"How to" tips on making your own decals on your computer and inkjet printer for use as logos, accents or trim.

For supplies you need some inkjet decal paper and spray coating to seal the ink. These are available from Micheals, Hobby Lobby or other craft/hobby stores, or online from multiple sources such as Testors.com

The paper is available in clear or white backing. This isnt as simple a decision as it may seem. Since your typical inkjet printer has no white ink, it uses the paper for white areas. This may make some decals look odd if printed on the clear backed paper, but the white paper leaves a white border.

For typical text or other black printing tasks, and even most clip art objects, the clear backed film works fine though.

The ink used in inkjet printers is water soluble, so in order to make waterslide decals you need the sealant to spray on the art to seal the ink. Once printed, spray a light coat of the acrylic sealant and let it dry. A second light coat seems to be all that is needed. When trimming the decal before application you need to keep in mind that any cut into the ink will expose it to the water during application and likely cause the ink to bleed.  You need to leave a margin.

Also, the more complicated the shape, the more difficult it is to transfer the decal without an edge flipping or folding under. Simple shapes make transfering the film much more tricky. Do not attempt to handle the film, simply slide it into position.

About any art can be printed and used as a decal. Text is easy, but any clip art, scanned image or even photo could potentially make a decal image. Scalable sizing might be tricky, depending on what you have.

I do text logos from any word processor program. If you dont find a font you like it is quite easy to add custom fonts to most any word processor program. Google "free fonts" for ideas. I found a very good Wiki article on how to install the fonts.

The remaining process is pretty straight foward. Print your art and seal it. Trim the decal with sharp sissors leaving a margin around any printing.

Dip the decal in warm water briefly. This doesnt take long, and this film is very thin. It will work quicker than any of those models you may have made as a kid! As soon as the film can be slid off, thransfer it into place by sliding the paper from behind while letting the decal drop into position. Blot off any excess water and let it dry completely.

I have had success setting them onto laquer finishes and overcoating with a few more light coats. I havent come to a conclusion yet, but I believe a glossy base and semi gloss overcoat may reduce how much the margin shows.

Heres a brief video of the process:

Experiment and have fun! Please post some pics of your results. Here in this thread would be fun too!

Regards

Mark