Decal Paper - where to get it?

[Silverfox]

I'm in need of this to complete my newest project, and also for all of my forthcoming ones, as they all share a theme. However, I've been looking for some Decal Printing Paper, but can't seem to find a reliable source of it. Where do folks purchase theirs from, as I know quite a few of you make and print your own decals.

Any help would be appreciated!

[JayBee]

I get mine from The Crafty Computer Company, at :-

http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=158&CatID=15

The last order was e-mailed to them one day and it arrived here the next day. OK they are in Yorkshire and I am just up the road a bit in Scotland, but even so that is good service.

JimB

[Silverfox]

Okay, I have some of this now, and I have to report I'm far, far less than impressed with the results.

I made sure to get the inkjet stuff I needed, in white and clear versions, and followed the instructions to apply coats of fixer/varnish to the paper after printing, and then leave 24 hours.

After trying to apply the decals to my model, all I get are decals that the paint runs on when they're immersed in water for application, and are too faint to see over the paint on my models.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, or I'm doing something completely wrong.

[thedarkmaster]

I make all sorts of decals mate.

You seem to be doing the right thing, personally i give it 3 coats of ordinary varnish and i have no problems. I would recommend getting some liquid decal film ( try Hannants ) as this helps if the decal turns up at the edges and i sometimes find i have to put two copies of the decal on certain models.

Hope this helps, pm me if you need anything more specific and i will try mr best for you.

Keep at it mate it's worthwhile if you can master it


TIM     

[PR19_Kit]

I too use the Crafty paper and have very few problems with it myself.

Maybe it's the printer? I guess they don't all use the same ink, so it's a possibility. I use an H-P Officejet 6300, and leave the decals for 30 mins before the first coat of varnish, then leave it 30 mins between each following coat, and do that three times. I use Crafty's own spray varnish, expensive but it works.

[Silverfox]

I might not have applied enough coats of varnish. I've added another one to each sheet, and will put another one more on too, and then we'll see how things roll

[beowulf]

ive bought paper several times from a guy in leeds whos on ebay called les520449...cant remember the brand tho.....never had problems and ive made decals about 4 inch square before now

[sequoiaranger]

I have used decal paper and inkjet computer images several times. I'm not terribly pleased with the results (NOT contest-quality), but for my purposes they give me the "custom" images I crave. The decal paper itself is thin, and would work OK by itself, but the ink in the inkjet **NEEDS** about three coats of clear varnish to seal in the ink, othewise it will run (believe me, I have been there many times).  But three coats of varnish makes the decal very thick (OBVIOUS on the model) and lacking in flexibility. Also lacking in easy application, wanting to curl up on the edges.

So home-made decals are a mixed bag. Ya gotta experiment. Good luck to you!

[frank2056]

In the US, and for Laser printers or ALPS printers, the best paper - by far - is sold by Tango Papa Decals. Thin but very strong (considering how thin the stuff is) and works great with most setting solutions.

[Weaver]

I've never had a home print decal curl or bleed and I only use a single coat of varnish these days. Unfortunately, the outfit that I buy the paper from on ebay doesn't have any at the moment and they don't carry a brand name so  Ican't tell you what they are.....

[John Howling Mouse]

Between inkjet and laser variants, I've printed decals at home using about a dozen different brands.

My favorites are www.decalpaper.com  (Bel Decal) and a place called www.discountmugs.com

Once the sheet has been printed, I let it dry completely (minimum overnight) before handling it in any way. I then tape its corners to a flat piece of sturdy cardboard.

An important step is to seal the image on the completely dried printed decal sheet using Krylon's Krystal Klear matte spray fixative.  I use three coats, allowing about 2 to 3 hours drying time between coats.

I then let the sheet dry another day.  On the third day, I brush-apply two coats of Microscale's fantastic, self-levelling "Decal Film."  I wait a good two or three hours between coats.

Another trick is to cut out the decals using high-quality detail scissors.  I used to cut with an Xacto knife or razorblade but that seems to leave a tiny curl on the cut edges whereas good scissors leave a flat cut.

I soak one decal at a time in very warm water.  I notice these decals take up to 45 seconds each to properly detach from the backing sheet.  I always use Microscale's Micro-Set and Micro-Sol products in tandem (following the bottle's directions).  See the link below for a typical example of the end result: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,20133.0/highlight,fontaine+camo.html

[Weaver]

I've never had a home print decal curl or bleed and I only use a single coat of varnish these days. Unfortunately, the outfit that I buy the paper from on ebay doesn't have any at the moment and they don't carry a brand name so  Ican't tell you what they are.....

Okay, me and my big mouth......

I'm trying to print some dead simple black text on clear decals, on my usual inkjet printer, on my usual paper, and they're bleeding like mad, no matter what settings I use.... This is nothing to do with varnish coats: it's happening immediately after printing, within a few minutes. I doubt that it's mis-labelled laser paper either: it has "Inkjet clear" actually printed on the backing paper.

All I can think of is that it's due to the cheap aftermarket ink in the printer, but I've always used aftermarket ink and not had the problem. Has anybody else had this? Do you think "proper" Epson ink would solve it?

[thedarkmaster]

Never used Proper Epsom ink on my decals mate, never had that problem.

Is it all sheets or just the one ?

[Weaver]

Never used Proper Epsom ink on my decals mate, never had that problem.

Is it all sheets or just the one ?

I've done all the tests on one sheet so far.

[mikko]

 :uzi: