A closer look at Tichy Train Group waterslide decals

[nkalanaga]

I don't know, unless they were a little "fuzzier", and blended better.  Is that even possible with this type printer?  It is odd, but the new ones are barely visible, under high magnification, so even a little extra blending would have eliminated them.

Under bright sun, I used to see similar dots in Floquil Grimy Black, back in the 70s.  I never did figure out whether they were different pigments, or whether something in the paint was acting like a prism, and splitting the reflected light.  Didn't see them in other colors.

[peteski]

I don't know, unless they were a little "fuzzier", and blended better.  Is that even possible with this type printer?  It is odd, but the new ones are barely visible, under high magnification, so even a little extra blending would have eliminated them.

Under bright sun, I used to see similar dots in Floquil Grimy Black, back in the 70s.  I never did figure out whether they were different pigments, or whether something in the paint was acting like a prism, and splitting the reflected light.  Didn't see them in other colors.

I don't know the specs of the printer they use, but dots will be dots. The amount of "blending" depends on how saturated the printed color is. If the color is very light then the dots will be very noticeable. The darker the color is the more concentrated (or blended) the dots will be. If the color being rendered uses multiple inks then there will be even more blending, since the CYMK color dots will overlap.

I can't explain you seeing similar dots in Floquil grimy black. Floquil has very fine pigments and I wouldn't expect to see any distinctive dots in the color.  Maybe as you said,  the paint was scattering the light causing a rainbow-like effect.

Would you be willing to send me small snippets of your color decals (from both batches). All I need is about 1/8" of each stripe.  I would like to be able to examine them for myself.

[Lemosteam]

I don't know the specs of the printer they use, but dots will be dots. The amount of "blending" depends on how saturated the printed color is.

And how quickly the curable ink cures.

[peteski]

And how quickly the curable ink cures.

And how viscous the liquid ink is. 

[Lemosteam]

And how! 

[nkalanaga]

Peteski:  I can send you samples if you like, but it seems that the difference was in my lighting.

I looked at the first set under an old compact fluorescent bulb, which died the next day.  I looked at the new set under the new bulb, which is noticeably brighter.  I just went back and reexamined the first set, under the new bulb, and the dots show there as well.  I'd never paid attention to the difference in lighting, but I was using the same magnifier, and wearing  the same glasses, so it has to be the light.  The old bulb was plenty bright enough for reading and modeling, so I never thought of that.