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Custom Decals Question
GameCraft
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California, United States
Member Since: May 24, 2010
entire network: 7 Posts
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Posted: Friday, September 06, 2013 - 09:24 AM UTC
Hey guys, here's a general hobby question that I feel like I should know the answer to but my silly brain won't release the information to me.

It seems to me that there is a company that specializes in producing custom "rub on" style (not water slide) decals for the hobby industry ... If I remember correctly they'll do quantities as low as 1.... I just can't remember their name and a Goggle search is not turning anything up. I know that Microscale does custom waterslide stuff but they require a minimum order of 250 pieces ... I'm looking for anyone that does quantities less than 10 at a reasonable price.

Waterslide decals would be great ... but since that's normally a silk screening process I think it's cost prohibitive to do small quantities, that's why I'm thinking "rub on" dry transfer style decals.

If you know of any company that does this and is reasonable please let me know.

Thanks.

Allen
[email protected]
www.gcmini.com
retiredyank
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Posted: Friday, September 06, 2013 - 12:13 PM UTC
You can make your own decals. A knowledge of chemistry is helpful, but I doubt the manufacturers intended this. It is a multi-part process. It does require a printer. To make the decals, from what I have been told, you have to print on the white sheet. If not, the decals are very translucent. Another thing that would be helpful is an illustrating program, that won't pixelate.
robot_
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2013 - 07:19 AM UTC
If you have access to a colour laser printer, you can print onto clear or white laser decal paper. Most models I make have at least the serials printed at home.

See this thread on Britmodeller for tips on making light markings (the police helicopter post is mine).
GameCraft
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California, United States
Member Since: May 24, 2010
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2013 - 08:54 AM UTC

Quoted Text

You can make your own decals. A knowledge of chemistry is helpful, but I doubt the manufacturers intended this. It is a multi-part process. It does require a printer. To make the decals, from what I have been told, you have to print on the white sheet. If not, the decals are very translucent. Another thing that would be helpful is an illustrating program, that won't pixelate.



Matt, I've been making my own for decades using MicroMark's decal sheets and AutoCAD, Illiustrator and CorelDraw but I'm looking for something a little higher quality. The problem with making your own is that you either have to print on white decal paper and then painstakingly trim the decals to eliminate the white around the decals or print on the clear decal paper and accept the the colors will never look right unless you are applying them to a white model. All consumer level printers assume you are printing on a white background and produce their colors accordingly.

I really wish the ALPS sublimation printers were still being made
robot_
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Posted: Saturday, September 07, 2013 - 07:06 PM UTC
The Alps white dye was never near the opacity of screen print,so we're not missing much.



These markings are all custom printed at home, this is 1/72 scale. The yellow matches better than any printed yellow ever could,because it is the same paint. See link above.

If you want screen printed custom decals, there are places that do short print runs, but they can be expensive for small numbers. I once found a small Czech company that is used by some of the cottage industry kit makers, and they were quite a bit cheaper.

Edit: The small Czech printer was actually based in Poland, I think. His name is Milan Pech, and has a company called MPD, also called Mini Print. But I cannot find current contact details for him.

In the UK, the small resin kit makers mostly use Fantasy Printshop for screen print decals. They do everything by the A4 sheet, and require a minimum of 25 sheets per order.
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