I need some decals for a rod that I am going to make. I have some paper that is a blank sticker so you can just print what ever you want it on. But will the image fade on a rod over time? Will the sun make it fade?

Yes it will fade in a short amount of time. Contact Jimi @ Decal Connection and you'll be much happier in the end!!
Hope this helps,
Noel

The Epson Archival Inks do a pretty good job, but they're not going to last as long or look as good as an actual water slide decal such as those from Decal Connection. I think there are a couple other sponsors that also sell them.

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Most any ink printed on a lable will fade with time...a short period of time. When I print my own I use an Epson printer with DURABrite archival ink like Tom mentioned above. Otherwise, the waterslides from Decal Connection is the only way to go in my opinion.

Jay

Some scale model makers make markings for their models by first inkjet printing the design on regular printer paper and then photocopying it onto a blank decal sheet. The decal sheet is taped on all four sides to a sheet of copier paper so that it is the right size to be run through the machine. The graphite toner used in photocopiers will never ever, ever fade. It will literally last forever. I'm not sure about the colour copier toner, but I have 5 colour photocopies (on normal copier paper) hanging on my living room wall which have not faded noticeably in over 10 years. There are two problems with this technique. First, not all decal sheets will work. I have only heard about using water slide decal sheets which are much thinner than the peal and stick type. The second problem is that compared to having the job done by the Decal Connection you can save only maybe about $10-$20 and you are risking damage to a very expensive copier. This is why very few people use this technique, and why I never tried it myself.

A couple bucks apiece at Decal Connection is the way to go. You can buy one decal for about $3 if that's all you want

Mike