Printing your Own Decals - My Method!

I've seen many threads on here asking how do people print their own decals and felt that I should offer mine.I JUST NOW printed a set of pics to go on my next model and am letting them dry before application, so I'll put up some pics of the results once they're on the car.

Step 1: What you need to get started

Here is a list of what I used to make my decals...

1: Decal paper - at least a pack of clear and a pack of white in 5.5" x 8.5".

2: A GOOD inkjet printer with plenty of color ink.

3: OpenOffice.Org Writer.

4: Mozilla Firefox.

5: ScreenGrab! (add-on for Firefox)

6: GIMP! and Microsoft Paint.

7: DMV Plate fonts.

8: Liquid Decal Film.

9: Tweezers and other hobby tools (dental picks) to guide decals in place.

10: Micro Set.

11: A CLEAN SHARP hobby knife.

12: Sharp scissors.

Step 2: Sourcing your pics

Due to copyright issues, I can only point you in the right direction. I take NO RESPONSIBILITY for what you put on your own car! Be that as it may, excellent source materials abound for decent pics on the net, so the skies the limit. It is important to get non-watermarked pictures (watermarks are faded areas of text across a picture that denotes ownership rights of that picture to a particular individual...) so that what you see is what you get (PRINT), or WYSIWYG. Some great websites...

1: Google Image Search.

2: eBay (many people are selling 1:1 decals and badges for muscle car builders, and usually the seller posts a pic of their item.

3: Deviantart or other artwork websites.

4: Wikipedia (another good source for accurate logos).

5: State Local DMV webpage (more on this later...)

Step 3: Obtaining your pics

Now it's time for a little software trickery here. Mozilla Firefox has an add-on available called ScreenGrab! that is a highly versatile picture nabber, and it's free! It has Right-Click settings to allow you to grab a pic by an entire frame, window, or a user-defined section of the window and save it to your computer instantly. Read more about this app in the Firefox add-on webpage.

Local state governments will often have license plate websites devoted to setting up your own plates based on background, text, handicapped status, etc. Set up the plate according to your needs and have the site display the plate with the new text. Then use ScreenGrab! to copy the pic and save it to your computer. If your state does not have this option, source out a picture of the plate and edit out the pixels that make up the writing, THEN open up a texting window in the editor, set the font to the DMV font, and type in your text to the plate. Remember that the max number of characters on a plate is seven. Easy!

Step 4: Editing and placing your pics

First, make a backup folder and place copies of all your pics in case you lose something or mess up a setting in the editor, since it's easier to pull up the pic again from storage rather than resurfing the net for another copy. Open up a new text document in OpenOffice and note the slide ruler to the top and left side of the document. With the screen percentage at 100%, slide the edges of the ruler until you have 5.5" top x 8.5" side. This is your work area for your pics, and it's absolutely necessary to see where your page boundaries are. (You CAN set it to 8.5" x 5.5" in a landscape configuration, but it's a matter of choice here.) Minimize the application for now.

Pull up your first pic in either GIMP! (still learning this app!) or Paint and select Resize. Size the pic based on where it will end up on the model and then Save it to your backup folder. Bring up your Writer window with the rulers showing and drag the pic you just edited into the Doc window. Now you can see how big the picture will be if you print it off at this point, because with the Writer page display set at 100%, you can actually hold up your car body to the screen for a size and positioning comparison. Cool stuff!

Now, I'm not going any further on editing pictures due to the amount of pictures editing tools out there for our use. But some important items to consider...

1: If a logo or emblem shows the body paint of the car behind it, you will need to edit your logo so that no other colors will show up in the white area. You may need to do things like pull out a section of the logo and make a separate border (like with a Super Bee decal) around the logo for the look you want.

2: Clean print heads are MANDATORY for your inkjet printer. Likewise, LOTS OF INK is also necessary. Run health check tests on the heads to make sure they are clean and operational before subjecting your expensive decal paper to them.

3: Test picture size and placement by printing them on regular paper. You can set the printer to "grayscale" in most cases to avoid using up all your color cartridges.

4: Use a Resize selection in a picture editor that allows for both percentages AND pixel dimensions. You can then write down the pixel dimensions for future sizing of similar decals like plates, logos, artwork, etc.

Step 5: Printing and Handling your new decals

Once you have placed all your pictures onto your "canvas", it's time to print. By test fitting everything to the Writer Doc and printing them out, you will know how they should come out, but you may need to play with your printer settings more to get an accurate fit or coloration.

Once you have a nice sheet of new decals on your decal paper, you need to let the ink dry on the paper at least 2+ hours (they will probably be dry sooner but not dry enough for handling) before messing with them. Once they have dried completely then it's time to seal them up. I have a can of Decal Bonder but am more familiar with Liquid Decal Film (LDF), so we will use that. With a brush (NO Q-TIPS! THE COTTON FIBERS WILL LEAVE THEMSELVES ALL ACROSS YOUR DECALS. ALSO, DO NOT USE ANYTHING SHARP LIKE TOOTHPICKS TO SPREAD LDF, AS IT CAN TEAR THE DECAL APART DUE TO THICKNESS.), paint a smooth sheet of fluid over each decal until you get a glaze or sheen where the decal is when held up to a light source at an angle and viewed. Do each decal in this fashion and them set them under a light source like a desklamp (NOT TOO CLOSE or the decal might scorch!) and left to dry another 2+ hours (again, for proper results. They may dry sooner...). Consider doing another layer of LDF for stronger decals.

Step 6: Applying your decals

This step should be similar to any other in regards to applying normal decals with these exceptions...

1: Trim the decal as close to the border as possible. Even better, allow for a thicker border when editing the picture and before printing them out.

2: Include a test decal picture with the sheet. Clip that one decal and place it on a test body to see if you have any slide issues like fracturing, tearing, etc. If the decal self-destructs then add another layer of LDF to the rest of the sheet followed by more drying time and try again.

3: Apply Micro Set after laying down a decal for proper positioning, and use distilled water for lifting the decal from the paper. Moisten the area to be applied with water so that the decal can be positioned easily. DO NOT USE MICRO SOL due to its reputation for burning through thin decals.

4: Pledge with Future Shine should be applied after the decals have had time to set to seal them in completely. Other clearcoats that are non-harmful to thin decals can be used as well.

Step 7: Differences in Decal Paper

There is a BIG DIFFERENCE in what decal paper you use. Clear Decal Paper does not hold colors as well as White Decal Paper, so if the car is black or really dark colored it will not show the decal properly AT ALL.

Masten Gregory Cliff Griffith Georges Grignard Bobby Grim