This double o-ring card (ø ring) for cassettes is designed to be printed, folded, and glued from a single sheet of Letter paper (8.5″ x 11″ / 216 x 279 mm), the standard paper size for most printers. Although not difficult, cutting and assembling this ø-ring requires some care and crafting. The old advice of “measure twice, cut once” applies here. A straight-edge paper cutter is ideal; however, the presence of lines on the template should allow for a slow and careful cut with scissors if necessary.
Pictures of examples, template, and guide below. There is a download to a zip file containing the template and the guide at the base of this post. The guide shows instructions for when and where to cut on each line. Printing on cardstock is highly recommended. I have used 110lb (199 g/m^2) weight cardstock for these templates and it holds up well. Be aware that many printers will attempt to scale the image down to ~96% by default–print at 100% scaling to ensure that the dimensions are correct.
When setting up the artwork for a release, I recommend opening the template as a layer in GIMP or similar. Be aware that some (if not most) printers will not print all the way to the edge. Using a white background and insetting images from the edge is highly encouraged; but even more encouraged is that you experiment and find what works best for your needs. This design intentionally shows the guiding marks for the cuts and folds, to reveal the process and structure of its production visibly and transparently to the viewer.
These templates (CD-R and 3″ CD-R forthcoming) are designed to seize and gift the means of production directly to artists and audience. This template was designed for a (forthcoming) release project that requires the purchaser of the cassette to assemble the case themselves, as a way to alienate or disassociate the idea of a release as a product purchased in its final form; instead, requiring effort and care on the part of the buyer to engage with the production of the work to ‘complete’ it as a physical object.
Post last updated 05/15/2021.
Ø Ring Card Template & Guide Download
L-R: Inner Ring, Outer Ring, Inserts 
Inserts in Inner Ring 
Outer Ring over Inner Ring
POST-CAPITAL CLUB 