decal question

[its_virgil]

Duh...white decal paper. never mindDecal Question: I am trying to print on decal paper (first time for me) and I need to print white but having no luck. Any suggestions? Also, there are these wavy lines across the image somewhat like contour lines on a topographical map. What is happening? Thanks.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[Marnat3]

as far as the lines go, mine did that too. Change the setting for the printer to photo high quality. worked for me. Then let the decals dry a bit and spray with your choice of fixer spray to seal them

 

[bruce119]

Don I used to print decals for model R.R. and printing white was imperative.

Problem the decals one would buy commercially are for the most part silk screened.

There used to be an ALPS micro dry printer it used a ribbon and heat and could print white, metallic gold, silver and more. They have been out of production for quite a few years but are still in use.

There are Yahoo groups Alps, OKI & Other Micro-Dry Printers

There is no printer reasonably price for the hobbyist on the market..
There are, I think, some laser printers that can print white. They are expensive and have limited results for decal printing...


Good Luck..

 

[dbledsoe]

You can buy white decal paper, but that brings it's own set of problems.

 

[StuartCovey]

For the lines: Make sure you set the printer paper type on either High Gloss, or Photo Paper.
The decal paper can't soak up the ink as fast as normal paper so it just globs up if you have it set on normal paper. When you set it on Photo Paper or High Gloss paper it puts it on slower and in thinner coats creating a more even spread of the ink.

 

[Pjohnson]

I have been dabbling with white decal paper. My issue has been the colors rubbing off the edges of the decal.

My current project is a flag - applied 3 coats of Krylon. Not sure why I am losing the colors.

 

[JohnU]

I have been dabbling with white decal paper. My issue has been the colors rubbing off the edges of the decal.

My current project is a flag - applied 3 coats of Krylon. Not sure why I am losing the colors.

I'm not an expert with decals but what works for me is letting them dry 24 hrs, then apply sealer/clear spray (2 coats), let dry another 24 hrs before using. Apply a couple thin ca layers to blank, smooth out with micro mesh if needed, apply decal, let dry, apply several medium ca layers ( first couple layers very lightly with minimal pressure) and micro mesh & buff to finish.

I've had problems with smearing colors if I use thin ca first over the decal and pressed too hard against it.
Hope it helps.

 

[Pjohnson]

Thank you John ... you confirmed my process for me.

I applied my flag without issue tonight. My problem may have been not letting it sit in the h2o long enough. Tonight it went pretty smoothly. Tomorrow it will get some CA.

Thanks for the tips

 

[jrace]

No intention of highjacking this thread, but are you guys using any specific program for the decal printing? I bought a testors kit, but can't use my own custom image unless I buy their standard decal program, not the basic.

 

[JohnU]

No intention of highjacking this thread, but are you guys using any specific program for the decal printing? I bought a testors kit, but can't use my own custom image unless I buy their standard decal program, not the basic.

I don't know about the others but I've never had to use any perticular program, just whatever I could print an image from. I've used "paint" and "word" with success.

 

[Marnat3]

I have used Paint, word and publisher. just remember to scale the paper size,

 

[bruce119]

Yes any graphics program would work...I am fortunate to have CorelDraw a very powerful graphic program...

The real more important thing is the printer all printers are not created equal..
I use a HP photosmart it works very well for me...


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