Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[ArgusUndercover]

I also have to consider on my own fan page and character artist page, and instagram it is being monitored by directors and execs of marvel and lucasfilm as such I did not wish to come under their scrutiny too much with the items I was producing. As such I follow closely every one here and also online to try to not duplicate any thing any one else as unless they have given me permission or made it free.

A few members know me here as do a few on deviant art and where possible I gain permission from fellow artists to use templates and work and upgrade them.

You will see from my secret agent personnel files I use a template I think which was deisgned by Cal Schnatz JNr - I contacted Cal personally and asked his expressed permission to use his logos and templates and he was happy for me to do that. In fact I post my work on his facebook page also now.

Sorry for the confusion - I do offer screen accurate cards - I just also offer alternatives too with what I feel enhancements the screen accurate ones miss out on.

With the introduction of QR CODES and bar code technology I released a Version 2 which I try to incorporate for younger fans so I cam make them feel like they are connected to the show and community in a way that was not offered to me as a child

yes I know I changed it for the client... YOU MUST REMEMBER I have over 20 designs and many are tailored to individuals - I just put a variety up here which I could find easily on my pc. I occasionally give them the option of having white, black or multi coloured bar code and also the option of working and non working codes.

I send them a private email with further info and ask them to choose a code of their choice

Some codes do not print well - so for working bar codes they have to be printed larger as well.. screen accurate ID cards do not have working bar codes although I offer both working and non working.

Non working are much easier to produce... although I also offer personnel greetings, hidden messages and SECRET AGENT messages encrypted within the bar code and it something I have offered fairly new to people who meet me when I perform as a cosplayer and character artist.

I also produce screen accurate reverse images on the rear - or a fan made one by myself which takes you to my own fan page and vault with a selection of hidden case files and replica work - that way when I give a card to a child for their birthday at an event they can scan it with their phone or ipad and it enrols them as a junior member of SHIELD. Basically I try to get a fan young and inspire them in the virtues of being a good member of the community and fellow SHIELD AGENT?SUPER FAN.......


I rarely release the rear image for the very reason it takes you to a VAULT of hi res images - I have currently two secret agent vaults set up online.... one as over 30 case files in with all personnel files of my own and a variety of hi res image ID Cards that way once some one as a super fan ID CARD they can scan it and save it to the pc or ipad and leave the images on screen saver scrolling through my own work as a portfolio like a photo viewer etc.

It is some thing I have offered on a trial basis but for me to sustain it I will have to sell more as the bar codes facility is quite expensive. I am currently looking at alternative ways of hosting my own site for bar codes since It was costing me more than the cards I was selling


Sorry some are screen accurate and others not.... some I have been commissioned to reproduce for people birthdays and events as such.. some have time expired QR CODES an

 

[ArgusUndercover]

I was thinking of trying to get people here to put all the SHIELD ID CARDS together as a definitive thread from Season 1 to the current season and then along with the one's from the movie too. Since I also produce one's from the movie.. if you look at screen grabs of Coulsons from Iron man it is different to the screen grab of Coulson's ID card on the tv show Agents of SHIELD... I suppose this would not be uncommon if it was real too since with changes in security levels, and technology they would probably upgrade the cards.

Def makes our job harder as prop makers and fans since if you look at screen grabs low res then look at them Hi res some clearly have faults also. You have to get a happy medium...

I have just given around 10 away to a convention organiser as prizes for people entering the cosplay competition.. Some (I think were 2 screen accurate captain America winter soldier id cards which have the red banner), I also gave them a duplicate bucky and hawkeye which are not available any where else but made them with those characters on as well. I then included a screen accurate Coulson Card from I think Iron man 2, and then a screen accurate Coulson form the tv show agents of SHIELD.

SO it would be handy if there was a page here showing all the various types under one definitive thread..... I'm using a old "Sony vaio" laptop and it crashes every few minutes so I have some difficulty even posting here at the minute

I think if you look lower down any one unfamiliar with printing custom plastic ID cards - I gave a brief introduction. I tried to give an insight into some of the problems associated with "DIRECT TO TRANSFER" printing too and reproduction of images and quality.....

I Love the community and support here..... I'm pretty much OCD on my own work and if some one wants a screen accurate card or prop and I have facility to print or produce it I will.. If any of my own work can be enhanced I try to as well.
.
Also if screen grabs can be authenticated that can help too.. Or if people wish to send me hi res screen grabs for me to sample and re work on cards I can do that on occasion

 

[ArgusUndercover]

Yeah they look like the ones done by Iain Loveday in the UK - he uses vinegar to weather them and coffee/tea like I used to. He does nice items - he also does a range of DC and Batman paper props.

He contacted me a few times to purchase mine, then I think he disappeared offline for a while or has me blocked for a reason I do not know of.

I must say I do like his weathering - it is how I used to do mine on my personal displays but now I do them for others I do not have the time or room to weather any more. They look like the images repurposed off the marvel site - and a couple may be by Cal!

I thought I would ask the consortium here. Does anyone know about the prop replicas in the image below, who made them, when, etc.etc.

Thanks in advance,
Sean

http://www.cicproject.com/misc/rogers.jpg

 

[AgentOfShield]

I was working on a master template for the Avengers/AoS style ID way back when season 1 was airing but I never finished it. I was trying to figure out how to make an accurate watermark wave pattern and I was also trying to track down an accurate vector file of the MCU's classic SHIELD logo (there are subtle differences between the MCU version and the comics version).

Here are some samples from my template that show all three colours of this version of the ID that were seen on the show:
(Click for larger versions)

 

[ArgusUndercover]

Lovely touch - Good timing too - I just tried printing these off on the card printer yesterday but any text smaller than 6/7 it blurs out. They are fine at 4 inch or laminated but when reducded to the plastic card format it causes lots of issues. It is very annoying because on screen they are HD/LOSSLESS, but when you print the software and printer just corrupts the small text on printing.

So the text on the rear, and also the LOSS OF THIS CARD TEXT on the front, plus the digital numbers below the barcode all are unreadable when using direct to print method. I have tried using gimp/inkspace and PNG lossless and all various types of interpolation to no avail, but I now have 15 - B grade cards from Season 1 and Winter Soldier that will be now donated to a convention for competition gifts, or might give them a way to fans at the next convention for a small donation.

Another issue to consider is the Red Banner card never prints very well on Epson printers.....in fact whilst the colour looks fine on screen.. what it prints on the card can be some what different. This happens more with the burgundy/dark red than light red.

It also is the same with black text on all the banners below the bar code - some substantial loss in quality of the text is found. This is quite common and makes me wonder if that was one reason why you only saw it on Season 1. Although different methods of printing give slightly different out comes.

It also makes me wonder if some images on screen where you can see more details on the card may be computer generated.

The level of detail required on the ID card on small text may mean that a hobbyist prop maker might not be able to produce these with full accuracy, since a industrial card printer which uses a different process would need to be used and these work out at between 2k-4k depending on the printer and software used.

Like I say no error or loss in quality is observed on screen. All my current templates and designs are HI RES.. but when printed the formatting and software corrupts small text!
It is for this reason I may not produce these any more and just offer the digital download version of mine to be printed slightly larger for people to laminate.

I might sell the designs to Marvel or a ID Card company for my new versions with working bar codes and QR codes on the rear. But for now it looks like I will have to buy these from another source rather than make them myself :cry

I was working on a master template for the Avengers/AoS style ID way back when season 1 was airing but I never finished it. I was trying to figure out how to make an accurate watermark wave pattern and I was also trying to track down an accurate vector file of the MCU's classic SHIELD logo (there are subtle differences between the MCU version and the comics version).

Here are some samples from my template that show all three colours of this version of the ID that were seen on the show:
(Click for larger versions)

View attachment 736695
View attachment 736693
View attachment 736694

 

[AgentOfShield]

The high pixel resolution is only useful when the DPI settings on your printer are set to the correct value, typically 300 DPI or more is standard for most prints. I've printed my design on a standard home colour printer and the text was legible.

 

[ArgusUndercover]

will check that again ta - may be the Epson R265 just cant handle the resize that small. I have checked a few forums and it does suggest anything size "10" or less when reduced to 3inch and resized may be low res n out of focus etc

 

[AgentOfShield]

Make sure the DPI on your file is at least 300 as well, typically web graphics are set to 72 DPI by default

 

[ArgusUndercover]

Yes thank you - I did check that before saving and printing - if it changed it would have happened with the printing card software so I will look into this since I'm not going to print any more as I'm having too many with bad focus on the "LOSS OF THIS CARD TEXT" and the cards are not that cheap

I'm usually pretty good on these type of things having been a micro electronics technician years ago - but this out of focus and resizing issue has just about got me stumped

Make sure the DPI on your file is at least 300 as well, typically web graphics are set to 72 DPI by default

 

[AgentOfShield]

Hmm, maybe ask your local print shop and see if they have any ideas? Or call the support line of the manufacturer?

Yes thank you - I did check that before saving and printing - if it changed it would have happened with the printing card software so I will look into this since I'm not going to print any more as I'm having too many with bad focus on the "LOSS OF THIS CARD TEXT" and the cards are not that cheap

I'm usually pretty good on these type of things having been a micro electronics technician years ago - but this out of focus and resizing issue has just about got me stumped

 

[ArgusUndercover]

checked dpi - GIMP is set at 1050x600 for the template size and dpi300. Though when I export and save as PNG even though no settings have been altered - after saving and reopening in Irfanview it shows the new file/ is 72dpi... Even if I right click on the image and check properties it still shows 72dpi - so no idea why its reducing and lowering it there because at compression and saving I have not reduced quality or image at all.

Checking on some DTP sites it says it might be set at 300 but when exported and saved some programs change settings to 72dpi anyway.. ALL RATHER CONFUSING

All text appears ok on printing apart from "LOSS OF ID CARD" statement.

In 15 cards tested of various designs - it seems to be where text is TEXT SIZE 10-14 on the master version, and then obviously when scaled down 50% to give you the printable size of 3.377 x 2.125 the statement is having problems.

I will crack this ... lol... The difficulty is I am using GIMP for SHIELD CARD layout and editing, save to hi res png. Reduce size to printable size with Irfanview.

And then I have to use this website --
http://brainstormidsupply.com/id-card-printing-layout-tool.html

Which imports the ID Cards and converts them to a workable PDF which is usable on a "ID Card Template" which is fed into the DVD/PHOTOCD tray of the Epson R265

I have about 5 cards remaining to try to sort this out.. it is very annoying.. the card template and web site to convert to PDF is pretty much c spotless for business cards and ID cards with medium to large text - it is just smaller text on the Cards with small statements such as "LOSS OF THIS CARD" and that is often used on front of ID Cards, and on the reverse you have the fraud statement usually too.

You can understand why some people provide the digital download only - if these are some of the problems you have to go through when printing 3x2 inch id cards.

Just glad it's only a major issue on the SHIELD ID Cards and not others such as Dr Who, Ghostbusters, and NCSI or Star Labs as on those they tend not to have those fraud statements or "LOSS OF THIS CARD STATEMENT".

Hopefully this will give some people a better understanding of the DIRECT TO PRINTER process of Printing Business Cards and ID Cards when using a printer with a printing card template that feeds into a printer where the previous dvd/CD label printing tray would have been.

I Have to say I have provided some SHIELD/HYDRA cards to fans at charity events and birthday surprises and they have be blown away by them - although I'm OCD with these type of things and would like to iron the issue out and have a greater success rate on them on the plastic cards. If not, I will give those up and stop wasting time and resources, and order them off people here, and just go back to making the traditional larger laminated ID Cards.


[/QUOTE]Make sure the DPI on your file is set at least 300 as well, typically web graphics are set to 72 DPI by default[/QUOTE]

 

[Cmdr.Kerner]

About a week ago I got this ID badge holder from China and today I found the time to create my own S.H.I.E.L.D. ID card.

Dietrich

 

[Caplan]

Beautiful Dietrich:thumbsup

Best

Marc

 

[Cmdr.Kerner]

Beautiful Dietrich:thumbsup

Best

Marc

Thanks Marc.

 

[kickman88]

Strange thing I have been a member here on an old ID years and never came across this page until last week. So since I have created a new profile ID recently for cosplay it is nice to see so many people here since I thought I was the only person designing and offering designs and items.

I have a facebook cosplay page where I put free designs on so people here are welcome to drop by - here is the link -


http://www.facebook.com/Starlorduk/

Thanks for the link!

 

[ArgusUndercover]

Dietrich - I have a package to ship to you with some assorted ID's.. my treat. Not been online much and unable to ship has even though I'm still making paper props n taking commissions requests I have been let down alot, and have had no income since my surgery. I run you a couple of cards off as a surprise too You may have them already - if you do just donate them when at a con - will try to ship as soon as I get funds cleared. hope you are all well?

 

[ArgusUndercover]

those look awesome - didn't Sean from Levelseven produce some too and offer a full set for sale?

 

[Cmdr.Kerner]

Dietrich - I have a package to ship to you with some assorted ID's.. my treat. Not been online much and unable to ship has even though I'm still making paper props n taking commissions requests I have been let down alot, and have had no income since my surgery. I run you a couple of cards off as a surprise too You may have them already - if you do just donate them when at a con - will try to ship as soon as I get funds cleared. hope you are all well?

Oh what a surprise. Have you got my home address?

Dietrich

- - - Updated - - -

those look awesome - didn't Sean from Levelseven produce some too and offer a full set for sale?

Thanks LJ, you are correct, Sean is offering these ID badges and more, but I can make them on my own.

Dietrich

 

[ArgusUndercover]

I need to replace my SHIELD wallet badge for a larger version - never really happy with my last two from China they just seem a little too small.

Didn't I see some where on here that Paul Elder did a updated design! Though did Paul get a C/D on these when they asked him to withdraw the Tony Stark headset too. If some one wishes to pm me Paul's page I'd appreciate it..

 

[Rook 3]

You could try contacting Paul through his Etsy shop...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaulElderDesign