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Homemade decals; advice please
Topic Started: Dec 23 2009, 07:18 PM (947 Views)
Rallychef
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Hi folks, a question on homemade decals.

I have in the past successfully produced my own decals for various projects. These have mostly been trucks, and always a dark lettering on a light or white bodywork.

However I have just tried the decals produced for my Trabby project and the results are very disappointing. The yellow decals are very translucent on the Subaru mica blue bodywork, even doubling up the decal shows no improvement.

Would any of you have any tips or suggestions, the decals are lazer printed at a friends who has an office supply business.

Many thanks for your time
Regards Ian
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peebeep
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Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious
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This is a big problem with inkjet printing and there are no really satisfactory solutions. You could try using a printer setting that sprays the maximum amount of ink whilst printing - usually a photo setting on glossy paper. If your printer has a good paper feed you could also try making two passes on the same sheet. Your best bet is to use white decal film cut to shape to use as an underlay on the model.

I have some Lazertran paper whereby you print onto white film that can afterward be made transparent on areas where the white is not required - but I haven't actually tried it yet and reports I have from elsewhere are not encouraging.

When I have some spare cash (ho ho) I'm going to invest in an ALPS setup.

peebeep
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little-cars
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The only thing you can do in this situatiob is to cut out a clank in white decal, or paint white on the model as a backing.

Lasertran has place, and you can just turn some of the white clear, but is a lot thicker so getting around curves acan be a problem.

Alps, would be the way to go, but they have just announced they are discontinuing the last model the 5500, so the whole series is now EOL, just ink and maintenance support from now on.

What is needed is a white inkjet cartridge........
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TedTaylor
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peebeep
Dec 23 2009, 07:27 PM
This is a big problem with inkjet printing and there are no really satisfactory solutions.

When I have some spare cash (ho ho) I'm going to invest in an ALPS setup.

peebeep

Paul you may find an Alps hard to find these days and you certainly have to learn a lot to use them efectively.

Ted
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Rallychef
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thanks for the advice guy's, I think I may have to go back to plan A and rejig a set of Subaru decals, at least I give it a go, we live and learn

regards Ian
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parkes682decals
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Hi All
Just to let you know Epson are looking into white cartridges,more on this as i here
Paul
Parkes682decals
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peebeep
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parkes682decals
Jan 14 2010, 07:18 PM
Epson are looking into white cartridges

About time! ALPS will still have the advantage of being able to print metallics.

peebeep
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parkes682decals
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peebeep
Jan 14 2010, 09:18 PM
parkes682decals
Jan 14 2010, 07:18 PM
Epson are looking into white cartridges

About time! ALPS will still have the advantage of being able to print metallics.

peebeep

Hi All
Like the man said at Little cars
"we need a white inkjet cartridge",well i have got one so it looks like the possible demise of Alps.
"Epson/Parkes682Decals coming through"
my Epson is not big and noisy like Alps printer's, just A4 size and Quiet
You can also buy one down the local Argos,the only thing i cannot do yet(but we are working on that is) metallics silver and gold.
By the amount of emails from Alps owners i have had they are falling by the way side very fast.
Even a large Aerospace firm in the USA is struggling,to print white there two Alps are on there last leg's.One has died and the other is in ICU
Well it may be a Japanese printer but it is a British Invented White Ink and it works
Paul :thumbsup:
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