how to make magnets and placemats?

[greenoak]

if i had a postcard of our lake how would i go about turning it into a magnet?



how could i turn it into a placemat?
how could i put it on a shirt?
i seem to be getting lots of paper ideas lately......

any ideas? thanks

ann
www.greenoakantiques.com

[Jenny]

Ann, I am not sure about the placemats, but magnets can be made by gluing the postcards onto a magnet sheet. They sell sheets about the size of printer paper at most craft stores -- there are actually several sizes.

I would try the kind of glue that comes in a stick lay the post card down and run over it with a brayer. You could problem make a couple hundred in an hour or so -- I have no idea of cost -- not a clue.

So, I am only half helpful. :)

Jenny

[Genuine Bloom]

I guess you could always go to some of the places that make "promotional" items like www.branders.com (http://www.branders.com) ... only I don't know that you'd be able to get much profit from selling them...I think that they usually only are between 20-40% below retail value.

Placemats would depend on what kind of placemats you're thinking of. Fabric, paper, laminated, etc?

Shirts would be the easiest...tons of t-shirt places around. Try your local yellow pages. And if that doesn't give you what you want start searching the internet.

Actually for pretty much any of the things you're thinking of you should be able to Google (or Yahoo or whatever) for lots of companies who would make these things. For example for magnets maybe try --

fridge magnets manufacturer

or

magnets custom

or

private label

[greenoak]

thanks jenny on the magnet page....i guess you could cut it..
..im trying to get to a salable magnet for the store, that we could make and that doesnt look like a craft project...
thinkng if i found the right postcard or images and shrunk them to magnet size and made it into a magnet and then made them into magenets to sell....and im wondering how hard it would be.... dh has everything in the printing line software and a color lazar printer......i didnt know about the magnet stuff at the craft store....sounds like i need a road trip......i would want it to look as goood as the ones i buy from the magnet companies.......... i assume a brayer is like a rolling pin???


the placemats i saw in florida were a retro image with the area name and then heavily laminated.........i could get the image on line probably....but would have to know whats legal etc....
...i have a friend with a website for a condo, in trouble....the designer put something on the site that was protected...and they are suing the condo association......... im pretty sure images from the 1940s and earlier would be safe to use?


ive always loved paper stuff and these projects sound fun....i like to learn a bit about the process just in case i ever want get to it....thanks.......

ann
www.greenoakantiques.com

.

[Jenny]

Ann: As legalities go, unless something is libelous (wantonly and knowingly saying ugly injurious things in writing that cause damage to one's person or business) then at most one is first requested to cease and desist (stop doing that -- remove it -- take it down -- print a retraction). Even when printing something that is not libelous, but is protected, the first course of action is a request to cease and desist. Even if you started a band and decided to call your band The Beatles.the real Beatles wouldn't get very far in a suit lest they first asked you to stop to which you refused. (They'd also have to prove that your band called the Beatles had done irreparable damage to their imagae, cause them to lose a specific and clearly determined amount of money, blah, blah, blah.Of course they are the Beatles and can keep the case tied up in court forever and suck dry every dime you ever hoped to make -- but most small companies that might have an infringement issue don't want to spend the money to tie up anything in court either.)

You'll notice that on TV the birthday song that we have all sung since infancy is rarely used in the form that we know it -- this is the result of the family of the Hill Sisters, who wrote the song, still hold the copyright and they are a sue happy lot. The TV people are unwilling to pay a royalty everytime a show airs, so some fake birthday song is inserted where the birthday song would really be.

All this explanation comes down to finding a postcard from the 40's on which there is no known copyright. They aren't hard to track down.

If you are still concerned there are simple techniques to make new photos take on the appearance of old ones.

And yes, a brayer is like a rolling pin -- they are smaller and have a single handle, but a rolling pin is what they are. When you go on that road trip to check out magnet sheets, ask at the same store if they have a brayer.

Jenny

[Genuine Bloom]

Ann, in the U.S. things published before 1923 in the U.S. are in the public domain and are available for everyone to use. Things after that time period are a little more tricky, but lots are in the public domain you just have to track the info down. I bought an ebook awhile back about public domain and copyright information, but I can't remember most of it right now and also most of it pertained to written stuff rather than images. After I bought the ebook I saw a book at the library that I think had similar information about how to find out if something is in the public domain or not. So you might want to check your library and see if they have anything.

[greenoak]

thanks sharyn,,,,that date is what i was looking for.... most of the fun stuff i like is befoe that....ann
www.greenoakantiques.com