Making of decals for buildings and structures

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a completed building that I would like to name after “Elwood Grill”. I have photos of the the original Elwood Grill including the sign. How can I make a decent decal from the photo of elwood grill? Program or proceedure?

2

  1. Scan the photo into your computer

  2. Use a photo size/trim adjustment program like “gimp” (free on internet) or adobe photoshop to size it properly.

  3. Go to Hobby Lobby and purchase a package of testors decal paper either white or clear (probably white) located near the model paint section.

  4. Purchase a can of testors decal bonder as well in the same location (Total cost, about $10 for both decal paper and spray can)

  5. Print out “trimmed” and properly sized image on the decal paper

  6. follow the instructions on the testors can to “seal” the decal paper

  7. DONE

3

There are two parts to your question. The first is you need a decal kit you can print from your color printer.

Second you need a graphics program to create the lettering. For really simple stuff, you can get away with something like Word, but for fancier graphics you will need something like CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator.

4

Different techniques might be used for different signs. If you have a good, flat picture of the sign, you can make a decal directly from it. On the other hand, if your picture is from an odd angle, you might need some photo-shopping software to get a square-on image.

As was mentioned, there are different kinds of decal paper. Get inkjet or laser paper, depending on your printer. They are not interchangeable. It’s not that one works “better” than the other in certain printers. The wrong paper will not work at all. There is also “white” or “clear” background. Your printer can’t print white, and light colors don’t work very well, either. One trick that I’ve had success with is to paint a white background and then apply a clear decal over it. If the letters on the sign are black or a dark color, you can use clear decal paper directly over the wall surface.

5

Are you applying the sign directly on the building wall or is it a storefront sign. If you just need a a sign to go on the front of the building, you can print the image on photo paper. Cut it out, and bond to thin styrene. The result will probably be better than a decal.