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decals
Jun 29, 2008 18:50:07 GMT -7
Post by sukafish on Jun 29, 2008 18:50:07 GMT -7
if i was trying to make decals what paper do i use?  ? anybody got answers. |
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decals
Jun 29, 2008 20:34:39 GMT -7
Post by johnbalich on Jun 29, 2008 20:34:39 GMT -7
yeah let me do some looking up......i have done a fair amount of this......i started by doing a search on Google in 'decal supplies" the paper is MUCH cheaper in some kind of bulk or small bulk buys.....email me direct here at psychoslots if you want some of the knowledge i have picked up from doing a few sets. Its FUN! A program like "printmaster" or "print shop" from Broderbund is a good addition for doing graphics.....I am upgrading to corel draw this week.... one thing you might easily overlook.........you probably want "clear" decal paper, not whiye... Think about it, if you get white every decal would have a white background around it like a painted on sign. There are usses for white but I aM STILL USING CLEAR.
if there is enough general interest ill post a thread on what I DO know....I am by no means an expert of the level of the MEAD brothers.....yet !! lol
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 17:07:50 GMT -7
Post by sukafish on Jun 30, 2008 17:07:50 GMT -7
how come every color does not show up on cars? if i am doing an dark color car i cant see my decals. they only seem to show up on light color cars. HELP!!!! |
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 17:40:50 GMT -7
Post by johnbalich on Jun 30, 2008 17:40:50 GMT -7
Its not you!!
I live with the same problem. On ordinary printers it is hard to get a decal that is opaque enough to cover darker colors. Professional decal makers over come this. I set my ink for heaviest on my printer. You can also double decal. perhaps you could print on White paper, but you would have to EXACTLY cut out the decal to avoid having it look like it was printed on a sign board. one idea that may also work, if you are not reproducing an actual car........you could paint a lighter panel or graphics as a base for the decaled area.
I am pricing farming my artwork to a
commercial decal printer. he will want double size or triple size artwork for best reproduction. Just passing on the small bit I have accumulated..... BTW the site is bedlam creations
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 18:19:22 GMT -7
Post by nightrider on Jun 30, 2008 18:19:22 GMT -7
I have your answer,,, WE dealt with this at AK Hobby when I was a builder for them ..
The problem is ,, all colors need to be backed up with white... in order to stop the color bleed from your paint..
Now that being said.. typical inkjet decal paper , white based creates a nightmare for the modeler,, you have to trim off the edge really close or have the "white" ghost your decals.. bottomline it sucks with an inkjet ..
AK bought a ALPs printer, prints white as well as chrome based decals.. or "metal" if you will.. great printer.. hard to get ink for, hard to get parts for.. and only available on ebay usually comes out of europe..
NO AK Hobby is not a solution,, unfortunately ,, her other job keeps her away from the shop most of the time..
But ,, you might contact her John about buying the alps from her.. Angela Riley. A&K hobbies, Xenia,Ohio..
Later
Chris
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 18:46:24 GMT -7
Post by sukafish on Jun 30, 2008 18:46:24 GMT -7
THANKS GUYS I WILL TRY IT.
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 19:27:05 GMT -7
Post by tm427 on Jun 30, 2008 19:27:05 GMT -7
The Alps is the only way to go. They are expensive and the inks have gone up in price about 75% in the last six months, but they are the only way to print decals that will show up on all colors.
The alps can "spot print" white ink behind the color to prevent bleed through of the body color. Building decals with the alps is not as straight forward as using an inkjet. The decals must be built in layers with mask layers for special colors like metallics or white. Everything must be perfectly indexed over itself from layer to layer. Many times the finished file doesn't look like the decal it will print if it involves metallics or white inks.
The alps printers can still be bought new (just not for the North American market). My brand new MD-5500 just arrived today from overseas (never offered in the US). It is sweet.
If you look to buy a used one be aware that anything sold in the US market will be at least 7-8 years old and likely have a lot of miles on it already. When they break, they're broke. No fixing them anymore as the parts for the US Marketed printers haven't been made for years and all electrical parts must be tuned by the factory to the specific voltage in each individual printer. The factory will no longer service any US Market printers.
The current production models must be purchased from overseas and will set you back close to a $1000 by the time they get here. Probably not feasible if you are just going to print a few decals for your personal use.
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decals
Jun 30, 2008 19:55:22 GMT -7
Post by johnbalich on Jun 30, 2008 19:55:22 GMT -7
thasnks for the info Troy.................i had no idea ALPS was still being made............now how I can I convince sweet heart I really neeeeeeeeeed one!!??
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decals
Jan 12, 2009 1:27:35 GMT -7
Post by slotcar64 on Jan 12, 2009 1:27:35 GMT -7
There is a "cheat" you can use when using white back decal sheet on a ink-jet or laser printer...
When doing the art work, include a "border" of color to match (as close as you can) the car you are putting the decal on.
This way you don't have to trim the decal so exact - not 100% perfect, but saves $1,000.
I can live with that !!!
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decals
Jan 12, 2009 4:06:21 GMT -7
Post by randtek on Jan 12, 2009 4:06:21 GMT -7
There is a "cheat" you can use when using white back decal sheet on a ink-jet or laser printer... When doing the art work, include a "border" of color to match (as close as you can) the car you are putting the decal on. This way you don't have to trim the decal so exact - not 100% perfect, but saves $1,000. I can live with that !!! This is what I do too. If you are careful to match the car, this works really well. Before wasting very expensive decal paper, I make up a bunch of test chips-just a bunch of rectangles close to the color of the car, but each one a slightly different shade. I print them all out on glossy photo paper. then match them to the painted car body. Try making the comparisons in several different lighting situations, as different lights drastically change the way colors appear to the eye. Select the color chip that is the closest match to your car. Use that color for the decal background, trim as close as possible to the decal, and when you apply the clear coat to the finished car, your little trick becomes nearly invisible. But you get better looking decals on all colors, instead of just white cars! Here's a shot of my MM/PS body I'm working on. The decal on the hoodscoop was done with this method. The paint is a Ruby red metallic, but the red decal background still hides it pretty well.  |
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decals
Jan 12, 2009 7:34:28 GMT -7
Post by slotcar64 on Jan 12, 2009 7:34:28 GMT -7
Another trick (as not to waste expensive decal sheet paper) is print your final decal on regular paper, TAPE a small piece of decal paper over the image (edges) and send the paper through the printer again.
You just saved messing up a full sheet of decal paper for one little decal.
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