If you're anything like me, you enjoy watching the behind-the-scenes special footage after a movie. In fact many times I find myself more interested in the special features than the movie itself (maybe I'm just weird). I thought I'd show you a "behind-the-scenes" of how I numbered the coins for the 2nd Anniversary Collector's Set. I certainly didn't invent this method, but thought it would be helpful to share as it can be used in many different applications.
Each of the wooden coins were laser-engraved on one side with the 2nd Anniversary logo and the other side was left blank for numbering. The first step in the process was to layout all of the numbers in Illustrator and flip them horizontally so that everything was backwards. Then the numbers were printed out on a laser printer. (*this method only works with a laser printer)
Next, I then cut the numbers into strip to make them easier to handle individually.
Once the numbers were cut, I placed the paper strip face down on the back of the coin and colored over it with a blender marker. This is where the magic happens. The blender thins out the printer toner and transfers it from the paper onto the coin. To get a solid image I used the back of a sharpie to firmly rub over the paper to make sure everything was transferred. The more pressure applied the better, just be sure the paper doesn't move.
And that's it. Just remove the paper and let the coin dry. I repeated this process for each of the 200 coins. It was definitely a tedious process, but it's a great inexpensive method to do variable data like individual numbering and can be use on all sorts of other materials. You can see more photos of the finished product here.
