I have a number of undecorated steam locomotives that I would like to add road name/road numbers. I also have a very nice inkjet (pigment) photo printer. I was wondering what the best clear 'decal' paper is for printing on an inkjet printer.
Also, are there any hints/tips for printing decals on an inkjet printer
Thanks.
Modeling an HO gauge freelance version of the Union Pacific Oregon Short Line and the Utah Railway around 1957 in a world where Pirates from the Great Salt Lake founded Ogden, UT.
- Photo album of layout construction -
I have had good success using the Evans Design decal paper and an Epson color inkjet printer. The Evans Design decal paper has several advantages over other decal paper brands.
First, the Evans Design decal paper has a special coating designed to absorb the printer ink and so does NOT require a clear sealer overspray before you can apply the decals. Just let your newly printed decals "dry" for at least 30 minutes and they are ready to apply. Of all the many decals I have made with this brand decal paper, only one has ever smeared and that was a round SP decal I couldn't seem to get straight and so kept hitting it with Solvaset to reposition it. Only after half a dozen hits of Solvaset and pushing the decal around with my fingers did it finally smear.
Another advantage is that the Evans Design decal paper comes in full 8 1/2" by 11" sheets.
Yet another advantage is that you can make both white and clear background decals from the same sheet of decal paper! If you use only water based clears and/or weathering paints over these decals, the background will remain white. However, using solvent based clears and/or weathering paints and the decal background turns clear permanently. Although I haven't tried this, you can also make the decal background permanently clear before applying it by rubbing a little vegetable oil on the decal. Oh yeah, don't use spray can acrylics if you want your decal paper to stay white as the aerosol propellants will also turn the Evans Design decal paper clear permanently (don't ask how I know this!).
Since you are looking to decal steam locomotives, I would assume that most of these are, or will be, painted black. You can make nice white letter/number on black background decals using any brand of white background decal papers. On your computer, first create a black rectangle (or other background shape appropriate for your model). Next, type white (or light color) lettering/numbers over your black background. When you print such decals on an inkjet printer, it simply doesn't print anything where the white letters/numbers appear, allowing the white decal paper to show through your black decal background. Light colored letters/numbers also benefit because these colors have the white decal background to help them stand out. Depending on how opaque your brand of white decal paper is, you may need to apply some white paint in the area to be covered by the decal to insure strong white letters/numbers. Otherwise, they will look a little faded (also good if desired). It is also possible to make similar decals for rolling stock in other colors. It just takes a bit of trial and error to print a good decal background match to the model's paint color.
The only disadvantage of the Evans Design decal paper I have found is that it seems a little thick making it difficult to hide the decal edges. To get around this, I often make the decal background large enough to cover an entire panel on the model it is applied to. If the panel is too large, I'll use rivet lines and/or weld seams to help disguise the decal edges.
Although each brand of decal paper will have its own learning curve and techniques, you should have a lot of fun creating custom decals for your trains, vehicles and structures. Good luck!
Hornblower
I got my decal paper from decalpaper.com. At the time, I couldn't find it anywhere in shops or at Walthers. I found it to be a high-quality product.
You can't print white. What I do is create the image in black-on-white and then flip the colors. Then I paint a white background on the model. When I apply the decal, I get white letters on a black background.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Unless you have a special printer which uses white ink you can not print white. Most people that want white in a decal have to buy the white decal paper instead of clear.
I use Adobe Pagemaker to design my decals. If I use an image I can import it from Photoshop. If you print straight from Photoshop your text will have jagged edges because it is an image of the text whereas Pagemaker will resize the font and print the text as text.
I always buy my decal paper from Bel.
http://www.decalpaper.com/product-p/25c.htm
Note: When using an inkjet printer you must spray the decals with Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear High Gloss before putting them into water or the ink will wash off. If you use a laser printer and laser decal paper you don't have to because the ink is infused in the paper and won't run.
hornblowerEvans Design decal paper has a special coating designed to absorb the printer ink and so does NOT require a clear sealer overspray before you can apply the decals.
Interesting. I will have to try it.
I’ve used the Evans Design stuff and I don’t want to bash it, because it certainly has its place. But it is thick, and difficult to make it schmooze into details. They suggest lighter fluid to soften, but by the time you’ve softened enough, the color has faded. Sometimes desirable, often not. And if you want it to be clear, you have to brush it with vegetable oil, which doesn’t match the sheen of whatever else is around it. Again, it’s a cool product and easy to use, but has some caveats.