Reagrding the thread Trainboard car , how hard would it be for one of you (already with the equipment/paper) to crank out 1 or 2 full pages of TB decals, slice em up, and send them out to those who want to be apart of this? This way each of us can put the same decal on our own favorite car and post the pics here? Of course there would need to be a small cost to the printer to cover postage, labor and supplies. All it would take is a high-res image like > > > provided by our fine administrators and a willing person! [ 30. July 2004, 16:49: Message edited by: nscale_lover ]
Correct me if Im wrong, but can't anyone who wants to, just buy decal paper online, and print it out on their own printer? If you have MS Word, it can do simple image resizing. I think most people have the ability to do this on their own if they really wanted. [ 30. July 2004, 17:17: Message edited by: Curn ]
Since there is no white color in that decal, I think it could be done on a laser copier. If so, not as well as an Alps or color laser printer, but I have been making decals in color using the Office Max color copier.
I've been making decals on a high-res inkjet printer (Epson 2200P). If I need white, I use white decal paper; otherwise clear decal paper is fine. Yes, I do need to "fix" the image: Crystal Clear from Krylon works fine--many light coats. I've found I can print a very light gray on clear paper--yes, still gray, but with a little weathering, it's near white.
I think Micro-Mark (http://www.micromark.com/) still sells a sample pack of inkjet or laser decal paper for anyone thinking about trying it. I used their clear laser decal paper in making road numbers, reporting marks and other car data for my UECX hoppers. A few "dry runs" on cheaper plain paper is a good way to make sure the font and color is correct before using the decal paper. ~Tim
DECAL PAPER TRY-IT PACK FOR LASER PRINTERS AND COPIERS Item Number: 82711 Our Price $4.95 DECAL PAPER TRY-IT PACK FOR INKJET PRINTERS Item Number: 82859 List Price $7.45 Sale Price $6.95 ...a good alternative for those wanting to experiment or only need a few decals. One sheet goes a long way in N-scale.
I was hoping somebody would have a spare sheet around...willing to print out a few (20-40, or however many people asked for one). But, from the interest that this post has showed, I guess it's not even worth that.
Well, here is a little more technique. I do my artwork in HO scale and then reduce it to about 40-45 percent. Office Max is able to put four copies of this on a single 8.5" x 11.0" decal sheet. A judicious choice of reporting marks and numbers gives a very large supply of items for the project. I learned this by doing the "dry runs" Tim suggested.
