I use Decalpapers.com clear decal paper for my custom decals. The process involves printing out your lettering or artwork on their paper, then clear coating it with Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss Clear spray (they specify this particular brand of clear coating). Some further advice:
I used to use my AutoCAD software to print the lettering which has a printing selection control different from that of standard inkjet printers, such as HP and Canon (although it prints directly to my HP printer anyway).
Lately, I have been using my MS Word or Wordperfect X3 software to create my lettering decals and then I print with my standard HP printing interface. Here is where the additional advice part comes in:
After composing your decal lettering sheet (remember to make multiples of things, sufficient to offset any application mistakes),in HP’s printing window, select “Properties” then further select “Features”. Here, under “Print Quality”, select “Maximum DPI” and then select the print button.
Maximum DPI will cause your printer to proceed very slowly with the print process, as the ink laydown is both more discrete (in terms of font clarity) and I believe more ink is involved (as a consequence of the more refined image of each letter).
For Canon and other printers, there are similar print quality controls.
When the page is done, carefully trim off only the portion of the sheet you printed on (make sure the cut is horizontal), so you can use the remainder (or further porion of it) next time.
Allow at least 12 hrs for the ink to dry BEFORE spraying the clear coating on top. This particular (Krylon Crystal Clear) has a fairly “pungent” aroma, so spray in your ventilated paint booth or in an open-to-outdoors area. Make several passes (3 - 6) across the printed decal paper, so that a ni
I’ve done a fair amount of home-grown decal printing myself, but I generally use the Testors Decal System with their own decal bonding solution. Had excellent results on clear film, but when doing dark-on-white for yellow letters on dark blue backgrounds, I’ve run into problems with the dark ink developing cracks as it dries. Do you have that problem with the DecalPapers.com product? Or could it be that inkjet ink is just too brittle for this type of use?
My inkjet prints are covered by the thick overlayer of the Krylon clear coat. I believe that the decal paper I use has a thinner “underlayer” on which the ink itself resides (as I first print it out).
When I spray the clear coat- if I touch the paper about 1/2 hr later, I can leave a permanent finger print in it, so the thickness of the clear coat is what allows for the ink to be flexible. What problems I have had with a clear decal paper, is where I try to use a light color- oranges, yellows, light greens on a darker painted model surface. There, the color of the decal (the ink color I used) becomes faded out when applied on darker color surfaces, so I stay away from “too light” of a lettering color selection.
The commercial stuff- Microscale- must have some underlayer that results in complete “opacity” as to preventing the model surface color from affecting the lighter- or white- decal images. I am no expert, but that is my belief.
I have 2 Epson commericial printers that I’ve used on a number of different types of decal paper. Opacity is the number 1 problem. Light colors are almost always transparent. Unless you’re really good with the knife, clear decal paper is very tough to get really good results from. Hopefully someone here has some good advice for that…
From what I can tell, the white backing seems to be correct. This is not only on Microscale but also on some of the old HK decals (especially HKs ACI labels).
Slightly OT but mentioning the issue with light colors not showing up on dark surfaces, that is where many railroaders who did a lot of decal purchased the old ALPS printers. Of course they no are longer distributed in the United States. They had the capability to print in white. This white could be used as an undercoat for that specific purpose. I had one myself as I freelance and did my own decals. Unfortunately, it finally gave up the ghost recently but it was a good investment for as long as I had it.
Has anyone used Experts-Choice decal paper? My LHS carries that brand so I tried a package of three sheets (No. 122) for ink jet printers. I used Testors clear coat to seal the printing ink. I am quite unhappy with the results after three attempts. Immediately upon sliding the decal off the backing paper they curled so badly I was unable to flatten them out. I have been decaling things for many years and, if I do say so myself, I am fairly well accomplished at the task but these defeated me. I used Micorsol to wet the surface ahead of time and Microset afterwards inspite of the curlng because I wanted to se how the decal would settle into the brickwork of the surface. Not very well, even after putting Solvaset on one.
What brand of decal paper is recommended for ink jet printing? Overspray?
I had the same problems with that brand too. I was applying my own decal signs to a brick wall, so I wasn’t especially worried if they looked a little weathered, but I can’t imagine trying to decal rolling stock or a model car where you want a really nice decal job. I also had the colors start to break up when I tried to un-wrinkle the decals. I thought I was doing something wrong, but nothing I did seemed to help unless I put on a ton of Dullcote and then they were too thick to look good and wouldn’t settle down into cracks.
I have used Experts Choice. I used Microscale Liquid Decal Film to coat it. This is a brush-on coating, not a spray.
I switched to Krylon to coat my decals. I like that much better. But, I can’t get the Experts Choice paper anymore, so it’s hard to make a direct comparison.
OP Cedarwoodron again…I believe that the decalpapers.com people sell “Belpaper decal paper”. I may be wrong, but that is my impression.
Just tonight, I used some decals I made over a year ago, which I had stored in a plastic ziplock-type bag (in a dry area/ no light). They worked perfectly! As per my OP, the recommended Krylon Crystal Clear gloss spray (I think I got it at Walmart or Lowes…) is what I use on all my custom decals, so perhaps that is a better overcoating solution for other decal paper brands as well. I spray across the printed decals (again-dry them 12+ hrs) several times, to the point where there is an observable thickness to the clear coating, and then allow them to dry for 24 hrs. I soak my decals in distilled room temperature water in a little glass pastry (torte or flan) cup, like the kind you purchase at the supermarket. My use of the old Solvaset (Hobsco- an old Walthers brand name) as a smoothing aid is dictated by the fact that I still have most of a 30 yr old 2 oz. bottle at hand.
I am planning to venture into white lettering territory with dry transfer letter decals, as most of my custom work is one-off type creations, far too small in quantity to justify paying for professionally-printed custom decals and lettering.
If you don’t have it already, here is a place for how to, Dry Transfer Lettering, that I will be getting into soon, after I clear some things off my plate: