This is my 1974 Solids 'N Stripes. The instruction cards that originally came with the machine were yellowed and it looks like someone spilled a drink on them at some point.
That is very plausible because my game is missing the “beer seal” which is there to prevent liquid from reaching the playfield in the event a drink is spilled. (Installing a new seal is on my list of things to do next).
There is an online resource for PDF’S of replacement instruction cards. However, the PDF for my machine was missing some of the information on it’s cards because the person that maintains the site had never gotten clear scans before. I supplied him with scans of everything i had which includes some “card inserts” that aren’t pictured. When he sent me back his new version of the cards, I was initially pleased but soon realized that the original cards were done in a unique hand drawn font that he did not duplicate. I decided to reproduce the cards myself so they would appear exactly as they were originally.
I could never get a clear scan for some reason. Instead I uploaded my unfocused scans to an AI image upscaler. AI was able to clear up the letter outlines. Then i used Inkscape to trace by bitmap and was able to fully recreate the font, spacing, and overall appearance clearly.
After printing onto some cardstock, I used the paper shear in the printmaking shop at MakeICT to get straight cuts.
I made 2 versions - white like the original and blue that matches the pinball apron perfectly. Which do you prefer? Im gonna make a poll right below this as a comment. Please vote to help me decide which is better!
