I am probably the last model railroader to try and make signs for my layout using a home computer.[:$] My wife has an Apple Computer that is about 2 years old. She has a printer, too. My question is how do I make a sign. I want it to say, Edward Rowe Electrical Supply Co. I am putting the sign on a DPM building that I designed myself. It is nine panels long and three panels high. So, I want a rather large sign. Do I need a special program to make the sign? Do I need special paper to print the sign? I intend to use multiple colors and try and use some graphics. The printer has a color cartridge. Help, please!![:D]
All you need is decal paper. I got mine from Micro Mark. You just size the picture on your computer then print it on the decal paper and apply the decal to your building like you would any other decal. Of course, you can also just print out the sign on regular paper and use that but in my experience, decal paper is the better bet.
I have made model signs using a computer and it is not hard. With today’s computers you can select a font and its size. Then you can put a boarder around it. That is the basic simple sign. You can add color or graphics from there.
The very best way to do it is to use a graphics program. However, you can also use some word processor programs. You just have to experiment. Use plain paper for this.
When you get ready to print out a final sign, you can use a high quality paper or photo paper, depending on what your printer and its settings will take.
One of the things that you should be aware of is that sometimes, depending on the type of ink used in the printer, the sign may fade over time. You may be able to spray a clear coating on it to prevent or retard the UV fading.
I too, use gandydancers method to print the signs on photo paper. The image is much sharper if you use glossy photo paper, and the color saturation is deeper, too.
I have a printer where I can set the resolution/quality for printing, it’s a photo printer too. So I set it to the highest level which really helps when printing small logos, letters, etc. Also, I have found that if I use photographic paper it comes out very sharp and is supposed to last longer.
Richard