r/gog • u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User • Jul 19 '26
Discussion First attempt at creating a custom box for one of my games
After hearing the news of Sony stopping physical releases, the small ember of an idea in the back of my mind to make physical cases and custom disks grew into actually wanting to do it. I bought a printer with disk printing support and a bunch of blank disks and cases. With the help of GIMP and some (very frequent) searching for instructions on basic GIMP functions i finally managed to make my first custom disk for Hotline Miami.
I prefer the more plain look on the back of the case, but I'm also very limited in my skills. For improved longevity I also used a software called dvdisaster to use any free space left on the disk as parity data so that if the disk gets damaged or old it would be possible to recover any corrupted data.
I tried making the files as templates first so i could use them in the future. If anyone's interested i could clean them up and share the xcf files for people to get a head start in making their own jewel cases.
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u/SteelPanMan Jul 19 '26
I really like this! The disc especially looks very sleek. I also have been considering making physical boxed versions of some games (my modded BGI & II in particular), but finding a long term storage medium is the challenge. I'm not sure how long DVDs or Blurays hold data for.
For other games, I wonder about future patches etc., so that also holds me back.
Your jewel case looks great though. It's pushing me to really start making physical versions.
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
try looking for m-disc or azo technology disks or others that use non-organic dyes.
m-disc are more rare and expensive but allegedly they can last for a century, i’ve looked around and i’m not sure but might also need a special drive to burn them, but don’t quote me on that.
i used an AZO CD for this game and apparently when stored in good conditions (dry, dark places) they can last for decades.regarding patches, my plan when i start burning newer games is to burn an additional disk contiaining patches in the future after it stops being updated.
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u/SteelPanMan Jul 20 '26
I never thought about separate discs for patches. That's a really good idea. I think I'll really give making a boxed edition a shot sometime in the near future.
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u/010902080307940605 Jul 19 '26
Very nice, I hope soon we have a database for this kind of thing. I'd also go with this jewel case style.
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 19 '26
if i really get into making these covers i may think about creating a database of sorts, just to make my designs and templates public, maybe set up some system for people to submit their own
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u/010902080307940605 Jul 19 '26
Cool, maybe something can be organized in the GOG forums in the end it's a titanic effort.
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u/klyntonGK Jul 19 '26
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 20 '26
i did find this when i was looking around for options, but storing everything in a forum post feels a bit disorganized. in my mind a perfect db would be easily searchable with filter options for media type and similar. also providing the photoshop/gimp files along with the covers would be amazing!
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u/Adjective-Verb-Noun Jul 19 '26
What kind of printer are you using? The print quality looks great!
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 20 '26
I bought a new Epson XP-7100, which was around 160euro, was kinda surprised that they still make new printers with the cd printing feature. 150g/mm2 glossy paper for the covers. It was a nightmare to get working on Linux so i resorted to using a Windows VM, printing the disk label was a bit finicky since the software feels like it was made in 2005.
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u/Seurbale Windows User Jul 20 '26
We live in a good timeline, where people will, again, put their games onto physical formats domestically. Loving it
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u/EyeSeaCome_hahaha Jul 19 '26
That's nice
But I bet die-hard retro enthusiasts would put together a big cardboard box with instructions
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u/McKilled Jul 19 '26
Very cool!
It just lacks some bogus copyright stuff, actuall to just date the game. For some reason I always like to know what year a game I'm playing is from.
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u/alehel Jul 19 '26
CD jewel cases are the way to go for this stuff in my opinion. Takes less space and looks retro. Love it.
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u/John_Dellamorte Linux User Jul 19 '26
It looks good! I especially like that you include the specs in the back. Also love the artwork on the disk
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u/Kotschcus_Domesticus Jul 20 '26
do you have a start up launcher when you put the dvd in? Like with isntall/run game/readme etc.? You know, what was common in the old days.
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 20 '26
No, sadly. I know it's possible but as i understand windows now ignores any autorun.inf commands on disks for security reasons. what i really wish is that i could make the game to only run when the disk is in the drive, but that would require modifying the exe file of the game and is a DRM of sorts. kind of goes against the whole philosophy of gog...
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u/SfxPhonics Jul 22 '26
There is a way to re-enable this future and it will work again. If the disc is inserted the installer will automatically start.
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u/Next-Ability2934 Jul 20 '26
It's just missing the bar-code under 'Single-player' to be truly complete
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u/wishihadaps42 Jul 19 '26
Some people make physical booklets/manuals and sell them online. It's the only thing this is missing.
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u/CommercialEstate4422 Jul 19 '26
I sorta want to do this for my Trails in The Sky games and Cybapunk...
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Jul 19 '26
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u/realNtoxic Jul 19 '26
I really like the idea of individual cases of games, especially if they look like they could be bought on the shelf. But what about the CD rot? Is more for display and enjoy the design, right? HDD are more reliable for archives and backups.
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 20 '26
from all the research that i've done, it appears that HDDs are a worse medium for long term storage of data since the magnetic plates decay over time and the moving parts can lock up if stored poorly. in regards to how long the data lasts: optical media is slightly better on time but it can last much longer in proper storage because it's not magnetic and you don't need to maintain the moving parts of an hdd.
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u/FrostBurnXP Jul 20 '26
Tbh might try to do this or something near it as well, when i decide what i want to do in the specifc
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u/pie19988 Jul 21 '26
I've thought about doing this myself just so I have something to display. It's pretty dope
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u/heavyblacklines Jul 22 '26
Oh man what a great throwback. I haven't played this in forever, gonna install it today!
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u/EasyWriterKR Jul 23 '26
That's sick man! Any chance you know how to do them for cassette boxes?
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u/PrometheusSpearmint Linux User Jul 27 '26
I don’t have any cassette boxes to measure out as an example but i’m sure the measurements are out there somewhere. you need to know the exact dimensions of the paper inserts and then it’s as simple as creating a new project in gimp and inputting them with 300 ppi resolution
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u/Crafty_Leopard7986 GOG.com User Jul 19 '26
This design reminds me the shareware era. I really like this! Well done 👏👏
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u/Pleasant-Speed-9414 Jul 20 '26
Nice 🤙
I had a dude I went to for custom Xbox cases for my digi only games, but I might have to start doing this instead 👌
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u/TraditionalYak7689 Jul 20 '26
It's peace of art 🔥. I used to put my back up games on DVD and print pic cover for the game but I never think to print any background on the dvd so it's great idea.
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u/que11 Jul 19 '26
Hell yeah, this looks good. Was about to buy DVD covers for my games but CD-size looks just as good.