Homemade Decals

[Jason M.]

I want to make homemade decals. ARe there any products out there that are actually worth buying? I know they make decal sheets that you can use your printer to make, but I'm leery as to the quality. Anyone?

[George Hargreaves]

Hi,

I have used a variety of sheets from different manufacturers. They all worked about the same for me. It is important to follow the manufactuers instructions exactly or the result typically sucks. Yup, wasted a few sheets experimenting. If you want white, you do need white decal film. Clear film decals placed over a dark surface disappear. There is insufficent colour to be seen. Ink jet decals are not good for fine curved lines. Lazer printed decals are fragile. On white film the decal edge is easily broken so that the white shows through the colour at the edge. A coloured felt pen can fix this.

Go for it, it is fun and painless. The results are not to bad.

Cheers,
George

[Jason M.]

Thanks George, I just don't want to waste money on a lost cause. Any suggetions on a maker or brand name?

[les]

If you want white you can also paint the area under the clear decal sheet white.

[GlennCauley]

Or... you could invest in an ALPS printer. These are the standard for creating custom decals... they are a 'micro dry thermal transfer' printer that produce exceptional results, and best of all they can print white! The company itself is out of business, but you can find these printers on the Internet and especially on eBay. They command a high price, though, and are always in demand.

If you want to have someone print custom decals for you, check out ELS Trains.

Just my $0.02 worth...

Cheers!

[Devin]

Or... you could invest in an ALPS printer.

ALPS have not produced new printers for several years now, and recently announced that they will stop providing service for their printers within the next year. Unfortunately they aren't very viable at the moment. Hopefully someone will pick up the technology and start producing them again in the future.

-Devin