Details, Details (continued)

More is Better Once you have the changes made, I suggest you create a larger image and  paste several copies of the battery label.  You can fit up to eight copies on a single page as shown here.  This allows for some practice and the inevitable slip-ups that will happen when you go to create the label.  Once you have the page created, you need to print it out on the laser-label paper.  The scan I've provided is at 300 dpi so you need to make sure your printer is set accordingly.  I strongly suggest you use a laser printer.  Even the best inkjet type printer won't give you the results that even a so-so laser printer will give you.  If you don't have access to one, take your image file back down to Kinko's and have them print it out for you.

Plastic Fantastic Here's where that "sticky-back" stuff comes in.  Cut out one of the labels and a similarly sized piece of the plastic, peel off the backing and apply it over your label as shown here.  That little trick will give your label a near identical look to the original one used on the battery.

Then, using a straight-edge and an X-Acto knife, trim the edges of the label.  Place the straight-edge on the outside to avoid indentations in the plastic.

To round off the edges, make a template out of a piece of stiff cardboard or plastic.  Using the original label on your battery as a guide, find something with a similar radius and use it as a guide for your X-Acto.  One of those Bic pens with the plastic end cap removed stood on end works well.

A Penny Saved Next, you need to reproduce the die-cut look of the removable warranty insert.  It so happens, that a US penny is exactly the right diameter.

To again avoid indentations in the plastic from holding down a guide for your knife, cut out another piece of 2 7/8" x 3/4" cardboard and use the penny to get the rounded ends.   Then, place the cardboard on the label and trace around it with your knife.

Finally, remove the old label from your battery, peel the backing off of your newly created label, and apply it to the battery.  As shown here, this relatively simple procedure can give you strikingly good results.  This method can also be used to create other similar labels.  Most notably the small labels found on various wiring looms.

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