Cafepress specializes in creating custom prints for all sorts of goods (e.g. t-shirts, coffee cups, calendars), but the subjects of today’s review will be two sets of iPhone cases: two for the 3GS and one for the iPhone 4.
There are quite a number of pre-existing designs for you to choose from on the Cafepress.com website, but you’ll probably have the most fun with this service if you take the trouble to design your own case. Like many other customization sites, the creation process behind Cafepress revolves around uploading an image, adding little bits of Clip-art style graphics, and then adding some text.
Regardless of whether your choose or create your own design, Cafepress should do an incredible job with the printing process. All three designs that I ordered turned out beautifully clear and quite vibrant, to boot. Additionally, the graphics on the plastic casing have been professionally printed by the team at Atlanta-based print shop clashgraphics.com. As a result, cleaning them is as easy as wiping them with a cloth or your jeans, similar to the way Jon Ive would do it.
3GS CASE
I’m not often one for declarations, but I do declare that the 3GS case from Cafepress trumps that of the iPhone 4. Well, actually, the 3GS case is less of a case and more of a back plate that covers everything except the top, bottom, and about half a millimetre of the chrome bezel. It works well with all the earphones I own, allows me full access to all ports and buttons, and the printed design along the back makes it a little bit less slippery than the naked iPhone back.
In short, it’s a lot like many of the hard plastic back plates we’ve seen before, but a lot stiffer.
The case is so stiff, in fact, that I’ve managed to create cracks along the top and bottom of both 3GS cases I received just by putting the iPhone in and taking it out. The cracks are nothing more than cosmetic (for now), but this problem could have been avoided entirely if this 3GS case design was just a bit more flexible (my Griffin + Threadless case is still in nearly-mint condition, despite a year of use).
iPHONE 4 CASE (Slider)
Unfortunately, the iPhone 4 case doesn’t seem to hold up quite as well. While there aren’t any issues with hairline cracks, the iPhone 4 case is much rougher around the edges (literally) and isn’t as accessible as the one for the 3GS. It does add a lot more protection, though, and should easily take the brunt of a fall without cracking or coming loose.
It’s still easy enough to press all the buttons on the iPhone 4, but the earphone jack is so small that it’s likely that only iPhone 2G-compatible earphones will fit into the jack.
Personal tastes also come into play here, of course, and I’ve got to admit that I’m not a fan of this kind of slider, which makes it very clear that it *is* a slider case, since each half is coloured differently). The printed design takes up the top 3/4 of the back, but the lower portion of the case is simply black. The case does get bonus points for having a rubberized feel to it and a cushioned interior, but I’d much rather have seen a sleeker slider design with a more uniform look.
CONCLUSION
While the physical designs of each case may not be unique or particularly impressive in their own right, what you’re really going for with a Cafepress case is the custom-printed designs along the back — and I’m quite happy with how all three prints turned out.
I still wouldn’t recommend the iPhone 4 slider, but the 3GS version really is quite good looking (despite the issue of the hairline cracks), and at $25 for a custom case, Cafepress is quite an affordable way to add a splash of colour to your iOS device.
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The three Cafepress cases were provided by Cafepress for review on iSource. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
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