Acrylic charms, I’ve started going crazy with them once I made my own laminated keychains, which they sucked since they are paper but it was worth the experience. I’m planning on making some acrylic charms with Ink It Labs in the near future.

The Search

After a long and intensive search, I stumbled upon several sites that sold custom acrylic charms. I was interested in Ink It Labs, Acorn Press, and  Chilly Pig Creations. This time I decided to buy some samples from Ink It Labs because they had more items that provided variety and accuracy.

The Sample Kit

I made a purchase of $35 (shipping included) of 2 samples: The Charms and the Gumdrops Colored Acrylics. I really like how these items were specified, like some charms had the name of their material or\and texture labeled in the back, to make it easier to see the differences. They even sell additional coatings for the charms, type of thickness, acrylic standees, as well as some printed palettes for spot colors and more.

I have to admit, I love the 3d effect the acrylic gives when the printed image is placed on the back of the clear acrylic charm. Even the charms and the images on top of it feels smooth, the downside is that the image itself runs the risk of been damaged no matter how much coating they put on it. This is not the same as the image been sandwiched between 2 acrylic pieces.

I was having difficulty telling the dissimilarities between the Shimmer Gloss and No Gloss on the acrylic charms; even though the names suggested there was a contrast between them. I sent a message to Ink It Labs, and they replied with an explanation. Both may look the same but the shimmer Gloss is a “matte” gloss finish (varnish) that has an additional layer of protection while the No Gloss has none.

On a side note, the quality of the items seems a little off. The printing quality is great but when the paper/vinyl was in contact with anything, either there were some scratches that weren’t supposed to happen or things became more yellow with time.

Spot Color Palettes

Even though I didn’t buy the palette, I think is a good idea to explain it briefly. These palettes come in clear and maple wood, they are a good reference for a dense, rich, and accurate spot color (only for use with the swatches in Adobe Illustrator).

Gradients – The use of gradients with spot colors can be quite tricky since these palettes are used as primary basic colors. If you choose to make the design with gradients, you can avoid making errors by rasterizing your artwork, doing otherwise you can make the spot colors invalid. Still, if you like to give it a try, you can get a better orientation with the company.

CMYK Conversion – The golden rule, always to make sure to make proof on your home with a CMYK version of your artwork and\or having a prototype made is always the best option.

Overall

It’s always a good idea to see the reviews from others about the quality of the product and services, but affording a sample kit before even making your custom products is a vital step. This way you can study their materials and quality, the interaction the company has with you, and also be able to decide if you can afford their products.