Posted by Michael Bobroski on September 12, 1999 at 16:56:33:
I see a lot of people using the original MAME logo as their
marquee (Blue and Black logo), by simply printing it on
transparency paper, and taping/glueing it to the plexiglass.
As we all now, the sheets of transparency are too 'transparent'.
To combat this problem, I added a layer of white paper between the
plexi and transparency to block a lot of the light from going through.
It also added more brilliance to the color, and looked less 'washed out',
and a lot more like a real marquee. Make sure you use a higher quality
white paper, as a low quality will a) be too transparent itself, and b) will
show the 'grain' of the paper when illuminated.
My last tip, and this is the 'real big help' is to actually use a black
light to illuminate the marquee, and not a regular flourescent. Even with
the white paper between the plexi, the flourescent produces a somewhat washed
out look. The blacklight, on the other hand, emits a subdued bluish-purple color
the perfectly complements the MAME logo. No light will shine through the black
background, and the actual wording itself looks better than it ever has w/ a
surreal glow. Don't worry, though. The marquee blocks all of the UV effects and
behavior of the blacklight, so you won't have to worry about glowing teeth and
t-shirts. If you were looking for that effect, you'll still have to add a few
blacklights on the outside of the cabinet. :)
-Mike