PolyGFX CaseSkin Review
Date : Sunday, 31 August 2003
Author : Wolfman
Provided by : PolyGFX
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.
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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..
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.
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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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Installation
Before we proceed, I find it best to work with another person when applying the skin. While the other guy could help tension and keep the skin flat, you can concentrate on applying the pressure on the skin. The first step is to fold the protective layer on the adhesive back, about an inch or two. Then line the skin up on the side panel of the case. If you have made markings earlier, use it as a guide.
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Then use your fingers to apply pressure on the skin to get started. I didn't have an applicator with me so I had to use a piece of hard cardboard as a replacement. :O) Make sure that the skin is now firmly adhered to the case. Next pull the protective cover away and start to apply pressure again on the exposed adhesive layer. It's best to expose the adhesive layer a little at a time, making sure the edges are lined up correctly. Now while the other person tensions the skin, use the applicator to apply pressure again on the skin. Angle the applicator so that it pushes the air out of underneath the skin.
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At the edges of the case, roll the applicator evenly and work your way over the edge. Continue to work your way till you reach the top of the case, remembering to apply even pressure on the skin and making sure no air bubbles are trapped underneath the skin. Here you see one side of the case is done and now we get to the top of the case.
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Same as before, use the applicator to get the skin to fold over the edges and then using the same technique, work your way to the other side of the case. You can clearly see in the last pic that the markings I made with a pencil were a little off but nothing to worry about. It was just an estimation and so far the skin seems to be applying just fine.
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Once you're done at the top, continue to work around the edge and onto the other side panel. I'll be going over the case handle openings and also a 92mm fan port and I'll show you later how to cut the skin off the case handle openings. Using your fingers, apply pressure on the extra skin material at the corners to get them to a 90° angle. You'll need to cut and fold this portions later. Also, using your fingers or the applicator, mark the line where the side panels and the top panel meets. You'll need to separate them later too with a sharp knife.
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Here you see me reaching the other edge of the case and also the end of the case skin. At this point of time, you might wanna run tha applicator on the skin surface again to make sure it's completed applied to the case. Once that's done, it's time to finish off the other critical parts.
Installation - Cont'd
Here you can see quite a lot of extra skin material on the bottom part of the case. You can trim this off to the desired amount if you like. Using the same applicator, fold the skin over the edge and apply pressure to make sure the air bubbles are pushed out. If there's a rivet underneath, just go over it and I'll show you later how to even it out.
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Now take your penknife and cut the area between the side panels
and the top & bottom panels. This will enable the side panel to be removable
after the skin is fully applied. You can see the cut line very clearly in the
picture below.
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Now we get to the corners... remember the 90° bend that
you made at the corners previously? Use your knife and cut at the corners of
the bend. Fold it down to the case and remove extra materials from the skin.
Peel off the protective layer and fold over the other side onto it. The pictures
below shows you the bottom part of the case. This part
of the installation depends on how you initially starts off. If you start off
exactly at edge of the skin and case, then you can just trim the skin off at
the other edge. The last picture shows you the completed trimming and the protective
layer removed.
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The side panel is much easier. Make sure you removed any screws or thumbscrews before folding the skin over. Once folded, run your knife on the edge of the panel to trim off the extra skin material. Do the same for the other side panel as well.
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Do the same for the top part as you've done on the bottom part of the case. Cut the edges and fold it in and then use the top skin material to cover up the top edge entirely. Trim the extra material with your knife and you're done! At that point, the top part is completed and you can now peel the protective layer off it and reveals the nice and glossy graphics underneath! You might wanna check for any bubbles and if there are, use a safety pin and poke a tiny hole on the bubble and use your fingers to push the air out and smooth the area.
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Now let's move on to the side panels...
Final Touches
Moving on the case side panels, we first take a look at the motherboard's side panel. There's no handles there so all you need to do now is to peel off the protective layer covering the graphics below. Start from one corner and slowly pull the layer off to reveal the printed graphics. The edges of graphics layer tends to peel off too with the protective layer so at the same time, use your hands to apply pressure on them so they'll stick back to the case. Check for any air bubbles trapped underneath and remove them as you peel the layer. Not bad at all... no air bubbles trapped and the graphics looks awesome. Very clear and crisp printouts! You can now test fit the panel into the case to make sure the graphics are aligned properly.
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Now we move on to the other panel. Using a sharp utility knife or Exacto knife, cut along the edges of the case handle openings. There's about 3 openings for the Chieftec cases so make sure you get all 3 cut out. It shouldn't take long and once you done, remove the protective layer and finally install the case handle back into place. It'll be a little hard for the case handle to go back in initially so take your time and make sure that the vinyl aren't scratched or peeled off while trying to install the handle back in.
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Remember those rivets at the bottom and rear of the case? What you need to do here is to apply some heat to the vinyl to soften it a little bit and then use your fingers to press on the vinyl to get it to stick around the rivets. You can use a hair dryer or a butane/propane torch. I didn't have any so a lighter does the job just fine. Do not let the heat stay too long on the vinyl though... just move the flame left and right and then quickly press on the vinyl.
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Once all is done, put the case together and enjoy your case's new look! Here's some shots of the case from different angles.
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Conclusion
The PolyGFX CaseSkins is definitely a great way to personalize your boring beige case. If you do not want to bother yourself with the hassles of spray paints or air brushing, then this is the way to go! And this is no ordinary adhesive paper folks... it's clear and crisp glossy digital printouts on a very high quality adhesive vinyl paper. The vinyl adhesive is easy to apply and very durable. I can't believe I had a lot of fun just applying it to the case! Just make sure you plan ahead before though! With over 100 designs (and growing!) to choose from, be it science fiction, abstract, automobiles, etc... you can be sure your case will look kick-ass once the CaseSkin is on! So head on down to PolyGFX's reseller, FrozenCPU.Com and grab one for your boring beige case today! Your case will thank you for it! :O) The case skins retails in at US$60 and that's way cheaper than airbrushing!
However, if you looking at having your own custom work printed out on the case skins from PolyGFX, tough luck. They cannot do new designs for single quantity orders as it is way too time consuming. What they can do is custom work for quantity orders, like for organizations or gamers that belong to teams. All in all, the Case Skin from PolyGFX is a great way to change the look of your case and PolyGFX provides excellent instructional videos to help you with your own case skin installation.
A big shout out goes to Mark from FrozenCPU.Com and Garry from PolyGFX for the awesome case skin samples! And to you too for reading! Enjoy the site. Over and out..