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Make Your Own Decals
Have you ever said, 'I wish I had a different sign or shop name for that kit?' or 'I've got this great logo but how do I use it?' Well, Micro-Mark may have the item you are looking for.
They have a decal kits so you can make your own decals. You can use either a ink jet or laser printer. Each type of printer uses a separate type of decal paper. Since I have only an ink jet printer, I can only review the ink jet decals. The ink jet paper will need a sealing agent or the ink will run off the decal. So make sure you get some when you order. The decals come in white background or clear. Both look the same but Micromark has a watermark on the back of the paper so you can identify it. You have a few choices as to what to order. You can order just the decal paper in qty of 5, 25 or 100 sheets. A try-it-pack comes with 1 sheet each of clear and white decal paper, and for the ink jet paper, 1 can of the ink jet fixative, and is a must for the ink jet paper. Without it, your decal will run when you put them in water. You can use any program that allows you to print text or graphics. Word, Photoshop, Paint Artist, etc. will work. The only catch is getting the right size of the item. For that, use regular paper as it took me a few times to get the right size to fit what I was trying to do. Also, I suggest trying to print several decals at one time on the same program, as it will save time & decal paper. Applying the decals is as easy as any decal you have used before. Be sure to read the instructions on how to soak the decal. It says cold water and they mean it. I tried hot by mistake and it washed way what I printed and left me with a blank decal. The decal is thin enough to conform to most detailing to make it look like it was painted. To be fair, there are a couple downsides to doing this. First is you cannot print in white. Unless you have a ALP's printer, in order to get white lettering you must us the white paper and try to match the color of the background the decal will go on or on a colorful background. The other way is to use the clear decal on a white background. You have to either waste some of the paper so you can get a smooth top or tape a blank piece of paper to make a smooth top. As for ink jet printers, I would recommend an Epson or Cannon for this. The reason is the straight paper path they use. If you should have a top that is rough or use a taped blank sheet to the decal sheet, I am not sure how well a wrap-a-round, like the HP's may have problems. I cannot swear to this as I use an Epson. One thing on printing is to make sure your printer is set up to at least 720 dpi as anything less, if you are printing a picture or background, it will not look very good. Text is fine on 360 dpi. See the Micromark web site for prices. Part number for the Ink Jet Try-it Pack is 82325. Clink on the picture to enlarge.
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