Making decals

[Roadkill2525]

Is there anyone here that makes their own decals?

I don't have the proper setup to print my own, there's a few decals I need but don't come in kits.

[Jon Cole]

Is there anyone here that makes their own decals?

I don't have the proper setup to print my own, there's a few decals I need but don't come in kits.

Interesting... nobody here knows how to make decals?

I can do decals, but only dark colors over light surfaces. That is because I don't have an ALPS printer.

Why not describe for us in more detail what it is you need, and I'll see if I can help.

[jbwelda]

so are Alps printers out of production? and why is it you need one to print decals, is it because you want to print on clear paper? or doesnt laser print stick well enough to use? always wondered about that because it really would be great to be able to make or copy your own decals.

[roadhawg]

so are Alps printers out of production? and why is it you need one to print decals, is it because you want to print on clear paper? or doesnt laser print stick well enough to use? always wondered about that because it really would be great to be able to make or copy your own decals.

Its because most printers won't print white. When it comes to printing, White is the base color for a lot of other colors, so if you can't print white, you can't have a lot of yellows and greys and silvers....etc. You can get acceptable results like Spyder said, printing dark colors and using them on light backgrounds.....OR, you can print on white decal paper, but then you got a white background to contend with.

[samdiego]

The above being said, i've had good luck with Testor's system. I scored about a dozen of em for $.50 ea at wally's a few years ago. You really need to flatten the paper between soms books and sneak up on them with the clear coat. A big plus is having access to an art program. In a worse case scenario, expense wise, you could do it all at a Kinko's. A little close work with an x-acto can remedy the background color issue. if possible print an extra fat outline to allow for errant knife paths. And keep your thumb out of the way

Edited August 30, 2009 by samdiego

[roadhawg]

A little close work with an x-acto can remedy the background color issue. if possible print an extra fat outline to allow for errant knife paths.

Or you could print the background in a color the same or close to your subject....I've done that before. One thing that seems to help a bunch is, when you print the decals, let 'em sit and dry for about a day before clearcoating, then let the clear dry for about a day.

Not a good picture, but the instrument panel on this P-51 air racer was done that way....printed the gauges and the grey background on Testors white decal paper, let it dry 24 hours, clearcoated it and let THAT dry 24 hours.....

Edited August 30, 2009 by roadhawg

[Aaronw]

If you do a search you will find a bunch of posts about making decals. That is probably why there was little response, plus it is a rather vague question and it looks like he is asking someone to make decals for him. Depending on the decals desired that can be a lot of work.

I made a bunch of decals for myself using nothing more than MS paint, MS Word and a pretty standard $150 inkjet printer. As long as you are making dark colored decals and putting them on a light colored model it works fine.

An actual art program will allow better graphics, I bought Corel Draw a few years ago and once I learned how to use it I am very happy with what it lets me do.

Vector (aka Rastor) based programs like Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator works even better. Most programs like paint are pixel based so, when you make art really small or change its size you get pixilation. Vector based programs do not use pixels and will allow much finer work (with a regular printer I am able to print lettering you need a magnifying glass to read). Another benefit to a vector based program is you can work on you art in a large size (say 6x6") then shrink it down for your model without losing any quality, up to the limits of your printer.

I never had very good luck with the white decal film. What I did to make light color decals was paint white or use a piece (sometime two or three depending on how dark and how well the film covered) of blank white decal film, then placed my decal over the white.

Finally I bought myself an ALPS, and I love it. However be aware, an ALPS is not only expensive to buy, it is rather expensive to run and is very delicate compared to inkjet and laser printers. I would guess it costs me somewhere between $5 and $20 a sheet depending on how much of the sheet is covered with artwork, and how complex the art work is. The ALPS prints in layers, complex decals may use 4 or 5 layers of ink. Mistakes in printing still cost money too.

Yes, ALPS printers are still available in Japan, they will run you about $1000 + shipping ($200 +/-). Cartridges run about $20 each, and you need at least 4, just for basic colors, white, gold and silver are in addition to the base 4 (black, cyan, yellow, magenta). Cartridges are good for 10-20 sheets +/-.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Aaronw

[jbwelda]

wow thanks for the info, and yeah what you say about the alps and the expense associated with it, i have heard elsewhere too. thats probably why i never pursued getting one! i do want to try out some using adobe illustrator and printing them on a laserjet. sounds like the advice to sneak up on it with clear coat is a good one too.

[Aaronw]

I did all of these with MS paint and MS Word, printed on an Inkjet.

I did this with Corel Draw and a laser printer, it probably isn't obvios here but in person the decals are much more crisp.

These were done with Corel Draw on the ALPS

Decals really are not that hard, just like everything they have a learning curve.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Aaronw

[charlzrocks]

I got my decal paper from Papilio.com They let you order sample sheets!

I needed to remake the Beatnik Bandit decals that disintegrated on me. I got the clear decal paper and used my inkjet printer, worked fine! Just overcoat with a clear (I used Rustoleum clear) make sure you do 2 thin coats of the clear. let em dry, cut em out and you are ready to go!

They also make a decal paper with a white background that works the same way. I would tend to darken my colors when using it.

I liked the stuff so much, I went back and ordered 5 sheets of clear and 5 of the white!

[Jon Cole]

My home-made non-ALPS decals are usually for dark graphics on light background, with the exception of these decals I made for a friend.

The decal is square, sized to the edges of the door. I made several different ones, each with a slightly different shade of blue for the door area. I told Chris to use the one that looks best.

This worked only because the blue was solid, not metallic.