mortifactor
Super Freak
Been customising for a bit now, but never used decals - anybody got a good guide on what to buy and how to do my own printed off decals? some of the ones here are superb and I'd really like to be in on some of that action!
How to make my own decals?
- Thread starter mortifactor
- Start date
Help Support Collector Freaks Forum:
What type of decals and on what surface will you be applying them?
If you are looking for waterslide decals (like those made for model building kits), try here:
https://www.decalpaper.com/
There is a help section that goes over the basics (make design with graphics program, print design using laser or inkjet printer, seal decal with gloss cote, apply with water and let dry, seal decal to surface with more gloss or dull cote).
Some comments from my own experience:
A line or vector-drawing program like CorelDRAW or Adobe Illustrator is much preferred to a BMP or JPG program like PhotoShop. If you can only work with jpegs, go super-hi res as your computer and printer can go.
Related - use a good printer with at least 1200 dpi.
Decals show up best against a glossy/polished surface. You can always do the final seal on the artifact with dull cote if you need a matte finish. Not much you can do to minimize decal borders on textured surfaces except trim them REALLY close to the printed pattern.
Wet the decal by placing in water, then remove from water and let set on an absorbent cloth for 30 seconds to 1 minute to remove excess water before applying. Do not let the decal sit in the water and soak.
Decal Set helps your decal curve to uneven surfaces when applying, but use too much and your decal will disintegrate (Decal Set softens the decal).
If you want white or just vibrant colors, you will need to either start with white paper (and be careful when you trim them to avoid borders) or clear paper on top of a white or light shade base surface. If you are going to use clear paper on a primed surface, as with the third note above, I recommend a glossy primer/paint.
The custom LEGO minifigures in my signature were made with white inkjet and laser decal paper for the torsos and clear inkjet and laser decal paper for the faces. I use Micro-Mark paper, but only because they are a local vendor available at my local hobby store.
If you are looking for waterslide decals (like those made for model building kits), try here:
https://www.decalpaper.com/
There is a help section that goes over the basics (make design with graphics program, print design using laser or inkjet printer, seal decal with gloss cote, apply with water and let dry, seal decal to surface with more gloss or dull cote).
Some comments from my own experience:
A line or vector-drawing program like CorelDRAW or Adobe Illustrator is much preferred to a BMP or JPG program like PhotoShop. If you can only work with jpegs, go super-hi res as your computer and printer can go.
Related - use a good printer with at least 1200 dpi.
Decals show up best against a glossy/polished surface. You can always do the final seal on the artifact with dull cote if you need a matte finish. Not much you can do to minimize decal borders on textured surfaces except trim them REALLY close to the printed pattern.
Wet the decal by placing in water, then remove from water and let set on an absorbent cloth for 30 seconds to 1 minute to remove excess water before applying. Do not let the decal sit in the water and soak.
Decal Set helps your decal curve to uneven surfaces when applying, but use too much and your decal will disintegrate (Decal Set softens the decal).
If you want white or just vibrant colors, you will need to either start with white paper (and be careful when you trim them to avoid borders) or clear paper on top of a white or light shade base surface. If you are going to use clear paper on a primed surface, as with the third note above, I recommend a glossy primer/paint.
The custom LEGO minifigures in my signature were made with white inkjet and laser decal paper for the torsos and clear inkjet and laser decal paper for the faces. I use Micro-Mark paper, but only because they are a local vendor available at my local hobby store.
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