Printing small decals

[paddy]

today i managed to get a design quite small without loosing to much detail/resolution.
It means i have to design my own decals first as i can t seem to do this with cut/paste of internet pictures but its a start.

First picture is the design printed on A4, it measures 8x4mm which is about 1:8 ish. (thinking about Revells 1:8 jag)

and this is it zoomed in, it is actually sharper than it looks, its just camera shake.

 

[moon puppy]

Looks sharp!

 

[Heavens Eagle]

The quality of the paper can make a big difference on the sharpness of what you are printing. That is looking really good Paddy.

 

[paddy]

yea this is just a4 copy paper buy the decal paper i have was made by BMF. From memory last time i tried it many years ago it smudged.

 

[Rhino]

Inkjet printer? All in flurry, were we?
I put my images in a Google Document. Sizes can be reduced up to a point without losing much resolution. The printing menu allows you to further reduce or increase the size of your images again if you need to.
I print my decal proofs on glossy photo paper, fit them to the model, make notes and proceed from there.

 

[paddy]

More progress today printing on transparent decal paper, in reality i will need to do this on white paper in most cases as you obviously cant print white

The yellow strip is 10mm x 1mm and the letters are half a mm tall and still very readable. Considering its a very cheap inkjet printer its not bad on resolution but it fails a bit on density of colour which is just down to the ink.
Anyway the above shows that this 1:8 Jag is going to be covered in decals

Sorry if this is all old hat to most of you who have probably been making your own decals for the last 50 years

 

[Greg Kimsey]

More progress today printing on transparent decal paper, in reality i will need to do this on white paper in most cases as you obviously cant print white

View attachment 165929

The yellow strip is 10mm x 1mm and the letters are half a mm tall and still very readable. Considering its a very cheap inkjet printer its not bad on resolution but it fails a bit on density of colour which is just down to the ink.
Anyway the above shows that this 1:8 Jag is going to be covered in decals

Sorry if this is all old hat to most of you who have probably been making your own decals for the last 50 years

Nope, all new to me. The decals I tried to print on actual decal paper were useless garbage. I looked into a printer that prints white to make the opaque backing but it was out of Gail's comfort range for what would be what she calls a "toy". She has no vision at all.

 

[Gator]

I can print white on my laser printer. I have a Ghost White toner cartridge.

View attachment IMG_0346.jpg

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I can print white on my laser printer. I have a Ghost White toner cartridge.

View attachment 165936

That's it. That is what I was looking at.

 

[paddy]

its not an insurmountable problem If you buy white decal paper ?

 

[Greg Kimsey]

its not an insurmountable problem If you buy white decal paper ?

The only issue is having to trim perfectly.

 

[paddy]

Yea curves can be a problem but straight lines are ok

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I can print white on my laser printer. I have a Ghost White toner cartridge.

View attachment 165936

What printer are you using?

 

[Gator]

HP color Laser Jet Pro.

 

[Rhino]

Koala NO SPRAY Waterslide Decal Paper Inkjet CLEAR Or White 8.5x11 5-20 Sheets | eBay

Koala Waterslide Decal Transfer Paper for Decorations, DIY Gifts, with these newly released No need spray waterslide decal Paper, you can print any designs using an inkjet printer or laser printer and transfer them onto any non-porous surfaces.

www.ebay.com

I use this kind of decal paper for my inkjet

 

[Greg Kimsey]

HP color Laser Jet Pro.

Thank you!

 

[paddy]

Another question for car builders ?
I have been looking at metallic paints or opalesent paints...I tried a test with Tamiya metallic spray and straight away i see a problem because the metallic element is not scaled so the metallic flakes are 12x bigger than they should be on a 1/12 kit for example, this kills any chance of a finished "realistic looking" photo
Does anyone make a fine metallic paint or do you think that if you reduce the metal flake by x12 there is no metal flake anymore ?
.in which case a say Blue over a silver base would be better ?

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Pearlescent paints might be better? It is something to test anyway. I think that the "candy" colors might be a better way to go honestly. A transparent enamel over a bright silver base. I am not sure what is avaiable acriss the pond. I have tried the Alclad II candy's and they make an amazing finish. I did an 1/6 Iron Man once, and wow, what a POP!

 

[paddy]

I bought a can of mica blue which has a very fine metallic but its a hyper critical surface that shows every mark
The E-type being so long has hood and wings of about a square foot, my chances of getting that to look anything is about nil even polishing it with ultra fine polish i cant get the swirl marks out from polishing....

 

[paddy]

Because of its size i wonder if i could use an automotive rattle can ? that might set a bit harder than the Tamiya paints and thus polish better, down side would be i would have to go for a plain gloss finish or have scale problems again with Metallic