Hello Fellow model railroaders.
Im looking for any article about how to use photos of signs to make them for my layout.
Ive thot of doing this for years and even tried it. I cant get the scale down to size…I dont have photoshop on my puter so lets dont go there.Any OTHER ideas will be GREATLY appreciated…
I’ve imported logos from the internet to make decals for a building on my N scale layout.
I use Excel as the medium to size the images for the building. Excel can also be used, with the Word Art function, to make some creative signs.
I did quite a bit of that back before I had a computer. It took a roll of film to figure it out, but once that was done, it was easy. I took a picture of a roadsign from 20 different distances and recorded each one. When I got all the pictures back, I measured each one with my scale ruler until I found the correct scale size. That way I knew from my recorded measurement that any further signs I took pictures of, if I was “x” number of feet from the sign, it would scale out perfect in the print.
Mark.
I don’t have Photoshop either (who wants to spend that kind of dough for something you can get for free?), but I’ve used my computer to not only make signs, but decals, in all scales. All you need for signs is a decent drawing program (there are tons of free ones out there) or almost any of the better Office programs - (if you don’t have Microsoft Office, try OpenOffice - it’s free), and a digital camera or scanner, and a printer.
You might try http://www.nonags.com for a really wide selection of excellent freeware programs.
Your post didn’t make it clear about what kind of signs you’re looking for, but this will help if you’re looking for traffic signs:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ser-shs_millennium_eng.htm
For advertising, I usually search the web and copy the thumbnails or full-sized pictures. (Use a right-click on the mouse, and then “Save As” to put the sign on your disk.) Then I use Microsoft Word and use “Insert-Picture-From File” to bring the picture into a document. From there, you can re-size the picture to get it to whatever size you want, and print it.
I print my signs on cardstock, a heavier grade of paper, that gives me more stiffness than regular paper. Tell your wife you’re going to print greeting cards on it. To get that “painted on the wall” look, I print my own decals on special decal paper.
For bit-by-bit manipulation, I use the simple Paint program that comes with Windows. This will also allow you to write Text (although it does this badly) and cut and paste parts of the graphics.
THANK YOU MR BEASLEY,
THIS IS WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR…IT SOUNDS DOABLE.WHERE CAN I BUY DECAL PAPER?
IVE NEVER SEEN IT ON THE SELF AT OFFICE DEPOT,MAX…
If you are looking for good decal paper, try Tango Papa Decals. If you’re using an inkjet printer, though, you can’t use regular decal paper. Micro Mark sells a kit for printing decals on an inkjet printer, with special paper. Be aware, though, that the colored ink in almost all printers is transparent. Applied to a dark surface, decals printed with that ink will basically disappear. To print colors, you need to use white decal paper, and be very good at cutting out the decals. If, however, you can get hold of an old Alps MD1000 printer and inks, you can do very well with regular decal paper.
That said, if you are just printing signage (e.g.: advertising, “No Trespassing”, etc.), why bother with decals (unless you are wanting the signs to look painted on a textured surface)? Just print them on paper stock of your choice, and cut them out.
I copy signs & billboards off ebay (or other places on the web). Go to collectables-advertising or collectables-paper, then search for signs, copy & paste image to a publisher desk top, crop & size for your scale
N scale 1 inch = 13.3 ft.
HO scale 1 inch = 7.2 ft.
S scale 1 inch = 5.3 ft.
O scale 1 inch = 4 ft.
( HO for me ). then save to a file. Then you can print on paper, cardstock or full sticker page. With full sticker just cut out, trim and stick to a stiff backing or right to a building. With paper or cardstock you can use double sided tape or glue of your choice. If you print on photo paper you get a glossy like sign. You can build the frame for billboards from wood stick matches or scale lumber. I have not tried decal paper but seems that you could use the same copy and paste method.
These signs on the cafe I scanned from a sign catalog.
You can also copy people to put inside your buildings, machinery for factory interiors, ect.
This is off a postcard found on ebay under collectables/paper/postcards. These are great to use as background buidings.
These are old ink blotters copied
I bought decal paper called Experts Choice at a hobby shop. It wasn’t my regular LHS, but one which deals in a number of different hobbies and supports other modelling communities. Decal paper is generally not available at stores like Staples. I started there, and struck out.
I guess I would have to disagree with gmcrail about the image quality from inkjet decals. This is one I did on my inkjet printer, a run-of-the-mill HP 722C:
Since printers don’t actually print white, and I use clear decal paper, I simply paint a white rectangle on the building before applying the decal. I used cheap acrylic paint, and I don’t worry too much about the quality of the white rectangle. Combined with a rough surface, the sign looks old and weathered, just the way I want it to. I got this picture from the company’s web site.
This is a trolley I did with the same decal paper and printer. In this case, I had a smooth, cream-colored painted surface, and the decal lettering came out looking new. I did the lettering in Microsoft Word, using a font called “Goldrush” that I downloaded from a free font site.
This one is even more “extreme” decalling. Here, I painted the white rectangles on a wood plank fence made from coffee stirrers. Again, these were pictures taken from the web:
I want YOU to try making your own decals. Once you get used to it, you can produce really unique models.
I’m going to mention Photoshop!
Actually, Adobe makes a lite version called Photoshop Elements which is worth the price since I think you’ll get a lot of use out of it – and not just model RR. www.adobe.com
The other night I used Illustrator and Photoshop together to make the art work for some decals that will go on the side of a kitbashed Walthers Ice House.
I used Illustrator to create the Mount Penelope Rwy herald and then imported it into Photoshop to fade and weather the logo before printing to decal paper.
I’m at the wrong computer right now otherwise, I’d post the images.
DMW,
I know you can create a lot of stuff w/photoshop but I dont want to buy anymore stuff for this computer because it is 8 yrs old and I will probably get a laptop after Christmas…I can work with what I have tho now from what someone else on here advised…Thanks anyway,for every ones advise…I knew somebody(s) on here would know ! [bow]