I’m taking a crack at inkjet decals. Searched the forum and a couple folks said to use gloss photo paper settings and “best” quality for glossy decal paper. I’m using the Walthers matte paper so I used the matte photo settings and it smeared big time.
Anybody got any advice before I waste more expensive paper? Seems like I need less ink.
PS-Using an HP 3900 series ink jet if that matters.
The ONLY printer that really works without smearing on decal paper other than the ALPs printers which are no longer available in the US are made by EPSON. They use an alcohol based microfine pigment ink. It does not smear. I use an Epson C120. I have had NO problems with ink smearing.
Inkjet printers should work with inkjet decal paper. After I print them, I let them sit for at least a day to thoroughly dry. Then I treat them with Microscale Liquid Decal Film to coat them, wait a few hours, and give them a second coat. The day after that, they are ready for application. Some people use sprays instead of the Decal Film. I’ve never trieds sprays myself. I did discover that I need to keep the decals perfectly flat and level when I apply the Decal Film. Otherwise, the colors run downhill. If I keep them flat, which usually means weighting down the edges, then the ink stays put.
When did your decals smear?
OK, First problem. I forgot I had refilled my ink cartridges with a cheap refill kit. Switched them for new HP cartridges and they printed out great after a couple tries. No smearing. Nice and dark. I came back and looked at them 10 minutes later and the ink had beaded all up on the surface.[banghead]
I think the Walther’s paper might be crap.(it was on close out sale) Back to the drawing board…
I recently bought some of the Testors decal paper and sealant spray. I used this on my HP Photosmart printer and the decal came out sharp and clear. I used the color and photo cartridges (New, not refilled). Let it dry thoroughly before sealing it, then let that dry before soaking it to apply. The only problem you’ll run into with printing decals is you can’t print white on a standard printer. There’s white paper available, but if you need white on a clear decal film, you need a specialized printer.
Take a look at the description of that paper on their web site. All of the Walthers papers are for laser printers, and it says “not suitable for inkjet printers.” That’s why it’s not working.
Put your graphics on a CD or thumb drive, and take the files and the paper to someone with a laser printer. Copy places have them, or maybe the public library, or even your LHS.
[D)][D)][banghead][banghead]
And I was just at Hob Lob and almost bought a pack of the Testors paper.[sigh]
My experience has been with using the Micro Mark Decal paper, both for laser jet and inkjet printers.
I have had mixed results with doing my own decals but here are a few tips from what I have learned during my trial and error and these have helped me to produce better outcomes.
Print, set and wait. Once you print on the decal paper allow the sheet to set flat with the ink side up on an open surface such as a smooth desktop or table, and allow the ink to completely dry, which is typically overnight.
Clear coat the paper surface. I use a photo finishing product and will spray the entire sheet of printed decal paper with several light coats to seal the ink. This is similar to the process some have mentioned with other coatings.
Cut individual decals out from the sheet for immediate use then apply as needed. If I pre-cut the individual decals too far in advance I find that I end up loosing them later on or they will tend to curl up.
I have beeen making and selling decals for the past 6 yrs. I use inkjet decal paper settings BEST PHOTO GLOSS PAPER,on HP printer.Print decal let dry for 1/2 hr spray 3 light coats of Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic,one an hour and let dry over nite.Any ?? contact me off forum.
I have been using the MicroMark inkjet decal paper with an Epson Stylus Photo R200 printer. When I started doing inkjet decals, the forum advise was to use the “Ink Jet Transparency” paper setting. It applies less ink to the decal, and reduces smearing as well as decal bleed when soaking in water.
I let the decal dry a couple of days and coat it with the Krylon Clear Acrylic spray that is supplied with the MicroMark inkjet decal starter kit. Another good piece if advise was not to cut the decal closely to the printing; leave at least 1/16 inch clear border.
Another thought on smearing. Was the smear comng from the decal ink or could it be residue buildup on the ink cartrige? My printer has a “head cleaning” option in the Maintenance section. Assuming a PC and Windows XP, open Printers and Faxes, right click your printer and select Printing Preferences. Look for a Maintenance tab at the top. Various printer maintenance options should be listed. This may be different for other brands of printers, and non-windows operating systems.
Thanks all. As Mr. B pointed out, I bought the wrong paper…[D)]
Well, I read up on all the archived posts on this topic and then went ahead on the MicroMarc paper with my HP inkjet and several several attempts…and I am royally p*ssed off. Every time (and I am talking about a dozen times or so) I get only “lizard” cracked black backgrounds and very poor quality. I do leave them set for half hour or so and the spray with Testors fixative etc. But the poor quality has made me give up on doing my own.
I have experiemented with all settings viz paper types to get various ink amounts…no dice.
Now I am talking about printing 1/32" numbers on black backgrounds here for tiny loco number boards.
So if you are not satisfied, do as I did and go with the WS dry transfer decals…now I only use their number and alphabet pages for loco lettering…saves me a lot of time.
For signage on buildings etc. I prefer to print on plain paper and then sand it down to get a good “into the grain” fit on the buildings anyway and set them in with good old white glue.
Most of the modeler sites I’ve been researching say the Testors paper is the best. I think I’ll give that a shot next time I go to Hobby Lobby. My Wal Mart used to sell it, but they did away with all their model stuff.[V]
Hi, Loathar,
The decal paper I got from Micromarc k? is identical (same makers markings) to the Testors paper that came in the small Testors decal kit I purchased at the LHS. I had thought there might be a difference and that was why I was not having success. But the results have been the same for me.
Mind you, I keep trying to print the same thing…a tiny black number board with white numbers, so maybe a big colored sign or something would work for me as it seems for others who have written on this topic.
I just am not doing something right, I think.
Hi all,
I purchased some decal paper from Evan Designs at the NMRA show in Anaheim. I only recently tried using this stuff. Surprise! It works exactly as advertised and NO sealer is necessary. Allow the printed decals to dry about 30 minutes, cut out and place in water for about 30 seconds, then slide onto the model surface. The decal paper background is white but a shot of DulCote is supposed to turn it clear (I have not tried this). I used black text inside a black border on the white background to add my fictitious road name to several caboose kits. I also added WHITE text on a colored background to add numbers and data to the caboose kits I had to repaint to match those already in the desired color (oxide). It did take a few tries to get just the right shade of oxide to print out, but the final color is so close that I doubt anyone who didn’t know the white text was added using a decal would ever notice.
The only downside is that the decal paper is a little thick. I was able to hide the edges of the colored background decals by trimming them to fit up against rivet lines. Evan Designs recommends using lighter fluid to soften decals to get them to snuggle around details. However, though the directions said not to use Solvaset, I tried it and it worked fine. The only other problem I encountered was that some of the decal edges lifted during the drying period. However, a drop of Solvaset and a little pressure was all that was needed to get these edges to lie flat.
Having used the Evan Designs decal paper successfully, I would highly recommend it. I was also quite pleased with the ability to add WHITE text without an Alps printer (I used an Epson Inkjet).
Good luck!
Chris
I don’t know if this will help you. Someone on another forum said to print your decal in the middle of an 8.5x11" piece of copy paper. Cut out an appropriate sized piece of decal paper and tape it over the printing on the copy paper.(just tape the edges) Run it back through the printer so it prints on the decal this time. You might give that a shot.
Thanks for the tip on the Evans paper.
use your inkjet printer. After printing, let them dry a while. Then spray matte clear over them- they will work fine. It makes the decal a little thicker, but it works well.