[Contributed by Mike (mgutierres)]
[Editors note: unfortunately the pictures that accompanied this article are no longer available]
One detail that always seems tough on these old radios is getting the pushbutton labels to look right. I’ve seen many that use a generic font which looks neat and tidy, but not quite correct. There are still some NOS label sheets floating around out there, but how sad to butcher such an historic document for the few labels that you want. Also, there are a few new and changed call signs out there you may want to use (alas, our old friend WMAQ is now…what? FAN something?)
I’m a graphic designer, and I’ve put a good deal of thought and research into this question. Here’s the result of my research:
It’s always best to start from the original, and I think there are still quite a few old pushbutton Philcos that have at least one or two of their old labels still clinging to their bezels. Treat them like the artifacts that they are! Carefully remove them, and place them on a scanner if you have one.
I found that the typeface ITC Franklin Gothic Extra Compressed is the correct one for this label. Helvetica, or Arial in any of their forms are definitely NOT CORRECT! Helvetica wasn’t available until 1957, and Arial is a rip-off of Helvetica, not available pre-Microsoft.
You can buy a copy of ITC Franklin Gothic Extra Compressed from myfonts.com (the font is here: http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/urw/frankli…ompressed/) for $19. If you’re brave, you can try a free version at freefonty.com (http://freefonty.com/download-itc-franklin-gothic-free/and scroll down to “Download ITC Franklin Gothic LT Book Extra Compressed). I’m wary of free download sites like these, so I haven’t tried it, but it might work without problems.
Another source for this font (thanks to billp!) is http://www.fontyukle.net/en/1,franklin+gothic – The site is run by donations, so donate or not, it’s up to you. (billp also says: “The download is still free and it works. You just need to add the .ttf extension (rename it) on the filename, if it’s not there, and copy it to your windows/fonts directory. I don’t know about Mac. It works for me. Anytime I download a file from an unfamiliar site, I always run a virus scan on that file before I do anything with it. Better safe than sorry.”)
You can see how the actual printed piece softens the edges and rounds the corners, but the basic shapes of the letters are exactly the same. I have found very wide variations in the spacing of the individual call letters from set to set: some, like the WGIL above are very close, but others are much more widely set. It really depends on what fills out the space the best. The most important thing is to space the letters consistently for all the pushbuttons on your radio, whether narrow or wide, just stick with the same spacing all the way across.
Once I got the spacing right, then exported each label to a layout program (you could do it all in Photoshop or its equivalent if you want, but I prefer InDesign), and printed them from my laser printer to 90 lb. manilla card stock.
I think this works better than pure white card stock because it gives a bit of color to the letters, and it looks a bit more natural, especially next to an original label, which was probably white at one time. I then “laminated” them with clear packing tape, burnished to a high gloss, and from there I simply cut out the labels and carefully placed them into the slots in your bezel.
[Contributed by mikethedruid]
Phorum thread: link
I use Lotus Word Pro for this, but Microsoft Word, or any graphics program could do the job.
First, I make a frame. I then size it to 0.5″ x 0.5″ in the case of my 48-482. For another radio, figure out exactly the size you need, and make the frame that size.
I set the frame background color to black, and the type color to white with a black background.
I choose the appropriate font. In the case of my 48-482 I use Arial Narrow, 16 pica for single line buttons, and 9 pica for 2 line buttons.
I set the lettering as centered both horizontally, but also vertically.
Then I just type in what I need. On the 48-482 I make single line buttons using 16 pica type for OFF, AM, FM, and SW. I use 9 pica type for dual row station tabs with the station letters above, a carriage return, and the frequency numbers, i.e. WOR (cr) 710 .
When I have all the frames for each button made on a page, I print it. When the printing is done, I spray the front of the page with a couple of layers of clear polyurethane, letting each coat dry in between. When the clear coats are well dried I spray the back of the sheet with white paint since the clear on the front tends to make the paper a bit translucent, and the white on the back helps the letters stand out. This is because the buttons on the 48-482 do not illuminate the labels. If you have the kind that DOES illuminate the label from behind, you may wish not to use the white paint on the back, and instead spray a coat of clear there also.
And that’s it. when the coatings have dried, just carefully cut the labels out. The 48-482 buttons have a little slot on the side, slip them in there. Buttons from other radios usually have a similar set up, or you may have to use a rubber cement and glue them onto some.
Don’t be afraid to experiment until you figure out the process. Once you do, you’ll never have to worry about obtaining appropriate button labels again.