Buying a custom arcade cabinet kit should be exciting. You pick the cabinet, plan the artwork, imagine the finished machine, and start putting together something that feels personal.
Our experience with LEP1 Customs was the opposite. The cabinet itself was not even the most frustrating part. The real problem was the artwork process and the way the seller handled a simple request for dimensions.
After purchasing from LEP1 Customs, we reached out through Etsy because we wanted to create graphics for our personal arcade cabinet. Since we own vinyl printing and cutting equipment, we did not need them to design or print the graphics. We simply needed accurate artwork dimensions, a vector path, or a CAD-style outline so the side art, control panel graphics, marquee, and bezel could be designed correctly.
That should be a normal request for a custom arcade cabinet kit.
Instead, LEP1 Customs refused to provide templates, refused to provide dimensions, and then threatened to report us to Etsy for continuing to ask about the graphics.
The Artwork Problem
For an arcade cabinet, artwork is not a small detail. It is one of the main parts of the finished product.
Side panels need to match the cabinet shape. Control panel graphics need to line up with joystick and button holes. Marquee graphics need to fit the exact visible area. Bezel graphics need to frame the monitor properly. If the dimensions are wrong, the finished cabinet looks bad. If the holes are off, the control panel art can be ruined. If the side panel curve is guessed incorrectly, the vinyl may not fit.
That is why artwork templates matter.
We were not asking for files so we could copy or manufacture their cabinet. We were asking for the information needed to make graphics for the cabinet we already purchased. There is a big difference between sharing protected manufacturing files and providing customer-facing artwork templates.
A good artwork template could include trim lines, bleed areas, safe zones, panel outlines, and hole placement. That would help customers create graphics correctly without giving away the entire product.
LEP1 Customs did not see it that way.
What We Asked For
Our initial message was polite and straightforward. We explained that we own a sticker and vinyl printing company, that we have wide-format printing and cutting equipment, and that we wanted to create graphics for the arcade cabinet we purchased.
We asked if they could share dimensions, a vector path, or a CAD path that could be used to create the artwork.
We also offered, politely, to potentially print cabinet graphics for them or their customers if they ever needed a supplier. That was just an offer. The main request was simple: we needed the correct dimensions for our own cabinet graphics.
Their response was short:
“Sorry, we don’t have templates for external use.”
That was disappointing, but fine. If they do not want to share templates, that is their choice.
So we asked a simpler question:
Could they at least share dimensions?
The answer was still no.
They recommended that we measure everything ourselves, saying it was “tedious, but not difficult.”
That answer is the heart of the problem.
“Measure It Yourself” Is Not Good Customer Support
Telling a customer to measure the cabinet themselves is not helpful support for a custom arcade product.
Yes, measuring is possible. But that does not mean it is reasonable. Measuring flat panels, curves, control panel holes, visible art areas, bleed, and safe zones is exactly the kind of tedious, error-prone work that should be solved by the cabinet maker.
LEP1 Customs has the cabinet files. They cut the parts. They know the dimensions. They know the panel shapes. They know the joystick and button placement. The customer should not have to reverse-engineer the product after buying it.
This is especially frustrating when graphics are involved, because mistakes are expensive. Large-format laminated vinyl is not something you want to print twice because a panel curve was off or a control panel hole was placed incorrectly.
For customers who want to design their own artwork, hire their own designer, or use their own print shop, this creates unnecessary friction.
The Seller’s Response Got Worse
After they refused to provide templates or dimensions, we asked directly whether they were saying they would not share the vector path for graphics.
They confirmed that was their policy and said it was an intellectual property issue.
We explained that we were not trying to recreate or steal their intellectual property. We simply wanted to make graphics for the cabinet we purchased.
That is when the seller threatened to report us to Etsy if we continued.
That was shocking.
Asking for graphics dimensions for a cabinet we purchased should not be treated like misconduct. We were not threatening them. We were not demanding manufacturing files. We were not trying to copy their cabinet. We were asking how to make artwork fit the product.
The interaction felt hostile, unnecessary, and completely out of proportion.
Why This Matters For Buyers
If you are considering LEP1 Customs and plan to use your own custom artwork, this is a serious red flag.
You may be left measuring every panel yourself. You may not receive usable templates. You may not receive basic dimensions. And if your experience is like ours, you may be treated poorly for even asking.
That is not a smooth custom arcade workflow.
A cabinet company does not have to give away its manufacturing files. But if it sells cabinets that customers are expected to decorate, it should provide practical artwork support. At minimum, customers should be able to access accurate panel dimensions and basic print-safe layout information.
Without that, the customer is taking on avoidable risk.
Our Opinion Of LEP1 Customs
Our experience with LEP1 Customs was extremely frustrating.
The main issue was not just that they refused to provide files. The issue was the combination of refusing templates, refusing dimensions, telling us to measure everything ourselves, framing a normal artwork request as an intellectual property problem, and then threatening to report us to Etsy.
That is not how we expect a seller to treat a paying customer.
If LEP1 Customs wants to keep its internal manufacturing files private, that is their right. But they should still provide customer-facing artwork templates or at least accurate dimensions for people who want to create graphics for cabinets they purchased.
The current approach makes the product harder to use than it needs to be.
Final Verdict: Avoid LEP1 Customs For Custom Artwork
We would not recommend LEP1 Customs to anyone who cares about custom graphics.
If you only want a bare cabinet and you are comfortable measuring, modifying, and figuring things out yourself, maybe you will be fine. But if you want a professional artwork workflow, accurate design files, clear dimensions, or helpful customer service, we would avoid them.
For us, the artwork experience was a major disappointment.
A custom arcade cabinet should not require customers to reverse-engineer the product just to print graphics for it. And a seller should not threaten to report a customer for asking reasonable questions about artwork dimensions.
Our recommendation is simple:
Avoid LEP1 Customs if custom artwork matters to you.