Today I, Stuart @mcbricksbricks, bring you an interview with Adam, the founder of The Printed Brick. The relatively new player on the LEGO printing scene has been praised by many AFOLs, and rightly so!
Before I get into the interview, I would like to let you in on my experience and my purchases from The Printed Brick. Whilst perusing their website, I noticed they had tiles that you could print your logo onto along with your website and a few words. The tile also had space for a QR code, perfect for events and and other gatherings. You simply upload your photo (a square format works best for half of a 2×4 tile), then copy & paste the link you want into the QR code box – hey-presto a business card style custom LEGO piece.
Where other companies may fulfill the order without confirmation, Adam contacted me via my Instagram channel to let me know that the QR code worked and if I wanted different wording to the one templated on the website – to make it stand out and be more personal. A couple of messages back and forth and it was ready to print, now tailored to what I wanted. These were printed and within the following couple of days were emailed to say they had even dispatched, all in the same week I placed the order!
A couple of days later they turned up neatly packaged in The Printed Brick branded bag along with red tissue paper for added protection, all inside a sturdy box. I honestly felt like I was opening an expensive piece of jewellery. From point of order to receiving a tremendous looking product, which was so well printed, was a breeze and one I will Def be using again, and again.
That was my experience, from ordering to receiving – I was so impressed I just had to meet and interview Adam when I had the chance at Bricktastic. Previously writing and creating content for The Brick Post, I knew the interview would be perfect for the many readers that use this website for LEGO news and reviews – so sit back, relax, and enjoy the interview.
We have a special 10% off code for you to use if you wish to purchase from www.theprintedbrick.com – pop THEBRICKPOST into the appropriate box during checkout. The discount expires 22nd March.
TBP: What equipment do you use and the style of printing?
Adam: We use a UV printing method and we use high end Roland printers – we only use official Roland supplies too.
TBP: What type of prints are most intricate?
Adam: Minifig prints by far as they can take around 7-8 runs on the printer to achieve the desired look and colour tones.
TBP: What printing software do you use to edit and or design your prints?
Adam: A simple one here the Roland supplied software with the printer is best as it is designed hand in hand with the UV printer.
TBP: What made you get into printing, pleasure or business first?
Adam: I have always wanted to dabble in designing prints for LEGO since around 2016 the ideas came from building MOC’s (My Own Creations) and the printed parts required rarely available to achieve the desired look. In my past professional life I have always been a trained designer. So it was a natural light bulb moment when I decided let’s put the skills and the need for printed pieces together and create something that lots of AFOL’s (Adult fans of LEGO) want but can’t get direct from LEGO.
TBP: How do you decide what designs make it to print? Is it a case of current trends/topics or is it just whatever takes your fancy?
Adam: I initially went with what I knew I needed to get things going ie road signs and building signs for the LEGO city. There is a n element of trends such as when it comes to Christmas we have an advent calendar print on a tile and a take on the popular choccy mint which for obvious reasons we call Apres Eight. Fans suggestions and whatnot are always a good way of seeing what needs to be out next for instance if loads of people all ask for a particular album cover (many are already available on the website) and it’s popular enough it would be considered.
At home I literally have a room with a floor to ceiling blackboard for brainstorming!
TBP: What designs/products are you most proud of? I particularly like the BrickDog (BrewDog) can, a homage to the beer brand I love most.
Adam: There are a couple but the ones that stand out are the windows mainly due to the amount of work put in and that final eureka moment as it all comes together! The Aprez eight and other play on words brand products are great too.
I would also say the crossword fan Minifig as this is a mega detailed print and definatly deserves a mention. Possibly the toughest minifig I will ever produce.
Another style print I like is books. These just resinate with me as some of them were the amongst the first products I designed and there are a couple more in the works.
TBP: What has the general feedback from the AFOL community been like so far?
Adam: Simply overwhelming. Most have mentioned the quality and the service overall and some have mentioned the packaging being great. Which makes us very proud that people are happy with the effort we put in to every order.
TBP: What is the most random/peculiar print you have been asked to print, or printed for yourself?
Adam: I like to print quotes for tiles on MOC’s from movies etc for myself. There was one time I was asked to print a quirky licence plate for a model car…
TBP: Can you give a hint as to what you are working on next?
Adam: We are currently working on stained glass doors. These are harder to print on than opaque pieces so the design process is taking a little longer. But these will look great for medieval MOC’s and castle builds! We recently did some doors featured on The Walking Dead for a MOC that is in Bricktastic right now!
TBP: Were you active in the LEGO community before printing?
Adam: Yes I ran stores on both Bricklink and Brickowl but these are now closed due to concentrating on the printed business.
TBP: Have you/do you print on other products other than LEGO elements?
Adam: I have thought about it before and the UV printer is very capable of printing on many many things. But it has not been pursued as of yet due to all efforts going into printing on bricks…
TBP: How long does it usually take from idea to design to product release?
Adam: Once the idea has been on the blackboard and it is going to be trialled there is a process of trial and error, fine tuning details, reprints and extra photo’s might need to be taken. All in all it can take 2-3 weeks from blackboard to finished, if nothing goes drastically wrong. Some products however don’t make it through all the stages because at some point it might just not be viable to do. This could be design, detail issue or even parts scarcity which would drive the price up making it impossible to bring out.
TBP: Lastly, what is the best file for customers to send?
Adam: We are open to any of the main file types JPG PNG etc but Quality and dimensions are everything! The better the resolution the better it will be to use. A small file such as a screen grab of a small image on Google will just not print as well as a high quality image.
I would like to thank Adam for taking the time out to answer our questions. If you haven’t already you need to check out www.theprintedbrick.com.
Thanks for reading this interview and if you enjoyed it and would like us to interview more people in the LEGO community, hit the YES reaction at the bottom of the page. We have a special 10% off code for you to use if you wish to purchase from www.theprintedbrick.com, pop THEBRICKPOST into the appropriate box during checkout. The discount expires 22nd March
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