Can anyone recommend a supplier for custom decals? I would like to decal a building on my layout, but have been unable to find an over-the-counter solution that works. The WLS dry transfers don't get it, and I haven't been able to find stock H20 decals that are large enough for this application. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thanks and regards. Hal
As long as you have Word or Word Perfect or any text program and no artwork, you can easily do your own. You can make the font as large or as small as needed.
What size and color do you need? You can get clear decal film from places like Micro-Mark that you can use in your computer printer. Just type in "Decal Paper" in the keyword search and it will bring up all that is available. (as long as you don't want to print white)
It easy to do your own Hal. Just follow the advice given above by Mark & Russ. Stay cool and run steam.....
Bob, Mark and Russ -- I have all the word processing programs that one could ever need, as well as both laser and inkjet printers. Is it really as simple as creating the sign and printing on decal paper as one would do on regular paper? What about colorsl (other than white)? I guess there is a fixative that is applied after the decal is transferred, right? Thanks, Hal
Hal, it really is that easy! I have used Testors decal paper, it came with a spray fixative that sets the color so it does not run. This truck and van were done with white decal paper. These were done with clear decal paper.
One would figure a lawyer would start asking questions. 1. You are not going to get white ink unless you have an Alps printer or one of the extremely high end jobs. I believe a laser color printer might do the trick, just ask at the office if they print white. 2. Other than white, it really is as simple as that. A photoshop program will give you more sizing latitude, but for buildings, choose your font, choose your color and then play around a bit with the size until you find one small enough for your needs. HO is obviously easier than N since the size will be ok on the smaller sized fonts available in Word or WP. 3. The fixative is make by Krylon, available at HD, Ace and your any local grafitti store that carries a full line of Krylon products.
Mark, - Which Krylon product do you use? - Are there any tricks using Krylon to seal ink-jet printed decals? - Do you have a problem with water wicking through or around the backing paper, causing the ink to run? Apparently you have had success with Krylon. I have had poor results with ink-jet printing using Micro-Mark and Micro-Scale decal papers and sealants due to wicking and ink smear.
Hank and the lawyer 1. I was just at Kinko's and they have absolutely nothing that will print white. So much for color laser printing solving the issue. 2. As to the Krylon- I had the same problem of bleeding with the first two sheets that I produced. The trick is to do several sprayings of the fixative (fixatif- as on the can). It takes about an hour for it to dry, so it is not a week long spraying job. I had no bleeding at all with 5 separate coats of fixative. As to the paper- The ink itself did not take well to the Micro Mark paper and the order was a total loss. I used Testor's clear decal paper and it was fine except it is an odd size and you may have some problems getting your printer to accept it. I also used clear water slide from decalpaper.com which is 8 1/2x11 and it works just fine. I think it blends in quite well into the surface of what you are decaling after a final coat or two of Dullcote or Glosscoat is brushed on. As to using white decal paper- If you can match up EXACTLY the color of the painted car with the color produced by the word processing program or a photoshop program, you can produce a decal that prints white (blank) and the color on the surrounding area on the decal will blend with the paint color on the car. You may or may not be left with a miniscule white frame around the edges of the decal which can be touched up with paint or covered with a minimum of weathering. You also may have no objection to the frame if you cut straight and it looks like the white edge was put there by the railroad.
Thanks Mark, I'll try Testor's and Decalpaper papers with Fixatif. Concerning white decal paper and reverse (clear) lettering, there may be another option. Consider printing a rectangle surrounding the letters as a background. By printing the rectangle in different color from a loco or tender, you would have a background that helps the white lettering stand out. Also you would have straight cut lines along the rectangle perimeter. I remember that some mid-western steam roads used this technique and it was quite effective.
The loco and tender, if black, is no problem if you have a paint program of one sort or another. I got this tip from someone at Trainboard in the N scale section. Paint the area where the number or name is going to be in white, matching the tender or engine. Don't paint too much, just where the letters or numbers go. I have not tried this myself, as yet. Make your jpg or bitmap or whatever save the program uses with the letters being done in transparent or blank and the surrounding areas in black. Place the decal where desired and the black on the decal should cover the white underneath.
Mark, It's possible that you are refering to my post a while back describing this technique. What excites me is the concept of using white decal paper printing transparent (clear) lettering surrounded by a third color rectangle as a background. I'm going to experiment with this technique in the next few days. BTW, our local Hobby Lobby carries a full line of Testor's products including the decal papers and fixative you recommended. Thanks for the heads-up!
Mark, what inkjet printer are you using...manufacturer, model, and paper type/setting? I'm having a problem getting solid and consistant printing with an Epson Stylus Photo 875DCS on any of its paper type and/or quality settings.
MISTAKE MISTAKE MISTAKE PAINT THE AREA UPON WHICH THE NUMBER WILL GO IN WHITE, NOT BLACK. Hank I think it actually was you. I use my wife's HP Photosmart 7660 I set it at best setting, photo paper, and slow drying ink. I had a heck of a time getting it to print on the 5.5x8.5 Testor's paper and had to trick the machine to take it as a 8x5 size.
I've used decal paper from beldecal, whom I found through eBay. I used an ALPS MD5000, and sealed the ink with MicroScale Liquid Decal Film. I just brushed it over the decal printing and let it dry overnight. It seems to seal the ink quite well. I was very pleased with the results. beldecal don't have any decal paper for sale at this instant, but you might try them in the future. Here's a link: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZbeldecalQQssPageNameZSTRKQ3aMEFSQ3aMESOI Pat
Bel is the company that has the website. The are in Florida www.decalpaper.com Waterslide paper is 10 sheets for $7.99
You can buy Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating (1303A) for about 25% of the cost at Micro-Mark at most Home Depots or paint stores. Much cheaper than Hobby Lobby, too. Lowes here has stopped carrying Krylon. I use three medium-thin coats--it dries really fast, although I let the final coat set for 24 hours, just to be sure. Some fixatives will not work. I've worked in chalk for more than 45 years. I think that a "workable" fixative will not work. This is used as an intermediate step when working with pastels--you can work over it. Also avoid any fixative that says "satin" or "flat"--it will be bumpy!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Future Floor wax as a fixative! I always use that with my ALPS decals. It works great, and it's cheap! Some spray it on, but I either brush it or apply with a fine Q-tip.
Pete- I have been using the Krylon Workable Fixative. I won't post the picture of the tanker again, but take a look at the last page on my album, No problem with the way it looks.
Testor's Clear Paper & Epson Printer After experimenting this afternoon with an Epson Stylus Photo 875DCS printer and Testors Clear Decal paper, my best results were by using the "Matte Paper - Heavyweight" setting. The inkjet colors were well saturated and ink didn't splotch while drying. Then the Testors Decal Bonder covered it all thoroughly with two or three light mist coats. Mark, thanks again for your recommendations.....:thumbs_up:
