolled out, you can see that it's one long piece of vinyl adhesive paper with graphics printed on one side of it. Basically, it's a huge piece of sticker for your case! :O) The skin basically wraps around the sides and top of your case, that's why you get a single big piece instead of 3 different sized pieces.

Before you order, you'll need to take measurements of your case. First, you'll need to know the overall length from one side of the case, over the top and to the other side. The other measurement you'll need to find out is the depth or width of the case. The picture below shows you exactly how you can get these measurements. Of course you'll need to round the numbers off to the nearest 0.5". The case skin is available in these measurements..

• Width : 15" to 25" (in increments of 0.5")
• Length : 45" to 65.5" (in increments of 0.5")

Closer Look

Taking a closer look at the skin, you can clearly see that even the printed side is covered with another layer of translucent paper to protect it from scratches during installation. Peeling it off a little reveals the glossy graphics that's printed onto it. The adhesive paper is quite thick compared to other papers and has a high quality feel to it. Looking at the back, you'll see that PolyGFX uses material from Avery Graphics.

Here's a pic showing you how the caseskin will install over your case. Since the skin is in one big piece of vinyl, it's important to plan before you apply the skin so that you get it right the first time and that the graphics on both sides are balanced. You start off on one side of the panel, usually the motherboard side and then work your way around till you reach the other side panel. I roughly estimated the starting point and marked it on both the skin and the case as a guide. I'm applying the skin onto the new Chieftec BX Series case and I removed the handle before applying as well. You can apply over the handle if you like, it's up to you. PolyGFX has made available quite a number of instructional videos to help you with the installation of the skin.

 

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