Jukebox title strips: the complete guide

What is a jukebox title strip?

A title strip is the small paper label slid into the jukebox’s title holder. It shows the artist and the titles of both sides of a 45 rpm record: the A side and the B side.

It has to be readable at a glance despite its small size, the glass and the jukebox lighting. Colors, fonts and ornaments also shape the look of the machine: you can match its original style, recall a musical era or create something entirely your own.

Jukebox title strip sizes

There is no single official size: it depends on the brand, the model and the title holder. Most 45 rpm jukeboxes, however, use strips of about 3 × 1 in (76 to 78 mm wide, 25 to 26 mm high).

Set the size at the top of the “Templates” tab, in “Label size”, in inches or millimeters. It applies to every strip in the project.

Seeburg, Rock-Ola, Wurlitzer, AMI, Rowe… and rare models

Because the size is fully adjustable, 45’O’Juke works with most 45 rpm jukeboxes: Seeburg, Rock-Ola, Wurlitzer, AMI, Rowe, NSM and more. Two models from the same brand can have different title holders, so always start from your own machine’s measurements. To recreate the original artwork of a rare model, see Recreate your jukebox’s original strips.

Your first title strips in 3 minutes

You don’t need to explore everything to get started — four steps are enough.

1. On the home screen, choose “Enter my records”. To see a result first, “Try with examples” loads 80 classics from the 50s to the 70s.
2. In “My records”, type the artist, A side and B side of each record.
3. In “My style”, click a template: it applies to all your strips at once.
4. In “Save and print”, click “Download the PDF” and print at 100% (actual size).

That’s it. Colors, free-form design and the checkerboard are optional — explore them whenever you like. Made a mistake? The “Undo last change” and “Redo” arrows at the top of the screen step back and forward (Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z on a computer).

Import your whole list from Excel, Google Sheets or a CSV file

No need to retype an 80, 100 or 200-selection jukebox: 45’O’Juke takes your whole list in one go, with no limit.

• Copy and paste from a spreadsheet. In Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice or Google Sheets, select three columns (artist, A side, B side) and copy them. In “My records”, click “Paste a list” and paste.
• CSV file. “Import a file” (or “Import my list” on the home screen) reads CSV files separated by commas, semicolons or tabs. A header row is optional: artist, side_a, side_b.
• Add or replace. If your project already has records, you choose whether to replace the list or add the new ones at the end.
• Export. “Export as CSV” sends your list back to your spreadsheet, to keep it or add to it.

To see the expected format, download the sample file (80 records). You can edit the list at any time, and each strip keeps its style.

Customize your title strips

The look is set in “My style”, in two tabs: “Templates”, to pick a starting point, and “Elements”, to adjust each part of the strip (background, border, ribbon, titles, artist…). Every change shows up instantly in the preview.

• About 40 templates, from 50s and 60s retro strips to modern and Christmas designs.
• Ready-made color palettes and the “Surprise me” die, which suggests new colors and decorations that always stay harmonious and readable.
• Over 50 built-in fonts, nothing to install: typewriter, 50s scripts, Art Deco, comic book… They print exactly as shown, even offline.
• Vintage effects: aged paper, darkened edges, retro misregistered print, typewriter irregularity, old-style quotation marks.
• A gallery of styles shared by other users: one click to try one, “Undo last change” to go back.
• The same style for every strip, or a different style for some of them, with “Apply to”.

Place every element to the millimeter

45’O’Juke isn’t limited to fixed templates: you can edit each strip right on the preview.

• On the preview. Click any part of the strip to open its settings, drag texts to move them, pull the ribbon to resize it. Right-click (or long-press on a touch screen) opens the menu for that part.
• Precise settings. In each element’s panel, “Position and size” sets its exact place and dimensions.
• With the keyboard. In free-form mode, the arrow keys move the selected element (Shift for steps of 10), Ctrl+D duplicates it and Ctrl+M mirrors it.
• Free-form design. Start from the blank strip in the “Templates” tab, or turn on “Unlock shapes” on a classic template: add, layer and adjust shapes, ribbons, stars, logos and texts — up to 200 elements per strip.

Recreate your jukebox’s original strips

Did your jukebox use title strips with a special design? You can recreate them.

1. Set the exact size of your title holder (see Sizes).
2. Start from the closest template, or from the blank strip.
3. Adjust colors, fonts, border and ornaments in the “Elements” tab, then place each element on the preview.

Would you rather have it done for you? Send a photo of the strip: click “Submit my style”, then choose “An image”. 45’O’Juke recreates the strip and publishes it in the gallery, for you and for every owner of the same jukebox.

Alternate colors by column, like in your jukebox

In many jukeboxes, title strips are arranged in columns and alternate between two colors, like a checkerboard. In “My style”, open “Apply to” and choose “Checkerboard”: enter the number of strips in each column of your machine (“Per column”, 10 for example), then give the checkerboard a style. Next, choose “Reverse checkerboard” and give it another style: each column starts with the opposite color of the previous one.

“Apply to” also offers “All”, “Current”, “Even” and “Odd”, and you can pick strips one by one on the sheet. The jukebox view in “My records” shows your strips arranged just like in the machine.

On phones and tablets

45’O’Juke works on computers, tablets and phones, with no app to install. Tablets are comfortable for everything. On a phone, the screen is small for fine-tuning a 3-inch strip with your finger, but entering records and picking a template work very well.

• Tap any part of the strip to adjust it; a long press opens its menu.
• The “Undo last change” and “Redo” arrows at the top of the screen replace Ctrl+Z.
• “Send me the link” (offered on your first visit on a phone) sends you the style link so you can continue on a computer. To take your titles along too, save a copy of the project (see below).

Save, find and share your title strips

• Automatic saving. Your project is saved on your device after every change and is waiting for you on your next visit. Earlier versions stay available in “My backups”.
• Project copy. “Save a copy (.json)” creates a file with all your records and their styles. Open it again, on this device or another one, with “Open / import a file…” in the menu.
• Style link. A simple link to find or share the look of a strip: when opened, it applies straight away to your strips. Your titles and artists are never included.
• Gallery. “Submit my style” sends your design with the nickname of your choice; it is published once approved.

Print at actual size, on Letter or A4

“Save and print” creates a PDF on an A4 page. At standard size, each page holds 16 strips (2 columns of 8), centered with wide margins. The number of strips and pages is shown before you download.

• Which labels? “All”, “Current” (only the strip on screen), or “Custom”: numbers such as 1-10, 15, or a direct selection on the sheet.
• Cut marks. Thin lines at the corners of each strip guide your cuts.
• Blank labels. The style alone, without artist or titles, to fill in by hand.
• Holder margin. A 1 to 3 mm band, marked with small dots, for the part hidden by the title holder; the strip size doesn’t change.

US Letter paper. The block of strips (6.3 × 9.8 in at standard size) fits on a Letter sheet (8.5 × 11 in). Print the A4 PDF at actual size on Letter paper: only the decorative footer (logo, QR code) may be trimmed — never the strips, as long as the printer centers the page. Check the 5 cm line on a test page.

Choosing paper

Matte white or ivory paper looks like the original strips and doesn’t glare behind the glass.

• Weight. 24 lb bond to 60 lb cover (90 to 160 g/m²). Slightly heavier paper stays flat and curls less from the heat of the lighting. Too thick, and it may no longer slide into the title holder: test with one strip first.
• Ink. Jukebox lighting can fade some inks over time. A laser printer or pigment inks last longer; keep the PDF to reprint a set.
• Colors. The result depends on your printer and paper. Print a test page before the whole set, especially for light shades.

Cutting quickly and cleanly

The strips are printed with a gap between them and cut marks at the corners.

• Fastest: a paper trimmer or guillotine cutter. First cut the rows across the full width of the sheet, then separate the strips in each row.
• No trimmer? A metal ruler and a craft knife on a cutting mat give straighter edges than scissors.
• Cut several sheets at once: stack two or three well-aligned sheets in the trimmer and cut them together.
• One strip damaged or a record changed? No need to reprint everything: in the “Save and print” step, under “Which labels?”, choose “Custom”, then type the numbers you need (for example 3 or 2-8) or click the strips on the overview.

Frequently asked questions