I've been discussing my game for Arc with Travis and Nick. For my game there exists information that will be publicly known to everyone, but will potentially be updated multiple times over the course of the game.

I don't particularly want to have to scribble on a whiteboard every time the information is updated (because I have lousy handwriting and it'll be a pain), so I thought that getting a magnetic whiteboard and putting the bits and pieces on magnets. That way I just have to move the magnets around the whiteboard and write in the few small bits and pieces when required. I originally thought I'd scavenge advertising magnets and chop them up and use them (which means I'd have to find enough of them to do so), but Nick suggested investigating the magnet printing places and see if I could get some blank ones.

So, a quick Google later, I had the website of one that seemed to have what I needed. 20mmx80mm rectangular magnets looked about right, enough space to put some words on. The quote on the web page said it would be $330 (plus postage) for 100 of them, however that would include design work and printing costs and the like, but I only needed blank ones. I sent a quick email to them Sunday night asking whether I could get blank ones, and how much.

Monday afternoon I get a phone from a guy at the place, asking what I needed them for. We have a quick discussion and he recommends something else. I addition to the magnet printing side of things, they also do wholesale on the magnets themselves under a different company name. One of the things they sell wholesale is rolls of adhesive backed magnets. The rolls are 310mm wide (just over a foot), sold by the meter and can be cut with a heavy duty Stanley knife. So, for a grand total of $33 ($16.50 for the minimum of a meter, plus $16.50 for delivery) I have a meter of magnet sitting on my desk (yes, it was ordered yesterday and delivered today)!

Woot!

So, if you need any magnets I do recommend The Fridge Magnet Factory and Patch Magnets (the wholesaler).