Ink Jet vs. Laser decals

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I have done a few inkjet decals before but have always been unhappy with the way they seem to get muddy when applying or sealing them. There is laser decal paper available, but I have no experience with this.

I want to make decals for in instrument/pump panel for a fire truck, but any bleeding or muddiness will ruin the look. Will laser decals work better?

[tom mann]

Yes, design at 1200dpi.  No sealing required.

[timwatson]

I have a color laser printer if you need prints.

[coosvalley]

I recently learned how to make decals using an inkjet....The winning combo was Micro-Mark ink-jet paper, and an Epsom printer, I bought it with the intention of making my own decals, as they have waterproof inks......I don't have to seal them, though I do to be safe...I have no experience with laser printers, but thought I'd share this anywho...

[Chris333]

I now have a laser printer so I'll be trying this too.

[bbussey]

I use the Alps for white/metallic/chrome and laser for black/colors.  The colors only work on light-colored backgrounds.  But for models such as mural trailers, laser-printed color works great.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I'm not looking to do anything that fancy. I am actually shrinking a PDF file of an E-one truck drawing to the size of N scale. The engineering drawing has all the detail printed in vector format so it should reduce well. The damn pump panels have been stumping me for months. Everything else I can kit bash, but the panels with all those gages and buttons are impossible to model without etching parts. I am hoping this will save me the expense.

The project is an International crew cab  50' Telequirt. I am using the Hong Kong Scania bucket truck for the ladder body and a Wiking ladder on the turntable. The engine is a bit short so I need to add a pump panel between the equipment compartments and the cab.

I am still trying to find a good source of miniature telescoping antennas for the 5" water line attached beneath the ladder.

[tom mann]

Note that laser doesn't have the resolution of a high quality ink jet.  For example:

[timwatson]

I love that the example image is the Smurfs!

[DKS]

Note that laser doesn't have the resolution of a high quality ink jet.

This.

And if you want better than inkjet, then your next option is an ALPS.

[BCR 570]

I use the Alps for white/metallic/chrome and laser for black/colors.  The colors only work on light-colored backgrounds.  But for models such as mural trailers, laser-printed color works great.

Bryan:

Were the decals for your mural trailers printed directly from photographs?  I have a trailer I want to do with a very similar food mural and I have good reference photographs but couldn't figure out how to render it for printing.  It is not something which can be drawn.

Tim

[bbussey]

Tim,

You've surmised correctly.  Both started as photographs (no digital back then).  The Snuggles was one photo, while the Chiquita was a series of photos.  I scanned (and stitched the Chiquita photos together), then deleted out all the non-mural areas, adjusted the contrast and saturation, compensated for dirt/grime, and adjusted for perspective and fisheye.  Once I had the bitmaps done, I imported them into CorelDraw so I could scale them and add the remaining vector graphics needed such as the reporting marks and other data.  I also went over sections of the artwork that were solid "non-photographic" areas and replaced them with vector art, such as the Chiquita and Snuggles heralds and the graduated blue field background on the Snuggles mural.  I have the all-banana Chiquita mural done also, just haven't gotten around to finishing the model.

I was very fortunate to find the Snuggles standing at the loading bay of a Sears distribution warehouse – first, because it was easy access, and second, because only six Lever trailers were deco'd with the Snuggles mural.  Most of the Lever mural trailers were either Wisk or Surf (although I never saw a Surf mural trailer in person).

If you have a good straight-on photo and the subject was relatively clean, you should be able to do the same.

[BCR 570]

If you have a good straight-on photo and the subject was relatively clean, you should be able to do the same.

Thank you for answering my question.  Yes I have good straight-on photos and as food trailers they were relatively clean; unfortunately I don't have the computer skills or programs.  At least I now know how it needs to be done.

Tim

[bbussey]

Email me the photos, I'll take a look at it for you.

[up1950s]

So my Epson C88+ not as good as the Epson 1800 , and that's why all my trailers came out like crap !

1K and 8 cartridges is out of my league . Oh well .