In 1982, Atari’s Quantum cabinet saw artists print side art directly onto wood using screen printing, a method far removed from today’s digital presses. The process required separate screens for each colour layer, with artists first separating designs into individual colour films. Each film dictated where ink would pass through a mesh stencil to create.

To produce each colour, a clear acetate sheet carried opaque black outlines of the desired area. The sheet coated a light‑sensitive screen, exposed to bright light, hardened the visible emulsion, and left the hidden parts soft for washing away. The resulting stencil let ink spread only where the colour was needed on the panel every.

Operators aligned each screen with the already‑printed layers using locating pins and alignment guides. A rubber squeegee pressed ink through the opened mesh, depositing a thick, opaque layer. After each pass, panels moved to the next station for the next colour, a sequence repeated until the full image emerged on the wood surface with precision.

The result was vibrant, long‑lasting artwork that still dazzles after four decades. Thick ink layers avoided the dot‑based fading of modern inkjets, preserving sharp lines and deep hues. Atari’s meticulous screen‑printing workflow proved that handcrafted production can outlast digital conveniences when quality and precision dominate for generations of arcade enthusiasts and collectors who value heritage.