Alternative Disc Cases
You don’t have to stick to standard disc cases, you can make your own!
Here’s a standard jewel case replacement I 3D printed:
You can use translucent filament or other effects to make them unique. And from there you can draw or paint on the covers, use printed labels or vinyl with a cutter device like a Cricut, get stencils and spraypaint on them, or even UV print them!
I’ve been experimenting with these and printing directly on them using my EufyMake E1 UV Printer. [Again, not a direct endorsement/recommendation, you can see the pretty major gripes I ran into with it right away in my live journal thread.] This uses ink mixed with ultraviolet-curable resin to make quick, permanent prints on any (mostly flat) surface!
I’ve experimented with plain text and full-coverage visuals printed on these and it works pretty great, honestly. Then a custom-printed CD and printed insert fits nicely and makes for a really unique package. The only problem is the spine: The case is too tall to print on in the E1 (and would not stay upright anyway) and it’s mostly too small to cleanly write on or use my Cricut to cut vinyl lettering for. I may resort to trying to print super thin sticker labels for the spines. Not ideal, but I think most people would be fine with it.
DIYing your own case adds a big unique flair to it and is great for one-offs, but does come with some downsides. The cost-per-unit is much higher than a bulk empty case order (though it is difficult getting those shipped to me without a good handful of them being shattered in transit, heh). The cases are also heavier than standard jewel cases, which would make them more expensive to ship. Plus they add a lot of wait time to the process, taking 1-2 hours per print to case. Still, if you’re just doing it for yourself and have access to a 3D printer, it’s a fun way to play around with your media. I LOVE the results.
I also did a full-print case for Denshattack! with a slim, D-shaped case that takes up a lot less space and looks really cool:
And here’s a fun Mini CD case for GameCube style games:
And then I did a print of a more standard Blu-Ray style case, and this one even has a locking mechanism for a normal paper label for the case, too!
As I said before, the possibilities are endless.