Following up on my “Do It Yourself Laptop Wrist Rug” post, I’ve added protection for the other parts of my MacBook Pro.
As I stated in the picture’s Flickr page, there have been quite a few nice additions:
- The wrist rugs now go all the way; flush to the edge of the keyboard.
- Trackpad and button are now protected as well
- Apple logo is now protected as well.
Images are level adjusted (and sharpened) to exaggerate the contrast of the texture and edges of the vinyl. On normal usage, they’re not that noticeable.
Again, doing the math:
- The cheapest trackpad protector I’ve seen costs about 200 bucks. A typical set with button protector cost me about 600 bucks the last time.
- There are wrist-rug/trackpad protector sets available for about 19-24 dollars (roughly around 1k pesos)
- There are no available “logo protectors” to the best of my knowledge.
So as I said, you can spend up to a thousand bucks for a set. And if you’re unfortunate enough to have the top keyboard replaced, that’s another 1k right there for every new set you are forced to purchase.
How much did I spend for mine? 500 pesos (10 dollars) – and that’s only because the only vinyl available was in the form of a ridiculously large roll. If you’re lucky enough to find stocks of the smaller rolls, then you can go as low as 70 pesos (1 dollar).
With these rolls, you’ll have the freedom to make as much as you want, design them any way you want, and can also afford to make as many mistakes as you could. 1 It’s easy to peel and re-apply the vinyl… and even if it comes to a point that you actually WRECKED it, then just make another one!
I decided to share the template I made. It includes dimensions for everything you see in the picture. Only for the MBP 15.4″ though. I created it in a different program so I’m not sure if the PDF will print actual size – I hope it does. I usually print directly to the vinyl, since the printer ink can easily be smudged out.
If there’s one advice I could give though, it would be this:
When you’re prepping up the vinyl sheet (for printing/cutting/whatever). Remember that it has been in a rolled-up state for quite a long time, so the vinyl itself is actually stretched in relation to the backing material (wax paper). If you want to flatten it properly and effectively, simply peel out the whole sheet that you plan to use 2 Of course in the dimensions you plan to use. then set it face down, FLAT on a surface, then put the backing material back on. You’ll end up with a much flatter sheet to work with.
Just curious, how did you fashion the curved shape of the Apple logo? Did you use an Apple logo as template and resized in Illustrator or some-such software to match the actual size of the MBP’s logo? Did you consider covering the actual and exact edge-shape of the logo itself instead of exceeding over it? Doesn’t the Apple logo protector accidentally peel off when handling?
PS: I enjoy reading your blog.
Hi DJ,
Thanks for the kind words!
Yes, it’s like you said; I found a vector of the logo somewhere and used it as a guide. I measured the width of the MBPs logo and simply scaled whatever the vector had to match it – and create the other paths/curves around it to be the actual guide for cutting. Mostly everything followed – save for one thing:
For some reason the top part (the leaf) didn’t match what the MBPs have (not sure if this is the case for all the portables) – so I had to continually adjust that top part until it matched. Trial and error was the solution to this.
I didn’t consider cutting exactly to the scale/shape of the logo because I’m not really concerned about the “logo surface” itself, but the EDGES where the logo and the metal meet – I’ve seen many a Mac have darker edges over time because of how dirt/dust/grime/etc. can creep into those spaces – hence I really needed it to bleed beyond those edges.
As of now, it doesn’t peel off at all, I’ve been putting the MBP in and out of PowerPee’s jacket and never did the vinyl get “caught” on the cloth (and peel). It adheres pretty well, the only time I can get it off is when I really pry it with my fingers (or a cutter) and amazingly enough – it doesn’t leave adhesive residue when you take it out 🙂
As I said, it’s really good material to be used for this purpose. I can’t really articulate short of simply suggesting that you try getting a roll from the store and experience it yourself 🙂 For as low as 70 bucks, how can you go wrong di ba?
If not for my flight this morning, I’m off to the nearest DIY store, of which SM North EDSA is the nearest. However, I am set to go to Cambodia today for Apple’s Aperture Asian Photographers summit with the engineers from Cupertino. Thanks for the response, and hoping my MBP bumps into your MBP one of these days in one of the hotspots somewhere in the city! Again, beautiful blog (so sexy actually)!
Thanks so much! Given your eye for aesthetics, having my design called “sexy” by an accomplished photographer who photographs sexy people for breakfast really means a lot!
Just remember that when you do go to the hardware store, make sure you choose the right “texture” because there are a lot of texture designs for these “transparent” films. I saw a bunch of those smaller 70-peso rolls, but the one with the “simple matte” texture [like I used] was only available in huge rolls at the time.