Decals(waterslide)... anyone out there make your own?

[BogusByte]

I am thinking of making my own deacls.. but... i need to do some research on what to get.. so anyone here that have made or are making your own waterslides?
Any tips or links to howto's?
Its always easyer to ask for this kinda info then start blundering into novice mistakes that i can avoid

Tedd

 

[Chris S]

Are you talking about printing your own on the computer ..or screen printing ?

Chris.

 

[spud]

if you do plan on making some be sure to print on regular paper to see how they look when printed before comiting to you decal paper,

 

[ShutterAce]

Tedd,

I'm right there with you on this. i just bought the decal paper a week ago. I have some markings that I want to do that I can't find so I figured I'd give it a try.

All you experienced people feel free to chime in.

 

[BogusByte]

Chris S:
Im going to print my own with either ink or laser... Got a HP inkjet and a HP color laser...

spud:
I always do a testprint... to see if the size and quality is right...going so far as to use a magnifyer to check if the rasterization is minimal... and to maximize the coverage of the decalpaper.. Regular paper is cheeper then the waterslide stuff...

ShutterAce:
I havent getten around to getting waterslide paper yet... wanted som input on type and manufacturer... and on what other addicts use...


My goal is to be able to make full color decals excluding white, as this is kinda hard with normal ink/lasers... I may be mad, but not so mad to get my hands on a printer capable to print in white yet.. Anyways im thinking i can get away with most decals with the printers i already got...

Starting the search for reviews and howtos later today... will post any usefull stuff i find.

Tedd

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Anyone making their own decals using an ink jet, to bear in mind that you have to seal your decals with a lacquer clear coat (enamel might work as well). DO NOT use an acrylic sealer like Future or something.

Future will dissolve in water, so as soon as you dip your decal in the water, you will notice it starting to fade away (almost immediately actually) and in about 10mins, your decal will just be a memory.

Ask me how I know! ;D ;D

 

[BogusByte]

Elm City Hobbies:
Was leaning that way myselfe... and thanks for the heads up on the sealing...

Im now in the "What, Where, How and Oh...shit" stage... Will post in a while when i got some more usefull results..

Hmmm random thing... If i make a mask of some kind that is 1mm larger then the deacal and laying it over the printed deaclsheet... then apply clear coat...then remove it b4 the clearcoat hardens... wouldent that make the decals "pre cut" kinda?

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Elm City Hobbies:
Was leaning that way myselfe... and thanks for the heads up on the sealing...

Im now in the "What, Where, How and Oh...poop" stage... Will post in a while when i got some more usefull results..

Hmmm random thing... If i make a mask of some kind that is 1mm larger then the deacal and laying it over the printed deaclsheet... then apply clear coat...then remove it b4 the clearcoat hardens... wouldent that make the decals "pre cut" kinda?

No, because when you run the blank sheets through your printer, you are actually printing on top of the decal sheet. Once you seal it, when you cut the decal out, and remove it from the backing, you are removing the clear sealer, printer ink, and the decal itself (whether clear or white), and not just the printer ink and sealer coat.

 

[Ziz]

You need to use the clear coat sealer on laser decals as well. I tried it once without it and the water softened the toner to where it rubbed off the decal as I applied it to the model.

Also, you can alleviate rasterization on curves and diagonals by applying a very slight blur to the edges of the artwork - keep it subtle.

 

[Grendels]

You need to use the clear coat sealer on laser decals as well. I tried it once without it and the water softened the toner to where it rubbed off the decal as I applied it to the model.

Also, you can alleviate rasterization on curves and diagonals by applying a very slight blur to the edges of the artwork - keep it subtle.

I tried this once as well, they need to be sealed.....

 

[Splashcoat]

Proper sealing is crucial. I've always had great results with Krylon Crystal Clear.

It won't disolve in water, goes on even and thin straight from the spray can, and won't yellow or crack over time.
It's available at most art/craft stores.

 

[Quaralane]

I've had good results with Microscale liquid decal film for sealing my decals