Custom Decals

[adkfish]

I am modeling a semi-fictitious branch line and need some decals for the road name. Does anyone know where I could get some custom decals made up in HO scale or even a method of making them myself?

[Train Modeler]

There have been many articles in the MRR magazine covering making your own decals with computers and decal sheets for inkjet or laserjet printers--check your back issues.     There are ads in those mags for people who will do it for you as well.   Microscale will even do custom decals.   

Richard

[jrbernier]

  You can make decals from your own artwork - But the catch is as follows:

• You need to do the design work on your computer
• You cannot 'print' white decals - laser & inkjet printer depend on using the white background of paper to generate white.  This really limits what you can print.

  There are a number of 'custom' decal services available.  Rail Graphics makes custom decals:

http://www.railgraphicsdecals.com/

Highball Graphics also makes custom decals:

http://www.mgdecals.com/homepage.htm

Jim

[NP2626]

I just had Rail Graphics quote a price on a custom logo for my logging line, it was $118,50 for 25 pairs of decals.  Also sent my artwork to MG Decals and they came back with a price of $55.00 for a page full (100+?) of the decals.  

I thought both were reasonable. 

[john.pickles87]

Hi AD,

Railgraphics did a range of decals for my in-house road Mesa Northern a few years back and even the £/$ rate was dead iffy.  I considered I had a darn good deal, we exchanged about half a doz e-mails till the design clicked.

They are a cross between SP & D&RGW in HO & N, in orange, white and gold  sheets for different applications in the 2 scales.

I'd put up a photo of a Geep and caboose, but haven't figured that one out yet and they are at the club at the mo anyway.

Give em a shout, they'll sort you out, so long as you ain't going right out in left field.

Be in touch.

pick.

 

[hornblower]

I have made quite a few of my own custom decals using Evan Designs HobbyCal decal paper including white lettering decals.  If you are trying to design a corporate logo, you can design it with a contrasting border that will make it easy to create white letter decals for any piece of rolling stock using white background decal paper.  If you want white lettering on a background color matching the color on a piece of rolling stock, you will need to do some test prints to find the exact color match.  I do this by creating square color swatches along one side of a decal sheet (use the actual decal paper as it will take ink differently than regular bond paper).  Try for the closest color match estimate you can from your computer screen and assign that color to the middle square.  Then assign progressively darker shades to each square to the left of the center square and progressively lighter shades to each square to the right of center.  These shade differences should be subtle as you don't want your rolling stock color to be between the shades of two adjacent squares.  Print out your color swatches on the actual decal paper, let the ink dry completely (seal if required -- I prefer the Evan Designs decal paper because you don't have to seal it), then compare the swatches to the model.  Once the correct color is found, copy that color to the backgrounds of all such white letter decals you need for that color of rolling stock.  If you use the Evan Designs decal paper, you will need to remember to use only an acrylic based clear coat over these decals as a solvent based sealer will turn the white background clear permanently.  On the other hand, the Evan Designs decal paper is only available with a white background so if you actually need a clear background decal you would just use a solvent based clear coat to make the background clear.

[rdgk1se3019]

Here are two you could try also.

Solidesign

http://www.solidesign.bizland.com/index.html

Also Mount Vernon Shops

http://www.mountvernonshops.com/

[doctorwayne]

Rail Graphics did some custom decals for me (as a tribute to a late friend) and I was very satisfied with the work and the price:

Wayne

[CTValleyRR]

While you may be happier with the professional ones, some of the "issues" with making your own aren't as bad as the above posts would seem to indicate. You can always create a stencil in the same shape as your decal and use an airbrush to paint white under the spots where you want white on your decal. A little fiddly to line everything up, but it works. Also, with the Evan Design paper, you can manually paint on solvent-based coats to eliminate white where you don't want it. I have done this successfully many times. Use a very small microbrush and tke your time.

[Lloyd2]

Thanks to all of you for your responses to the OP's question.  I had the same question, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are many others "out there" who will benefit from your kind and gracious sharing!  You hit the nail on the head for me.  Thank you very much. -Lloyd